Brownfields 2003 Grant Fact Sheet

Sterling, IL

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
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Sterling for an assessment grant. The city will use grant funds to conduct assessments at priority sites within the Rock River Redevelopment Area that are contaminated by petroleum or hazardous substances. Grant funds also will be used to conduct a site-wide groundwater investigation and to conduct community involvement activities.

REVOLVING LOAN FUND GRANT

$600,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Sterling for a revolving loan fund grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the city will provide loans and subgrants to conduct cleanup activities within the Rock River Redevelopment Area. Cleanup activities will be conducted at sites contaminated with hazardous substances and sites contaminated with petroleum.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Sterling was selected to receive assessment and revolving loan fund grants. The city is focusing on the 700-acre Rock River Redevelopment Area, which is part of a designated Illinois Enterprise Zone. Since the local steel facility closed in 2001, the city (population 15,600) has lost 1,400 jobs, experienced a sharp rise in public assistance demands, and seen the deterioration of residential areas surrounding the site. The city is working to transfer parcels in the area to redevelopers and end-users. The assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of these brownfields will help foster a diversity of businesses in the area and spur additional economic activity in the community. This redevelopment initiative is part of the city's larger effort to work in cooperation with surrounding communities and public agencies to create a coherent area-wide economic development strategy and open space plan.

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 5 Brownfields Team
312-886-7576
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/

Grant Recipient: City of Sterling,
815-632-6621

Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the City of Sterling 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.