I Jflt; | Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
Hastings, 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
The City of Hastings was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment coalition grant. Hastings and its
coalition partners, the Townships of Carlton, Hastings,
and Rutland (combined population 16,002), are located in
southwest Michigan. Hastings was historically the hub of
regional manufacturing. Faced with increasing
competition, the manufacturing sector began declining in
the mid-1980s. This decline has resulted in an economic
downturn in coalition municipalities and surrounding
rural areas. Unemployment is almost two percent higher
than the national average. Over half of residents travel to
jobs outside of the coalition area. There are at least 85
vacant and underused brownfields in the coalition area,
including manufacturing facilities, dry cleaners, and
landfills. Potential contamination at these sites has not
been assessed and creates a barrier to redevelopment.
Assessment of brownfields will provide information about
environmental conditions at potentially contaminated sites
and is expected to encourage redevelopment.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Hastings for a
brownfields assessment coalition grant.
Community-wide hazardous substances grant
funds will be used to conduct approximately 10
Phase I and 8 Phase II environmental site
assessments and prepare 8 baseline environmental
assessments. Grant funds also will be used to
prepare cleanup plans and perform 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/R5Brownfiel ds)
Grant Recipient: City of Hastings,MI
(269) 945-6001
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-09-174
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2009
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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