HI
                          C3
  Brownfields 2004

  Grant Fact Sheet

 Land-of-Sky Regional

      Council,  Western

        North Carolina


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield 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, the President
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 pro-
grams through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The Land-of-Sky Regional Council was selected to
receive a brownfields assessment grant and a revolving
loan fund grant. The Land-of-Sky region (population
353,230) encompasses four counties in the Blue Ridge
Mountain Range in western North Carolina. The
manufacturing sector, which 30 years ago accounted
for 30 percent of the jobs in the region, today accounts
for only 19 percent of the jobs. At the same time, the
service and retail sectors have each grown by 35
percent. This shift has resulted in vacant and
underutilized plants and facilities, increased unemploy-
ment, and the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum

EPA has selected the Land-of-Sky Regional
Council for a brownfields assessment grant.
Hazardous substances funds will be used to
identify, characterize, and prioritize sites; perform
Phase I and II site assessments; develop cleanup
plans; conduct community involvement activities;
and assist local officials with health monitoring.
Petroleum funds will be used to perform the same
tasks at sites with petroleum contamination. The
council anticipates assessing up to six sites.
Revolving Loan Fund
Grant
$750,000 for hazardous substances
$250,000 for petroleum

EPA has selected the Land-of-Sky Regional
Council for a brownfields revolving loan fund grant.
Grant funds will be used to capitalize a revolving
loan fund that will provide loans and subgrants to
local governments and small businesses within the
four-county Land-of-Sky region of western North
Carolina for brownfields cleanup projects.
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 at: www.epa.gov/
brownfields.

EPA Region 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8789
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm

Grant Recipient: Land-of-Sky Regional Council, NC
(828)251-6622

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, the activities
described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                     EPA560-F-04-142
                     June 2004
                     www.epa.gov/brownfields

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More than 12 percent of families in the region live
below the poverty level. Cleanup and redevelopment of
the brownfields sites will help the region preserve its
natural resources, restore its historic and cultural sites.
and attract business and industry to the area, resulting
in an increase in tourism revenues, jobs, and tax
revenues. The council also expects that this project will
help foster the revitalization of adjacent properties.

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