United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-00-140
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
<>EPA Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Bucks County, PA
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
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 for the 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
Bucks County communities grew around a
manufacturing industrial base that settled along the
Delaware River. Increased global competition and
changes in technologies and production processes over
the past two decades, however, have led to downsizing
or discontinuation of operations by some companies in
this area. The loss of manufacturing and industrial jobs
has produced pockets of blight throughout the County.
In 1997, the State designated parts of six communities
in Lower Bucks County as an Enterprise Zone. In
addition, EPA awarded Bucks County an Assessment
Pilot to identify and inventory brownfields in the
Enterprise Zone.
BCRLF OBJECTIVES
Bucks County's BCRLF seeks to eliminate
underutilized sites, restore the real estate tax base,
reduce greenfield development, restore lost industrial
jobs, and leverage State and private funds for
brownfields redevelopment. Loan preference will be
given to Enterprise Zone businesses, followed by
Lower Bucks County businesses, and finally to eligible
properties in the balance of the County.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
May 2000
Amount: $500,000
BCRLF Target Area: State
Enterprise Zone in Lower Bucks
County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Contacts:
Redevelopment Authority
of Bucks County
(215)781-8711
Region 3 BCRLF
Coordinator
(215)814-3211
Visit the EPA Region 3 Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/region03/waste/brown/index.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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FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS
The Bucks County Redevelopment Authority will serve
as lead agency and the Bucks County Economic
Development Corporation will serve as fund manager.
The County is considering several options for site
manager.
LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES
Buck's County's BCRLF will be complemented by
Pennsylvania's Industrial Sites Reuse Program, which
provides low interest loans to private developers for the
remediation of contaminated sites. In addition,
brownfields sites identified in State-designated
Enterprise Zones receive financial incentives for the
assessment and remediation of contaminated sites under
the Enterprise Zone Revitalization Loan Fund.
Operated as a revolving loan fund, this loan program in
conjunction with the BCRLF, will be used to attract
additional borrowers. As a recipient of a US
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Community Development Block Grant, Bucks County
is using this funding to prepare a complete inventory of
contaminated sites throughout the County.
Additionally, the Bucks County Redevelopment
Authority and the Bucks County Economic
Development Corporation will provide significant
administrative resources using personnel in both
organizations.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding
also apply to BCRLF funds.
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot Bucks County, Pennsylvania
May 2000 EPA 500-F-00-140
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