Brownfields 2011  Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
    ~          Montcalm County, 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

Montcalm County was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. Located in west-central Michigan,
Montcalm County (population 62,733) has a proud
agricultural and manufacturing history. When one of the
world's largest appliance manufacturers relocated in 2006,
the county lost 2,700 jobs and hundreds of thousands of
dollars in property tax revenue. This loss rippled
throughout the county and resulted in numerous
brownfields. The county's unemployment rate is 15.7
percent, and the poverty rate is 17.7 percent. The state has
identified over 420 sites in Montcalm County with known
contamination. Today's brownfields were once the
original focal points of the community. As a result,
residential neighborhoods, schools, and parks are
intermixed with brownfields, and more than 47 percent of
county residents live adjacent or close to sites.
Contamination from brownfields threatens the Flat River,
other waterways, and the county's water supply.
Brownfield assessments are expected to facilitate eventual
acquisition and creation of greenways and open spaces,
including habitat and trails.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected Montcalm County for two
                     brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds
                     will be used to conduct about 25 Phase I and 17
                     Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant
                     funds also will be used to preparing seven baseline
                     environmental assessments, develop four cleanup
                     plans, 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: Montcalm County,MI
                     (989) 831-5261 ext 439

                     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)
E PA 560-F-128-084
       May 2011

-------