O  \    Brownfields  2009 Assessment  Grant
    SSZ      Fact Sheet
                                                        RECOUERY.GOV


               Van Buren County, 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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed
into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to
jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of
jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the
Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate and
clean up former industrial and commercial sites. Under
this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.

Community Description

Van Buren County was  selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Located along Lake
Michigan about 125 miles from Chicago in southwest
Michigan, Van Buren County (population 77,931)  is
mostly farmland dotted  with small towns. Since the
early 1800s, the county's economy has been largely
agriculturally based, ranking first in the state for berry
production. Despite the  county's rural and agricultural
character, a considerable number of manufacturing
facilities operated along the lakeshore and along
waterways in interior communities. A decline in
manufacturing, representing nearly 82 percent of all
county employment losses since 2001, has left a legacy
of closed plants and contaminated properties. Plant
closings and unemployment continue to grow. Half the
county's local jurisdictions now have poverty rates that
exceed the national average. Brownfield assessments
are expected to generate interest in the redevelopment
of brownfields in cities and towns, thereby improving
the tax base while preserving farmland and open space.
                   Assessment Grant
                   $200,000 for hazardous substances
                   (Recovery Act Funding)

                   EPA has selected Van Buren County for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Community-wide
                   hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   inventory and prioritize sites throughout the county
                   and conduct 14 Phase I and 9 Phase II environmental
                   site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to
                   conduct cleanup planning and community
                   involvement 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 5 Brownfields Team
                   (312)886-7576
                   EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient:  Van Buren County,MI
                   (269) 657-8234

                   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)
EPA560-F-09-144
        May 09

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