5 o T> Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet Buffalo Trace Area Development District, Northeastern Kentucky 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 Buffalo Trace Area Development District was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located in northeastern Kentucky, the five-county Buffalo Trace region has a population of 55,229. For years, the region's economy depended on the tobacco industry. Changes in the tobacco industry have forced farmers to switch to alternative crops, leaving many tobacco warehouses standing empty. These ware- houses and other area brownfields are blights on the landscape, pose potential health risks to nearby resi- dents, and adversely affect revitalization. The Buffalo Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Buffalo Trace Area Devel- opment District for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to inventory sites and conduct five to 10 Phase I and three to five Phase II environmental site assessments in Bracken, Fleming, Lewis, Mason, and Robertson Counties. 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 4 Brownfields Team 404-562-8792 http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf Grant Recipient: Buffalo Trace Area Development District, KY 606-564-6894 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. Trace region has a poverty rate of nearly 20 percent, and the median household income is below state and national averages. The unemployment rate exceeds state and national averages. Brownfields assessment is expected to help the Buffalo Trace Area Develop- ment District attract developers and promote reuse of sites for commercial, residential, and greenspace development. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-08-073 April 2008 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |