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

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