/ O \ Brownfields 1999 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
X&2J Phillipsburg, 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 the Town of Phillipsburg for a
Brownfields Pilot. Phillipsburg (population 16,062),
located in the northwest corner of New Jersey, is
bordered to the north and east by Lopatcong Township,
to the south by Pohatcong Township, and to the west by
the Delaware River. The town is linked to New York
City and Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley by an extensive
network of highways and railroads, and overtime
developed into a manufacturing center dominated by
three large companies each involved in chemical or
manufacturing.
When these three companies sharply curtailed or even
closed their operations, they sent ripples through the rest
of Phillipsburg's economy. For example, on South Main
Street in the heart of the downtown area, the commercial
space vacancy rate is more than 22 percent. The glut of
vacancies have caused real estate values to fall, creating
a cycle in which deteriorating properties in one area
drive business away, which in turn furthers the town's
decline. Several brownfields resulting from this
economic decline pose a barrier to revitalizing the town's
redevelopment zones, which will be targeted by the Pilot.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 06/01/1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets brownfields in the South
Main Street downtown area, the center of the town's
redevelopment zone and the state designated urban
enterprise zone.
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: Phillipsburg, NJ
(908)454-5500
Objectives
The Pilot's objective is to remove the taint of
environmental uncertainty from brownfields sites within
Phillipsburg, thereby encouraging the cleanup and
redevelopment of those sites. This in turn will
complement the town's comprehensive plan, which aims
to increase property values, fill vacant houses and
commercial buildings, and revitalize the downtown
area. Phillipsburg's overall goal is to revive the historic
legacy and image of the town by diversifying the
economy and improving its recreational and tourism
attractions.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
•	Developing an inventory of known and
suspected brownfields sites in the town's
redevelopment zone;
•	Performing environmental assessments at the
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priority sites;
•	Developing cleanup plans for priority sites,
which will be linked to the town's redevelopment
strategy; and
•	Conducting community outreach and education
regarding the sites.
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-99-117
Jun 99

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