Brownfields 2003 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Rolette County, ND 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 Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians was selected to receive an assessment grant. The Turtle Mountain Reservation is located in Rolette County in northern, rural North Dakota. Eighty-nine percent of the population of Rolette County is Native American. The county is also designated a USDA Champion Community, a federal Underutilized Business Zone, and a federal Renewal Community. The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, a federally recognized tribe, has a population of 27,000, over half of whom live on or adjacent to the reservation. The tribe is working to redevelop a 600-acre area that was the site of a former state mental hospital. This redevelopment project will create jobs for the community as well as remove health and environmental hazards posed by the site. Assessment Grant $350,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct assessment activities at the 600-acre site of a former state mental hospital. Continued vandalizing and trespassing as well as the use of access roads by residents that pass through the area present ongoing health and safety threats. 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: Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians,ND (701) 477-0470 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 500-F-03-203 Jun 03 ------- |