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  Brownfields  2008

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

  Macomb 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

Macomb County was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located in southeast-
ern Michigan, Macomb County (population 832,861)
was once an agricultural center, but the automotive
industry in neighboring Detroit eventually dominated
the county's economy. Today, its economy is at its
weakest point in many years. More than 11,000 county
jobs were lost between 1999 and 2002, and the
county's unemployment rate is 8.3 percent. Some
communities have poverty rates higher than 13 per-
cent. The loss of manufacturing jobs has had a devas-
tating effect on the older neighborhoods of southern
Macomb County, where hundreds of properties have
been underused due to bankruptcy. The county plans to
make assessment of brownfields part of its economic
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected Macomb County for two
 brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous sub-
 stances grant funds will be used to perform up to
 10 Phase I and Phase II environmental site assess-
 ments. Grant funds also will be used to conduct
 community outreach activities. Petroleum grant
 funds will be used to perform 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 5 Brownfields Team
 312-886-7576
 http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields

 Grant Recipient: Macomb County, MI
 586-469-5285

 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.
recovery strategy to attract new jobs. Assessments will
help to dispel some of the uncertainties involved in
redeveloping brownfields.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA560-F-08-118
                        April 2008
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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