Brownfields 2003 Grant Fact Sheet

West-to-West Coalition, Inc., Allegheny County, PA

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development 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.

ASSESSMENT GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
$100,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the West-to-West Coalition to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to perform Phase II investigations for hazardous substances at three sites in McKeesport, Clairton, and Rankin. Grant funds also will be used to perform Phase II investigations for petroleum contamination at two sites in McKeesport and Braddock. A portion of grant funds will be used to support community outreach efforts in each target area.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The West-to-West Coalition was selected to receive brownfields assessment grants. The West-to-West Coalition is an economic development agency representing the interests of its constituent communities in the Monongahela River Valley, which long served as one of the country's primary industrial centers. The banks of Monongahela River were once lined with steel-making operations and other heavy industries that relied on the river and adjacent rail lines. Between 1970 and 1990, the region lost half of its manufacturing base, and manufacturing jobs declined by 54 percent with the collapse of the steel industry. Some Monongahela River Valley communities lost as much as three-quarters of their populations as residents left the area in search of employment. The City of McKeesport and the Borough of Rankin are federally designated Enterprise Communities, and Clarion, McKeesport, and Braddock are Pennsylvania-designated Enterprise Zones. The West-to-West Coalition will form a Brownfields Advisory Panel in the valley, which will engage residents in reuse planning.

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 at: www.epa.gov/brownfields.

EPA Region 3 Brownfields Team
215-814-3129
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm

Grant Recipient: West-to-West Coalition, Inc., PA
412-469-1132

Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the West-to-West Coalition has not received funding for brownfields grants.

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.