United States
                  Environmental
                  Protection Agency
                  Washington, D.C.  20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-99-085
May 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
 >>EPA   Brownfields  Cleanup

                  Revolving   Loan  Fund  Pilot
                                                                Niagara County, NY
	(Coalition with Niagara County and the City of Niagara Falls)
 Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)                                 Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding:  assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans forthe environmental cleanup of brownfields.  These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND

Niagara County and the City of Niagara Falls elected
to form a coalition for the BCRLF program. Niagara
County is comprised of 20 municipalities that range
from industrial cities and villages to rural and suburban
townships, all of which contain several brownfields
sites. Over the years, the area experienced loss of
population,  economic  stagnation,  and  loss  of
employment in manufacturing. This has resulted in a
high concentration of sites with environmental
contamination and increased pressure to  develop
greenfields and agricultural lands. Over 5,000 acres of
brownfields have been identified county-wide. The
pilothas identified nine sites in the County, totaling 3 89
acres, and 12 sites in the City, totaling 74 acres, that will
be given high-priority status for the BCRLF. Sites
located in the City also benefit from being designated
State Economic Development Zones.

BCRLF OBJECTIVES

The Niagara County pilot anticipates thatthe BCRLF
will help the County accomplish the following goals:

• Cleanup and redevelop blighted or vacant land and
  facilities, returning them to productive use;
 PILOT SNAPSHOT
 Niagara County, New York
 (Coalition with Niagara County
 and the City of Niagara Falls)
                       Date of Announcement:
                       May 25,1999

                       Amount: $1 million
BCRLF Target Area:
Nine sites, totaling 389 acres,
in Niagara County and 12sit.es,
totaling 74 acres, in the City of
Niagara Falls
 Contacts:
 Commissioner, Niagara County
 Department of Planning,
 Development, and Tourism
 (716) 439-7235
   Region 2 Brownfields
   Coordinator
   (212) 637-4314
      Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
 www.epa.gov/region02/superfnd/browfld/bfmainpg.htm

   For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
 additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
  publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
          http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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• Create new job opportunities;

• Retain and expand the real estate tax base;

• Increase economic developmentthrough affordable
  financing to local companies;

• Assistinthecreationandstimulationofprivate sector
  capital; and

• Complement the Small Business Administration,
  Empire  State Development  Corporation, local
  community, and other organizations' loan programs.

FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS

Niagara County will  serve as lead agency.  Both
Niagara County and the City of Niagara Falls will act
as site manager at their respective sites. The Niagara
County Industrial Development Agency (NCIDA) will
serve as fundmanager. The pilot anticipates $200,000
as the maximum loan amount.

LEVERAGING

Potential leveraging may result from programs like the
Western New York Corporation/Regional Working
Capital Loan Fund and  the  New York  State
Environmental Bond Act. The pilot is also exploring
options available through other federal programs.
Use ofBCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding
also apply to BCRLFfunds.
 Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot                                  Niagara County, New York
 May 1999                                                                     EPA  500-F-99-084

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