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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

           Muncie,   IN


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 City of Muncie was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located in east-central
Indiana, Muncie (population 67,430) has a long
history of industrial operations, including iron and
steel mills, and automotive parts and glass manufactur-
ing. The shift away from heavy industry and the
associated closing and relocation of several major
manufacturing plants have negatively affected the
city's economy. The loss of job opportunities has
resulted in a steady population decline over the past 15
years. The unemployment rate in Muncie is over 11
percent, and over 24 percent of the population lives
below the poverty level. An estimated one third of the
city's former industrial properties are now brownfields.
Many of these sites are unsecured and present health
and safety risks to the community. The sites also
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the City of Muncie for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
 stances grant funds will be used to inventory and
 prioritize brownfield sites for assessment, con-
 duct up to eight Phase I and four Phase II envi-
 ronmental site assessments, and support commu-
 nity 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/R5 Brownfields/

 Grant Recipient: City of Muncie, IN
 765-747-4825

 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.
negatively impact property values and deter new
investment in the area. Brownfields assessment will
allow the city to leverage cleanup and redevelopment
investment that will reduce public health threats,
facilitate reuse of abandoned or underused sites, and
improve job opportunities for residents.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-07-116
                         May 2007
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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