I JBt | Brownfields 2007 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
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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
Branch County was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. The decline in manufacturing has
weakened the economy of Branch County (population
46,460), which is located in rural southern Michigan.
While 70 percent of the land in the county is used for
agricultural purposes, the loss of over 16 percent of the
manufacturing jobs in recent years has rippled through
the rest of the economy. The unemployment rate
exceeds the state average and is much higher than the
nationwide average. The majority of the idle industrial
facilities are in the more impoverished areas of the
county. Over 60 properties with environmental
contamination have been identified. Brownfields
assessments will help the county identify the potential
risks to human health and the environment and
facilitate redevelopment. Redevelopment will help
preserve greenspace, especially prime farmland, and
provide much-needed jobs, affordable housing, and a
stronger tax base.
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected Branch County for two
brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
substances grant funds will be used to identify and
prioritize suspected brownfields, perform Phase I
and II environmental site assessments, and conduct
community outreach activities. Petroleum grant
funds will be used to perform the same tasks at sites
with potential petroleum contamination.
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/R5 Brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Branch County,MI
(517) 279-5104
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.
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