USE5 Brownfields 2008 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission, Southern Indiana r*> r* PRO1* 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 Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. The Commission will target Crawford, Dubois, Orange, Perry, Pike, and Spencer Counties (combined population 124,302) in southern Indiana for its brownfields efforts. The area was first settled over 200 years ago and has relied on industries such as coal mining, oil extraction, and wood furniture manufacturing to support its economy. However, since the 1960s, these industries have significantly declined, leaving behind numerous abandoned mine lands and oil fields. In addition, there has been a significant loss of wood manufacturers, which has resulted in high unemployment rates. Orange County has the second highest unemployment rate in the state at 7.2 percent, and 14.2 percent of Crawford County residents live below the poverty level. Brownfields assessments will allow the community to prioritize sites and are expected to help expedite redevelopment. Assessment Grants $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission for two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to develop a site inventory and conduct 10 Phase I and six Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to support 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: Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission (812) 367-8455 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-08-099 nil- a ancl Emergency .. Protection Agency Response (5105T) Mar 08 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- |