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  Brownfields  2008


  Grant  Fact Sheet


        Letcher County


  Conservation District,


                   KY



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 Letcher County Conservation District was se-
lected to  receive two brownfields assessment grants.
Located in southeastern Kentucky, Letcher County
(population 25,277) was a prominent coal mining
community. When the railroad reached Letcher County
in the 20th Century, large corporations such as U.S.
Steel and Consolidated Coal quickly brought tens of
thousands of immigrants to work in the mines along
with local farming families. The mechanization of the
mining industry in the second half of the 20th Century
brought economic decline and out-migration. Old
mining refuse piles and surface mines scar the land-
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the Letcher County Conserva-
 tion District for two brownfields assessment
 grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
 used to create an inventory of mine-scarred lands
 using geographic information system technology,
 conduct four to six Phase I and one to three Phase
 II environmental site assessments, and perform
 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 4 Brownfields Team
 404-562-8792
 http: //www. epa.gov/region4/waste/bf

 Grant Recipient: Letcher County Conservation
 District, KY
 606-633-4448

 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.
scape. Abandoned elevated coal bins and other indus-
trial infrastructure, such as machine shops and
switchyards, sit vacant. More than 27 percent of
Letcher County's population lives below the poverty
level, and the unemployment rate is over eight percent.
The county's per capita income is $11,984. Assessment
of mine-scarred lands throughout the county is ex-
pected to spur redevelopment and boost community
pride.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-08-075
                        April 2008
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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