Brownfields 2011 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet North Side Industrial Development Company, Inc., PA 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 North Side Industrial Development Company, Inc., was selected to receive a brownfields assessment coalition grant. The company's coalition partners are 19 municipalities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh (combined population 415,805). These municipalities are located along the Ohio and Allegheny Rivers. The area was developed during the late 1800s and early 1900s, driven by the region's industrial growth. Housing and neighborhoods developed around the industries that lined the region's rivers, leaving residents in the pathways of potentially hazardous waste generated by the industries. With industrial globalization, major companies in the coalition area declined, residents lost jobs, and municipalities lost residents and their tax base. Seventeen of the 20 coalition members are designated distressed by the state. Per capita income is $18,829, and the poverty rate is higher than the state average. Brownfield assessments are expected to facilitate the redevelopment of brownfields into advanced manufacturing facilities for new technologies such as robotics, medical devices, and precision instruments. Assessment Grant $750,000 for hazardous substances $250,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the North Side Industrial Development Company, Inc., for a brownfields assessment coalition grant. Community-wide hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct about 12 Phase I and eight to 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop cleanup plans, conduct a brownfields site inventory, and support 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 3 Brownfields Team (215)814-3129 EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr) Grant Recipient: North Side Industrial Development Company, Inc.,PA (412) 322-3523 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) E PA 560-F-128-031 May 11 ------- |