5 o T> Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet East Tennessee Development District EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Addi- tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description The East Tennessee Development District (ETDD) was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located in the heart of Appalachia, the ETDD serves 16 counties (combined population 1,050,543). Three of the ETDD counties include Rural Enterprise Communities, and part of the City of Knoxville is an Empowerment Zone. The region depends heavily on government facilities for employment. Over the past several years, the downsizing of these facilities has led to significant job losses. The median household income is 26 percent lower than the national average. Sixteen percent of residents in the region live below the poverty level. There are deserted commercial Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the East Tennessee Develop- ment District (ETDD) for a brownfields assess- ment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize brownfields sites, and conduct at least ten Phase I and as many Phase II environmental site assess- ments as possible throughout the ETDD's 16- county region. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/ brownfields. EPA Region 4 Brownfields Team 404-562-8792 http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm Grant Recipient: East Tennessee Development District 865-273-6003 The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti- ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. buildings, and vacant lots throughout the region. Streams, rivers, and lakes are impacted by runoff from brownfields. The ETDD plans to establish a regionally focused program for eventual cleanup and redevelop- ment of brownfields. This program is expected to lead to economic growth while helping to preserve trea- sured agricultural and forest areas. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-07-044 May 2007 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |