Brownfields 2003 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
Sterling, IL
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. On
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed
into law the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields
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 Sterling was selected to receive assessment
and revolving loan fund grants. The city is focusing on
the 700-acre Rock River Redevelopment Area, which is
part of a designated Illinois Enterprise Zone. Since the
local steel facility closed in 2001, the city (population
15,600) has lost 1,400 jobs, experienced a sharp rise in
public assistance demands, and seen the deterioration of
residential areas surrounding the site. The city is
working to transfer parcels in the area to redevelopers
and end-users. The assessment, cleanup, and
redevelopment of these brownfields will help foster a
diversity of businesses in the area and spur additional
economic activity in the community. This
redevelopment initiative is part of the city's larger effort
to work in cooperation with surrounding communities
and public agencies to create a coherent area-wide
economic development strategy and open space plan.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Sterling for an
assessment grant. The city will use grant funds to
conduct assessments at priority sites within the Rock
River Redevelopment Area that are contaminated by
petroleum or hazardous substances. Grant funds also
will be used to conduct a site-wide groundwater
investigation and to conduct community
involvement activities.
Relvolving Loan Fund Grant
$600,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Sterling for a revolving
loan fund grant. The grant will be used to capitalize
a revolving loan fund from which the city will
provide loans and subgrants to conduct cleanup
activities within the Rock River Redevelopment
Area. Cleanup activities will be conducted at sites
contaminated with hazardous substances and sites
contaminated with petroleum.
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 5 Brownfields Team
(312)886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Sterling, IL, City of
(815)632-6621
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. The cooperative
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA500-F-03-192
Jun 03
-------
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)
EPA500-F-03-192
Jun 03
------- |