Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
              West Central Indiana Economic Development District,  Inc.
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 West Central Indiana Economic Development
District, Inc., was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment coalition grant. The Development District's
coalition partners are the Counties of Clay, Vermillion,
and Vigo (combined population 89,206). These are
primarily rural counties containing many small towns. In
the past, the region's economy thrived on the mining
industry, railroad transportation, and various industrial
operations. The industrial base has significantly declined,
and many companies have closed their doors, leaving
behind a growing number of abandoned sites. Brownfields
issues were made worse when the region was devastated
by flooding in June 2008, which had a negative impact on
the region's economy. The unemployment rate is higher
and per capita incomes are lower than the state as  a
whole. Assessment of brownfields is expected to leverage
funding for cleanup and redevelopment projects that will
increase the tax base and create jobs.
                    Assessment Grant

                    $447,000 for hazardous substances
                    $447,000 for petroleum

                    EPA has selected the West Central Indiana
                    Economic Development District, Inc., for a
                    brownfields assessment coalition grant.
                    Community-wide hazardous substances and
                    petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct
                    between 24 and 27 Phase I and between 12 and 15
                    Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant
                    funds also will be used to inventory and prioritize
                    brownfields, conduct cleanup planning and health
                    monitoring, 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: West Central Indiana Economic
                     Development District, Inc.
                     (812)238-1561

                     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-09-280
      May 2009

-------