I jBh | Brownfields 2004 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet V'/ Charleston, SC 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 City of Charleston was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The targeted sites are in Charleston's (population 96,650) federally designated Renewal Community. The 7.3-square-mile Renewal Community is made up of 19 neighborhoods with a total population of 20,250. More than 71 percent of residents are African-American, and more than 66 percent have low or moderate incomes. Because of the steady decline in economic conditions, the current unemployment rate is estimated at about 20 percent. Several development options are being discussed for the two targeted sites, including affordable housing, greenspace, and non-polluting commercial business. Cleanup and redevelopment of these sites will help reduce environmental and health impacts and enhance the area's aesthetic appearance. Assessment Grant $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the City of Charleston for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to inventory sites with potential petroleum contamination in the city's Renewal Community, conduct community outreach activities, conduct Phase I and II assessments, perform health monitoring in surrounding communities, and plan cleanup and remediation at two sites. 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 4 Brownfields Team (404) 562-8792 EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site (http: //www. epa.gov/region4/waste/bf) Grant Recipient: City of Charleston, SC Charleston, SC (216) 443-7260 Charleston Department of Housing and Community Development (843) 724-3768 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-04-032 nil- a ancl Emergency . Protection Agency Response (5105T) Jun 04 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- |