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  Brownfields  2008


  Grant Fact Sheet


 Isothermal Planning and


          Development


  Commission,  Western


         North Carolina



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 this 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The Isothermal Planning and Development Commis-
sion (IPDC) was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. Located in western North Carolina,
the IPDC serves Rutherford, Polk, McDowell, and
Cleveland Counties (total population 224,880). The
region is characterized by small towns, including older
mill villages and large unincorporated areas. In the
1970s, thriving textile mills, furniture factories, and
timber and agricultural industries kept employment
high. However, changes in technology and international
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the Isothermal Planning and
 Development Commission for two brownfields
 assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant
 funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites
 and perform up to 12 Phase I and seven Phase II
 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
 will be used to support community outreach
 activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to
 conduct the same  tasks at sites with potential
 petroleum contamination.
 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

 Grant Recipient: Isothermal Planning and
 Development Commission, NC
 828-287-228 l,ext. 1227

 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.
commerce have resulted in a large number of vacant
or underused industrial sites and increased unemploy-
ment. Between 1998 and 2007, industrial closings
resulted in the loss of 9,175 jobs. One town lost 80
percent of its manufacturing jobs within 10 years.
Assessment of brownfields is expected to catalyze
cleanup and redevelopment of these properties and
help leverage public and private investment in the
region.
                                               Solid Waste and
                                               Emergency Response
                                               (5105T)
                       EPA 560-F-08-082
                       April 2008
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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