5 o T> Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet Leelanau County, Ml 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 Leelanau County was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Leelanau County (population 21,119) is a peninsula in northwest Michi- gan. From 1990 to 2000, the county experienced population growth of 27 percent, attracting many retirees and vacation homeowners. Despite this residential growth, the county faces many obstacles related to economic growth. Residents have difficulty finding year-round employment and affordable housing options, and the average earned income for county workers is far below the state average. The limited infrastructure in most of Leelanau County's towns and villages makes reuse of existing buildings a critical strategy to alleviate sprawl and the development of Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected Leelanau County for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub- stances grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize about 40 brownfield sites and perform 20 Phase I, 10 Phase II, and four baseline environ- mental site assessments. 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 5 Brownfields Team 312-886-7576 http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields Grant Recipient: Leelanau County, MI 231-256-9812 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. rural areas. Brownfields assessment will allow Leelanau County to gain information about real or perceived environmental contamination at brownfields in order to expedite cleanup and redevelopment. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-08-117 April 2008 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |