A \ Brownfields 2004 Assessment and Revolving
Loan Fund Grant Fact Sheet
Land-of-Sky Regional Council, Western North Carolina

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 Land-of-Sky Regional Council was selected to
receive a brownfields assessment grant and a revolving
loan fund grant. The Land-of-Sky region (population
353,230) encompasses four counties in the Blue Ridge
Mountain Range in western North Carolina. The
manufacturing sector, which 30 years ago accounted for
30 percent of the jobs in the region, today accounts for
only 19 percent of the jobs. At the same time, the service
and retail sectors have each grown by 35 percent. This
shift has resulted in vacant and underutilized plants and
facilities, increased unemployment, and the loss of
high-paying manufacturing jobs. More than 12 percent of
families in the region live below the poverty level.
Cleanup and redevelopment of the brownfields sites will
help the region preserve its natural resources, restore its
historic and cultural sites, and attract business and
industry to the area, resulting in an increase in tourism
revenues, jobs, and tax revenues. The council also expects
that this project will help foster the revitalization of
adjacent properties.
Assessment Grant
$950,000 for hazardous substances
$450,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Land-of-Sky Regional
Council for a brownfields assessment grant.
Hazardous substances funds will be used to
identify, characterize, and prioritize sites; perform
Phase I and II site assessments; develop cleanup
plans; conduct community involvement activities;
and assist local officials with health monitoring.
Petroleum funds will be used to perform the same
tasks at sites with petroleum contamination. The
council anticipates assessing up to six sites.
Revolving Loan Fund Grant
$950,000 for hazardous substances
$450,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Land-of-Sky Regional
Council for a brownfields revolving loan fund
grant. Grant funds will be used to capitalize a
revolving loan fund that will provide loans and
subgrants to local governments and small
businesses within the four-county Land-of-Sky
region of western North Carolina for brownfields
cleanup projects.
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/was te/bf)
Grant Recipient: Land-of-Sky Regional
United States	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 560-F-04-142
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	June 2004
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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Council, NC
Town of Woodfin
(828)251-6622
Land-of-Sky Regional Council
(828)251-6622
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 560-F-04-142
June 2004

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