Brownfields  2009 Assessment Grant Fact  Sheet
    ™          Grand Valley Metropolitan Council, Grand Rapids, 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 Grand Valley Metropolitan Council was selected to
receive two brownfields assessment grants. Located in
eastern Michigan, the Council serves the Grand Rapids
metropolitan area (population 315,000). The region plans
to build a high capacity, speedy-bus rapid transit system as
a cost-effective alternative to commuters accessing jobs in
downtown Grand Rapids.  Many sections of the nine-mile
bus route have dozens of abandoned and underused
industrial and  commercial businesses, deteriorating
infrastructure, and low-income residential housing.
Residents in the target area (population 48,000) earn 30
percent less than the state  median income.  In the target
area's most vulnerable sections, 75 to 95 percent of
residents are minorities. Assessment of brownfields is
expected to catalyze investments in redevelopment along
the proposed transit route  and advance plans to build 19
station stops along the route.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the Grand Valley Metropolitan
                     Council for two brownfields assessment grants.
                     Community-wide hazardous substances grant
                     funds will be used to inventory brownfields along
                     the bus rapid transit route, conduct about 30 Phase
                     I and 20 Phase II environmental site assessments,
                     and support community involvement activities.
                     Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the
                     same tasks at sites with potential petroleum
                     contamination.
                     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: Grand Valley Metropolitan
                     Council,MI
                     (616) 776-7604

                     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 560-F-09-248
      May 2009

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