Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
Benton Harbor Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, Ml
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 Benton Harbor Brownfield Redevelopment Authority
was selected to receive two brownfields assessment
grants. Benton Harbor (population 10,746) is located in
the southwest corner of Michigan directly across Lake
Michigan from Chicago. The city was once a regional
economic hub, with diverse manufacturing operations
supporting the economy. The closing of major
manufacturing operations in the 1980s caused severe job
losses. Abandoned and blighted brownfields are
contributing to continuing job losses and economic
decline. The city's population has decreased by over 22
percent since the 1980s. The poverty rate is now 50
percent, and 94 percent of city residents are
African-American. Assessment of Benton Harbor's
brownfields is essential to generating developer interest
and is expected to stimulate economic investment in
redevelopment projects. Redevelopment, in turn, is
expected to increase the tax base and support the
emerging tourism-based economy of the region.
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$100,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Benton Harbor Brownfield
Redevelopment Authority for two brownfields
assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous
substances grant funds will be used to inventory
and prioritize brownfields, and conduct 14 Phase I
and 6 Phase II environmental site assessments.
Petroleum grant funds will be used to inventory
and prioritize brownfields, and conduct seven
Phase I and three Phase II environmental site
assessments. Grant funds also will be used to
prepare baseline environmental assessments,
conduct cleanup planning, and support community
outreach 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 5 Brownfields Team
(312)886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)
Grant Recipient: Benton Harbor Brownfield
Redevelopment Authority,MI
(269) 927-8420
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)
EPA560-F-09-214
May 2009
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