Brownfields 2003 Revolving Loan Fund Grant Fact Sheet Regional Growth Partnership, South Central 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. 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 Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) was selected to receive a revolving loan fund grant. The RGP works with 15 cities and towns in South Central Connecticut. The area has seen an exodus of manufacturing, leaving brownfields ranging from abandoned gas stations to a large tire disposal "pond." In addition, the region has seen rising unemployment and a significant shift from manufacturing to service jobs, which generally are lower-paying and without access to health and retirement benefits. The cities and towns in the region have significant minority populations, ranging from an average of 23 percent in the towns to 56.5 percent in New Haven's inner city. Many brownfields in the City of New Haven affect disadvantaged neighborhoods. Revolving Loan Fund Grant $1,000,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) for a revolving loan fund grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the Regional Growth Partnership will provide loans and subgrants to conduct cleanup activities in 15 cities and towns in South Central Connecticut. About 50 brownfields properties have already been assessed in the region, and loan funds will facilitate remediation and eventual redevelopment at many of these sites. 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: Regional Growth Partnership,CT (203) 821-3682 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) EPA500-F-03-167 Jun 03 ------- |