I 4B| Brownfields 2003 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Hudson County, NJ 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 January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields 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 Hudson County was selected to receive an assessment grant. The county has developed an area-wide approach involving a comprehensive site identification and ranking system to target properties for brownfields redevelopment. In this densely populated, highly urbanized county, nearly 40 percent of the population is foreign born and the poverty rate is almost twice the state average. A rapid increase in population over the past ten years has created a chronic unemployment problem. The assessment and reuse of the many abandoned and underused brownfields represent an important resource for county residents. Reuse of brownfields will spur economic growth and provide an opportunity to incorporate much needed greenspace into reuse planning. The county will provide opportunities for community involvement in project meetings and will provide coverage in multiple languages. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected Hudson County for a brownfields assessment grant. The county has identified over 650 contaminated sites within its borders. Grant funds will be used to identify clusters of brownfields, conduct site assessment activities at priority brownfields within these clusters, and involve the impacted communities in future reuse decisions. 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 2 Brownfields Team (212) 637-4309 EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region02/br ownfields/) Grant Recipient: Hudson County,NJ (201)795-6186 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 c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 500-F-03-110 Protection Agency Response (5105T) June 2003 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |