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Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
Fact Sheet
Bear Paw Development Corporation of Northern
Montana
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. 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 this law, 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 Bear Paw Development Corporation of Northern
Montana was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. Located in north-central Montana
along the Canadian border, Bear Paw serves Elaine,
Chouteau, Hill, Phillips, and Liberty Counties (combined
population 34,116), including the Chippewa Cree Tribe's
Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. The area's strongest
industry, agriculture, has declined steadily over the last 30
years. Many of the region's brownfields are the legacy of
traditional farming. As agriculture and its supporting
businesses declined, vacant and potentially contaminated
properties were left behind. The poverty rate in the
five-county region is nearly 19 percent. The rate at the
reservation is nearly 68 percent. State and Tribal agencies
report numerous abandoned mines, methamphetamine
laboratories, and 275 leaking underground storage tanks
in the Bear Paw area. Many towns in the region have
boarded up blighted properties, including several at
prominent intersections. Brownfield assessments are
expected to help promote cleanup of sites and sustainable
redevelopment in the Bear Paw region.
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
$200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
Funding)
EPA has selected the Bear Paw Development
Corporation of Northern Montana for two
brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize
sites, and conduct 16 Phase I and 8 Phase II
environmental site assessments for hazardous
substances and petroleum contamination. Grant
funds also will be used to 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 8 Brownfields Team
(303)312-7074
EPA Region 8 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region8/bro wnfields)
Grant Recipient: Bear Paw Development
Corporation of Northern Montana
(406) 265-9226
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-09-124
May 2009
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