Brownfields 2009 Revolving Loan Fund Grant Fact Sheet Bridgeport, CT EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states. communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield 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. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. 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 City of Bridgeport was selected to receive a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. Located in southwestern Connecticut, Bridgeport (population 139,529) is the largest and most densely populated city in the state. The city was once a major industrial center, and communities were built around industry as walk-to-work neighborhoods. Most of these industrial sites are now unused or abandoned. There are over 400 potentially contaminated sites in the city, ranging in size from less than one quarter of an acre to 40 acres. These sites pose potential health threats to the community's sensitive populations. Nearly 63 percent of city residents are Hispanic or African-American, and almost 25 percent live at or below the poverty level. Cleanups conducted through the RLF grant are expected to reduce contamination in some of the city's most blighted neighborhoods, help protect the health of surrounding populations, and help move redevelopment projects forward. Revolving Loan Fund Grant $800,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the City of Bridgeport for a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the City of Bridgeport will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities for sites contaminated with petroleum and hazardous substances. Grant funds also will be used to monitor the health of populations exposed to brownfields and 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 (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields). EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team (617)918-1424 EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site (http: //www. epa.gov/region 1 /brownfields) Grant Recipient: City of Bridgeport,CT (203) 576-3978 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 negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC 20450 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-09-044 May 09 ------- |