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Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund
Pilot
Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality
BACKGROUND
Arkansas' economy historically was dominated by
agriculture. The state's manufacturing base began to
grow in the mid-1950s, particularly in the food-related,
forest, and apparel sectors, creating higher paying jobs for
state residents. However, in the mid-1980s, declines in
manufacturing industries and rapid growth in the service
sector increased the number of low-paying jobs in the
state. Arkansas' per capita income ranks 49th in the
nation. Almost 16% of the population lives below the
poverty level.
Almost 90% of Arkansas is cropland, pastureland, and
woodland. The state recognizes that continued development
of these lands will detract from the character of the state
and restrict use of fertile agricultural lands to future
generations. The recycling of previously developed
properties is the only way to protect pristine lands from
encroaching development. The state legislature created a
voluntary cleanup program in 1997, giving the Arkansas
Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) the
authority to certify cleanups conducted under the program
and to limit the future liability of property owners. Arkansas
is committed to the appropriate cleanup and reuse of
brownfields and continues to investigate ways of improving
its brownfields program.
BCRLF OBJECTIVES
The primary goals of the BCRLF Pilot are to provide
qualified applicants with the necessary capital to conduct
cleanups of contaminated properties. It is hoped that
successful cleanups conducted with the use of BCRLF
loans will encourage private lending institutions to reevaluate
their lending policies and provide financial assistance for
environmental cleanups.
Properties throughoutthe state will be eligible for BCRLF
loans. Priority will be given to sites in federal Enterprise
Communities andEmpowerment Zones,underserved areas
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
May 2002
Amount: $1,000,000
BCRLF Target Area:
Brownfields throughoutthe State
of Arkansas
State of Arkansas
Contacts:
Arkansas Department of
Environmental Quality
(501)682-0833
Region 6 Brownfields
Coordinator
(214)665-6688
Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.htm
Forfurtherinformation,includingspecific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
www.epa.gov/brownfields
of the state, and sites that have been assessed through the
Brownfields Assessment Pilots in the state. Target
borrowers are public and private developers. Proj ects will
be selected based on the advantages the project will bring
to the general public.
FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS
The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality is
the cooperative agreement recipient and will serve as the
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lead agency and site manager. The Arkansas Development
Finance Authority will serve as the fund manager.
LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES
Identifying and securing sources of funding for cleanup
and redevelopment, together with the use of in-kind
services provided by the state, will be used to leverage
private investments in brownfields cleanup and
redevelopment. An additional source of funding includes
the state Clean Water and Drinking Water Revolving
Loan Funds, which are available to municipalities for
cleanup activities where there is a potential to pollute
waters of the state. Other potential federal funds include
Economic Development Administration grants, HUD
Brownfields Economic Developmentlnitiative grants, and
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers services.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, and all
CERCLA restrictions on use of funding also apply to BCRLF funds.
Solid Waste EPA 500-F-02-003
and Emergency May 2002
Response (5101) www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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