I JBt \ Brownfields 2006 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
V V Berrien County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, 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. 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 Berrien County Brownfield Redevelopment
Authority was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located in western Michigan on Lake
Michigan, Berrien County (population 35,654) is a former
manufacturing hub that has experienced a significant
decline in industrial production. The county's median
household income is 14 percent lower than the state
median, and 12.7 percent of residents live in poverty.
Abandoned industrial facilities are concentrated in Benton
Harbor, which contains the second largest number of
brownfields in Michigan. Many sites are on prime
waterfront property, limiting recreational, residential, and
commercial access to the water. Brownfields pose health
risks through soil and groundwater exposure, especially
for young children and teenagers who use the sites for
recreation. When brownfields are eventually cleaned up,
they will be used for residential, commercial, and
recreational purposes. Brownfields redevelopment will
capitalize on the community's greatest asset: its
waterfront. It will increase the tax base, create jobs and
tourism-based economies, and fuel the economic revival
of the community.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Berrien County Brownfield
Redevelopment Authority for a brownfields
assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant
funds will be used to perform Phase I and II site
assessments, targeted in the Benton Harbor
community. Funds also will be used for cleanup
planning and 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: Berrien County Brownfield
Redevelopment Authority,MI
(269) 926-6688
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-06-106
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2006
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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