Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Kalispell,  MT
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. In
2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help
states and communities around the country cleanup and
revitalize brownfields sites. Under this 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 Kalispell was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located in northwestern
Montana, Kalispell (population 20,298) prospered along
the historic railroad tracks that once were home to the
Galloping Goose, a train that brought goods to market
across the state. Many of the properties along the rail
lines that housed local industries now lay vacant or
underused. Forty-seven underused properties have been
identified in the target area, the Burlington Northern
Santa Fe (BNSF) Revitalization Project area. They
include gas  stations, warehouses, and grain elevators. In
addition, the state has identified 17 known underground
storage tank releases in the area. Commercial and
residential properties in the BNSF  area are  adjacent to
one another, raising concerns about exposure to
contaminants typically found along railroad corridors.
The poverty rate of residents of the BNSF area is 21
percent. Assessment of area brownfields is expected to
facilitate site cleanup and help leverage public and
private funds for redevelopment.
                   Assessment Grants

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances
                   $200,000 for petroleum

                   EPA has selected the City of Kalispell for two
                   brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                   grant funds will be used to conduct up to 20 Phase I
                   and 8 Phase II environmental site assessments for
                   hazardous substances and petroleum contamination.
                   Grant funds also will be used to conduct cleanup
                   planning and support community outreach activities.
                   The city will focus assessments on sites in the
                   Burlington Northern Santa Fe Revitalization Project
                   area.

                   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 8 Brownfields Team
                   (303)312-7074
                   EPA Region 8 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region8/brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Kalispell,MT
                   (406) 758-7740

                   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)
EPA 560-F-09-200
        May 09

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