I ^ | Brownfields 2005 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
V V Earth Conservancy, Hanover Township, PA
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
The Earth Conservancy was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. The Earth Conservancy is a
non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and
land revitalization of the Wyoming Valley in
Pennsylvania. The targeted cleanup site, the Franklin Coal
Bank, is in Hanover Township (population 11,488) in
Luzerne County. This region, once home to a thriving
anthracite coal mining industry, has been left with a
legacy of abandoned mines, and scarred and contaminated
lands. Acid mine drainage from these lands threatens the
Solomon's Creek Watershed and, ultimately, the
Susquehanna River. To date, the Conservancy has
reclaimed approximately 850 acres of mine-scarred lands
and has about 1,000 additional acres in process. Cleanup
of the Franklin Coal Bank will remove an eyesore which
is currently being used for illegal dumping and other illicit
activities. It also will help protect the watershed by
eliminating a source of mine drainage runoff. Planned
residential redevelopment of the site will add
much-needed affordable housing to the community. This
is expected to bolster tax revenues, generate new jobs,
and increase the values of nearby properties.
Cleanup Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Earth Conservancy for a
brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be
used to design a remediation plan, and clean up the
13.8-acre Franklin Coal Bank site. This parcel was
used by the former Blue Coal Corporation as a
repository for anthracite coal mining waste
materials. The site, dormant for 30 years, is a
source of acid mine drainage to the area's
watershed.
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 3 Brownfields Team
(215)814-3129
EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf -lr)
Grant Recipient: Earth Conservancy, PA
Earth Conservancy
(570)823-3445
Earth Conservancy
(570)823-3445
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 560-F-05-042
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2005
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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