Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet ™ Upper Cumberland Development District, TN 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 Upper Cumberland Development District was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. The District consists of 14 counties in the rural Upper Cumberland region (population 305,000) of Tennessee. The largest employment sectors in the region historically included manufacturing, mining, and construction. The decline in these sectors has left the area with skeleton buildings and abandoned and idled factories, mines, and mills. These properties are barriers to economic growth in the area. The number of people living below the poverty level in the District is about 30 percent higher than the national rate. The median household income is significantly lower than the national median. In the past seven years alone, the region has lost 8,000 manufacturing jobs. Brownfield assessments will clarify the presence of contamination and address potential threats to human health and the environment posed by sites. Assessments will help the region move forward with cleanup and redevelopment plans that are expected to catalyze revitalization. Assessment Grants $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Upper Cumberland Development District for two brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites and conduct at least 20 Phase I and 5 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used for community outreach activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to perform 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 4 Brownfields Team (404) 562-8792 EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region4/was te/bf) Grant Recipient: Upper Cumberland Development District,™ (931)432-4111 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-09-252 May 2009 ------- |