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\T*V Montcalm County, 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. 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
Montcalm County was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located in west-central
Michigan, Montcalm County (population 62,733) has a
proud agricultural and manufacturing history. When
one of the world's largest appliance manufacturers
relocated in 2006, the county lost 2,700 jobs and
hundreds of thousands of dollars in property tax
revenue. This loss rippled throughout the county and
resulted in numerous brownfields. The county's
unemployment rate is 15.7 percent, and the poverty rate
is 17.7 percent. The state has identified over 420 sites in
Montcalm County with known contamination. Today's
brownfields were once the original focal points of the
community. As a result, residential neighborhoods,
schools, and parks are intermixed with brownfields, and
more than 47 percent of county residents live adjacent
or close to sites. Contamination from brownfields
threatens the Flat River, other waterways, and the
county's water supply. Brownfield assessments are
expected to facilitate eventual acquisition and creation
of greenways and open spaces, including habitat and
trails.
Grant Fact Sheet
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected Montcalm County for two
brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will
be used to conduct about 25 Phase I and 17 Phase II
environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
will be used to preparing seven baseline
environmental assessments, develop four cleanup
plans, 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/R5 Brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Montcalm County,MI
(989) 831-5261 ext 439
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-128-084
May 11

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