Brownfields  2009 Revolving  Loan Fund Grant
               Fact Sheet
              Lorain, OH
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 City of Lorain was selected to receive a brownfields
revolving loan fund grant. Lorain (population 70,124) is
located along the Lake Erie shore at the mouth of the
Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland. Its harbor
and navigable river access helped create a boom in the
city's manufacturing and shipping sectors. Lorain's
industrial heritage includes heavy steel and automobile
manufacturing. The decline in heavy industry has left a
legacy of environmental issues. Contaminants impact soil
and groundwater quality throughout the city. There are
over 300 areas of former steel manufacturing and
industrial facilities in the city. Blighted properties along
the lakefront and riverfront are adjacent to the city's most
impoverished neighborhoods. Cleanups conducted
through the revolving loan fund grant will reduce
environmental threats posed by brownfields and help the
city continue to return blighted properties to productive
reuse.
                     Revolving Loan Fund Grant

                     $800,000 for hazardous substances
                     $200,000 for petroleum
                     EPA has selected the City of Lorain for a
                     brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant
                     will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund
                     from which the City of Lorain will provide loans
                     and subgrants to support cleanup activities for
                     sites contaminated with petroleum and hazardous
                     substances. Grant funds also will be used to
                     market and manage the program. The city
                     estimates underwriting two to six loans and
                     distributing one to two subgrants.
                     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: City of Lorain,OH
                     (440) 204-2020

                     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-09-127
      May 2009

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