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 Brownfields 2006

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

         West Virginia

    Region  I  Planning

    and Development

    Council, Southern

         West Virginia

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 West Virginia Region I Planning and Develop-
ment Council was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. The target community of McDowell
County (population 27,329), a federally designated
rural Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community,
is located in what was once a prosperous coal mining
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the West Virginia Region I
 Planning and Development Council for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
 stances grant funds will be used to inventory
 potential brownfields sites, conduct community
 outreach activities, perform up to ten Phase I and
 three to five Phase II environmental site assess-
 ments, and prepare cleanup plans for three to five
 sites throughout McDowell County.
 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 3 Brownfields Team
 215-814-3129
 http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm
 Grant Recipient: West Virginia Region I Planning
 and Development Council, WV
 304-431-7225
 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
region of West Virginia. The decline in coal mining and
other related industries has led to a severe economic
downturn in the region. Flooding and other natural
disasters have compounded the economic devastation.
The population of the county is less than 28 percent of
what it was 50 years ago. The poverty rate is almost 38
percent, and the average income is 57 percent of that of
the state. The lack of employment opportunities has
resulted in a large drop in the number of county resi-
dents under the age of 45. Although redevelopment is a
priority for the county, the region's steep hills and
extensive flooding issues leave few areas that are not in
                                              Solid Waste and
                                              Emergency Response
                                              (5105T)
                       EPA 560-F-06-067
                       May 2006
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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the floodplain or within mine-scarred areas. Assess-
ment of brownfields sites will provide the county with
a means to study the overwhelming health problems in
the area, including brain impairments, that may be
directly or indirectly related to contamination from
these sites. Cleanup of brownfields will help reduce the
potential threats they pose to human health and the
environment and help attract new businesses to the
area. Redevelopment will generate employment
opportunities, improve the local tax base, and create
new greenspace that will promote a more vibrant
community.

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