Brownfields  2003 Assessment  Grant Fact Sheet
               Greaf Falls Development Authority, 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. 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 Great Falls Development Authority was selected to
receive an assessment grant. Great Falls (population
56,690) is a regional center for much of north central
Montana. The grant targets a blighted 60-acre swath of
land along the city's riverfront with suspected
petroleum and hazardous substance contamination
resulting primarily from industrial uses. As industries
along the riverfront closed down over time, land along
the riverfront was redeveloped for residential,
commercial, retail, and recreational uses. Today, the
abandoned and underused industrial and commercial
properties in the riverfront area stand in stark contrast to
the shopping centers and residential neighborhoods that
surround it. Nearly 17 percent of families living in the
neighborhood adjacent to the target area have  incomes
below the poverty level. By assessing, cleaning up, and
redeveloping the property for mixed use, the city hopes
to create up to 250 jobs, stimulate economic growth,
and improve access to the Missouri River.
                   Assessment Grant

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

                   EPA has selected the Great Falls Development
                   Authority for a brownfields assessment grant. The
                   authority intends to use grant funds to perform
                   assessments for properties with suspected hazardous
                   substances or petroleum contamination within a
                   blighted, 60-acre stretch of land adjacent to the
                   Missouri River. Grant funds  will also be used to
                   conduct community involvement and outreach
                   activities and for cleanup and redevelopment
                   planning.

                   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: Great Falls, MT
                   (406) 454-1934

                   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-03-104
        Jun 03

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