A \ Brownfields 2009 Assessment and
?JS&>] Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
Plainfield, NJ
RECOUERY.GOV
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. On February 17, 2009,
President Barack Obama signed into law the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act is an
unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, and create
or save millions of jobs. This law provided stimulus funds
to the Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate
and clean up former industrial and commercial sites.
Under both laws in Fiscal Year 2009, EPA will provide
financial assistance to eligible applicants through four
competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving
loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Plainfield was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants and a brownfields cleanup
grant. Settled in 1684 by Quakers, Plainfield (population
47,829) is located in northeastern New Jersey. Its location
on a major rail line encouraged the growth of diverse
industries, including printing and the manufacturing of
chemicals and automotive parts. As the manufacturing
sector declined, Plainfield was left with a legacy of
contaminated sites dispersed within residential areas.
According to an updated inventory, there are 344 potential
brownfield sites in this six-square-mile city. Many of the
sites are located in three targeted census tracts. The
percentage of residents in these areas who live below the
poverty level ranges from 19 to 32 percent. The
percentage of minority residents in these neighborhoods
ranges from 76 to 84 percent. Assessment of the city's
brownfields is expected to encourage the cleanup and
eventual redevelopment of the sites. Cleanup of the Lee
Place site will reduce risks to public health. Once the site
is cleaned up, the city has committed to redeveloping it
for affordable housing.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Plainfield for two
brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
conduct five Phase I and five Phase II
environmental site assessments and support
community outreach activities. Petroleum grant
funds will be used to conduct the same tasks at
sites with potential petroleum contamination.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
EPA has selected the City of Plainfield for a
brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
grant funds will be used to clean up the Lee Place
site at 208-222 Lee Place. This vacant one-half
acre parcel was occupied by a dry cleaning plant
from the 1940s through the 1990s. Soil and
groundwater at the site are contaminated with
perchloroethylene, semi-volatile organic
compounds, and co-mingled petroleum products.
Grant funds will be used to remove underground
storage tanks and contaminated soil, clean up
groundwater, 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 2 Brownfields Team
(212) 637-4358
EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region2/bro wnfields)
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-09-085
May 2009
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Grant Recipient: City of Plainfield,NJ
(908)753-3699
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-09-085
May 2009
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