Brownfields 2003 Grant Fact Sheet

New Jersey Economic Development Authority

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.

REVOLVING LOAN FUND GRANT

$2,000,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the New Jersey Economic Development Authority for a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the New Jersey Economic Development Authority will provide loans and subgrants to conduct cleanup activities. The Economic Development Authority will provide loans and subgrants for brownfields cleanup in eleven economically distressed communities throughout New Jersey.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority was selected to receive a revolving loan fund grant. The state, with a population of almost 9 million, is home to many economically disadvantaged towns and cities with industrial legacies that have left them riddled with brownfields. The eleven member cities of the New Jersey Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Coalition are among the most distressed cities in the state and lack the resources to effectively deal with some of the largest concentrations of brownfields sites in New Jersey. Member cities include Asbury Park, Camden, Elizabeth, Long Branch, Neptune, New Brunswick, Paterson, Perth Amboy, Plainfield, Pleasantville, and Vineland. The cities of Camden and Vineland both are located in federally designated Empowerment Zones, and Camden is one of New Jersey's two federally recognized Renewal Communities. Many of these low-income communities have high unemployment rates, elevated school drop-out rates, high crime, and an absence of economic diversity.

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 2 Brownfields Team
212-637-4314
http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/brownfields/

Grant Recipient: New Jersey Economic Development Authority
609-292-2072

Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority has not received brownfields grant funding. The Cities of Camden, Long Branch, Elizabeth, Paterson, and Perth Amboy have received previous brownfields funding for assessment grants.

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