Brownfields 2003 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Wayne County Brownfields Redevelopment Authority, Ml 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 Wayne County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority was selected to receive assessment grants. Over 2,000 brownfields and 1,638 open leaking underground storage tank sites have been mapped in Wayne County, which includes Detroit and five smaller communities with populations under 100,000. Detroit alone contains thousands of brownfields. While the statewide poverty rate is 10.5 percent, the average poverty rate in the county is 16.4 percent. Poverty rates in four county communities exceed 20 percent. The assessment of brownfields in the county's most distressed areas will stimulate economic development opportunities for impoverished communities. The county's brownfields program will continue to be a very public process involving government, foundations, and community-based organizations. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Wayne County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The county plans to select sites for assessment using an established process that involves impacted communities, perform Phase I and Phase II environmental assessments, and develop redevelopment plans. The county, which includes the City of Detroit, contains thousands of brownfields left over from a long history of heavy industry, will focus on its most economically distressed areas. 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: Wayne County, MI BRA (313)224-0749 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-03-210 Jun 03 ------- |