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Brownfields 1999 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
Orange Township, NJ
EPA Brownfields Initiative
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.
Background
EPA has selected Orange Township for a Brownfields
Pilot. Orange Township is highly urbanized and densely
populated, with more than 33,000 residents living in 2.2
square miles of space. The city's poverty rate of 30
percent is the second-highest in Essex County, while its
per capita income is less than $13,000. Sixty-four percent
of the city's population is African American. The New
Jersey Municipal Data Index lists Orange Township as
one of the most distressed communities in the state. Low
education levels and job skills, combined with cultural
and language barriers encountered by Orange's growing
immigrant community, make it difficult for residents to
find well-paying jobs.
Like other inner cities, Orange has seen its infrastructure
deteriorate as residents and employers moved out to
surrounding suburban communities. The city has been
left with abandoned buildings, vacant lots, and the
resulting environmental and social problems. There are
dozens of known or suspected brownfields sites within
Orange's boundaries.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 06/01/1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets seven city-owned sites
within Orange Township, an urbanized community
and one of the most distressed cities in New Jersey
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/brownfields/)
Grant Recipient: City of Orange Township,NJ
(973) 266-4005
Objectives
The Pilot's objective is to assess seven city-owned
brownfields to facilitate their cleanup and
redevelopment. Through the joint efforts of the Pilot
and the city's holistic, community-driven approach to
brownfields and environmental justice issues, the city
plans to improve Orange's economic and environmental
conditions, empower the community, and stimulate
private investment in brownfields. The city's
brownfields initiative relies on strong community
involvement, uses innovative assessment and cleanup
technologies, and promotes sustainable cleanup
methods.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
•	Developing a detailed inventory of brownfields
sites within the city;
•	Performing environmental assessments on seven
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 500-F-99-116
Jun 99

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targeted sites owned by the city;
•	Creating cleanup and redevelopment plans for
the targeted sites, and encouraging the use of
innovative technologies during cleanup; and
•	Working with community stakeholders to
involve them in the Pilot's planning and
implementation.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet
been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change
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
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
Solid Waste
EPA 500-F-99-116
Jun 99

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