United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101)
EPA500-F-99-116
June 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
SEPA
Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Orange Township, NJ
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 brownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssites and preparetrainees for future employmentintheenvironmental
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
EPAhas selected Orange Township for aBrownfields
Pilot. Orange Township is highly urbanized and
densely populated, with more than 33,000 residents
living in 2.2 square miles of space. The city's poverty
rate of 30 percent is the second-highest in Essex
County, while its per capita income is less than
$13,000. Sixty-four percent of the city's population is
African American. The New Jersey Municipal Data
Index lists Orange Township as one of the most
distressed communities in the state. Low education
levels and job skills, combined with cultural and
language barriers encountered by Orange's growing
immigrant community, make it difficult for residents
to find well-paying jobs.
Like other inner cities, Orange has seen its
infrastructure deteriorate as residents and employers
moved out to surrounding suburban communities.
The city has been left with abandoned buildings,
vacant lots, and the resulting environmental and social
problems. There are dozens of known or suspected
brownfields sites within Orange's boundaries.
PILOTSNAPSHOT
Orange Township, New Jersey
Date of Announcement:
June 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets
seven city-owned sites within
Orange Township, an
urbanized community and
one of the most distressed
cities in New Jersey.
Contacts:
City of Orange Township
(973) 266-4005
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 2
(212)637-4314
Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/r02earth/superfnd/brownfld/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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OBJECTIVES
The Pilot's objective is to assess seven city-owned
brownfields to facilitate their cleanup and
redevelopment. Through the joint efforts of the Pilot
and the city's holistic, community-driven approach to
brownfields and environmental justice issues, the city
plans to improve Orange's economic and environmental
conditions, empower the community, and stimulate
private investment in brownfields. The city's
brownfields initiative relies on strong community
involvement, uses innovative assessment and cleanup
technologies, and promotes sustainable cleanup
methods.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS ANDACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Developing a detailed inventory of brownfields sites
within the city;
• Performing environmental assessments on seven
targeted sites owned by the city;
• Creating cleanup and redevelopment plans for the
targeted sites, and encouraging the use of innovative
technologies during cleanup; and
• Working with community stakeholders to involve
them in the Pilot's planning and implementation.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Orange Township, New Jersey
June 1999 EPA500-F-99-116
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