United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5101) EPA500-F-97-135 April 1997 National Brownfields Assessment Pilot Northwest Regional Planning Commission, Wl 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. Between 1995 and 1996, EPA funded 76 National and Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields solutions. EPAis funding morethan 27 Pilots in 1997. The Pilots 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. OVERVIEW EPA has selected the Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NWRPC) as a Brownfields Pilot. Northwest Wisconsin contains many abandoned or under-used industrial and commercial properties. In addition, area municipalities have declined to take tax deeds on many of the delinquent properties because of environmental concerns, effectively making these properties brownfields. Unemployment in northwest Wisconsin is \1A times the state average. Six sites with known contamination have been targeted for the pilot, and an additional six sites may also be considered forthe pilot. The selected sites will include a variety of under-used public and private properties. Examples of such sites include a former charcoal factory, grain elevators, and other vacant industrial properties occupying a 75-acre waterfront area in the City of Superior. Development in this area has been inhibited by the presence of brownfields despite its key location near utilities, shipping and rail transportation routes, and skilled labor market. PILOT SNAPSHOT Northwest Wisconsin Date of Award: April 1997 Amount: $195,510 Site Profile: Six sites with known contamination have been targeted for the pilot, and an additional six sites located throughout Northwest Wisconsin, may also be considered for the pilot. Contacts: Dale Cardwell Northwest Regional Planning Commission (715)635-2197 Mary Beth Tuohy U.S. EPA-Region 5 (312)886-7596 tuohy.marybeth@ epamail.epa.gov Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- OBJECTIVES The goal ofNWRPC is to develop aprocess to assess, cleanup, and redevelop brownfields sites. NWRPC's objectives for the pilot are to: 1) develop tools to finance the cleanup of rural brownfields; 2) encourage economic development of critical community sites while ensuring appropriate cleanups; 3) expand job opportunities for minority and low-income persons in economically distressed communities; and 4) develop a network of economic development and environmental professionals to address brownfields redevelopment. A steering committee made up of five municipalities, two tribes, economic development representatives, and community members will guide the implementation of a brownfields redevelopment process that can be applied throughout northwest Wisconsin. ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this pilot include: • Educating community leaders and professionals in the brownfields redevelopment process; • Conducting Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments at six sites with suspected contamina- tion; • Identifying appropriate future uses for the targeted sites; and • Implementing site remediation and redevelopment plans. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. National Brownfields Assessment Pilot Northwest Regional Planning Commission, Wisconsin April 1997 EPA 500-F-97-135 ------- |