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

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                                                          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

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