I JBt | Brownfields 2005 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Passaic 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 Passaic County was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The county's population of 489,000 is comprised of over 40 percent minorities and approximately 27 percent immigrant residents. Cities within the county, such as Passaic and Paterson, present pockets of poverty. Over 22 percent of their citizens live below the poverty line, and approximately 12 percent are unemployed. There are a number of areas in the county that were historically centers of industrial activity that are now greatly diminished. Passaic County has over 700 sites on the state's known contaminated site list. While they occur throughout the county, they predominate the older urban areas of Paterson, Passaic, and Clifton. Redevelopment will promote green building techniques, enhance property values, encourage new job opportunities, and reduce threats to human health. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected Passaic County for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to identify and select brownfields sites within the county's municipalities, and conduct Phase I and Phase II site assessments. Funds also will be used for 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 2 Brownfields Team (212) 637-4309 EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region02/br ownfields/) Grant Recipient: Passaic County,NJ (973)881-4427 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-05-035 Protection Agency Response (5105T) May 2005 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |