Brownfields 2003 Grant Fact Sheet

Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, Southeast FL

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 petroleum
EPA has selected the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council for a brownfields assessment grant. The council plans to use most of the grant funds to solicit local government and community support to identify eligible petroleum-contaminated brownfield sites for assessment, perform environmental assessments on selected sites, and complete pre-cleanup planning. Grant funds also will be used for community outreach and to establish a Treasure Coast Brownfields Advisory Committee with representatives from local community organizations and other stakeholders.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council was selected to receive an assessment grant. The council is the economic development district for Indian River, Martin, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie Counties in Florida. The council anticipates that the petroleum-contaminated sites the local governments propose for assessment will be in previously designated redevelopment areas, which often are associated with Enterprise Zones and other poverty-stricken neighborhoods in need of revitalization and investment. An estimated 1,300 potentially contaminated sites, including petroleum sites, are in the Treasure Coast Region. The assessment grant will help establish collaboration among the local communities and citizens, and catalyze a long-term brownfields cleanup and redevelopment program for areas of southeast Florida in need of reinvestment.

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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8661
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/

Grant Recipient: Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, FL
772-221-4060

Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council has not received brownfields grant funding.

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