Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Earth Conservancy, Hanover Township, 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.

CLEANUP GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Earth Conservancy for a brownfields cleanup grant. Grant funds will be used to design a remediation plan, and clean up the 13.8-acre Franklin Coal Bank site. This parcel was used by the former Blue Coal Corporation as a repository for anthracite coal mining waste materials. The site, dormant for 30 years, is a source of acid mine drainage to the area's watershed.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Earth Conservancy was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The Earth Conservancy is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and land revitalization of the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. The targeted cleanup site, the Franklin Coal Bank, is in Hanover Township (population 11,488) in Luzerne County. This region, once home to a thriving anthracite coal mining industry, has been left with a legacy of abandoned mines, and scarred and contaminated lands. Acid mine drainage from these lands threatens the Solomon's Creek Watershed and, ultimately, the Susquehanna River. To date, the Conservancy has reclaimed approximately 850 acres of mine-scarred lands and has about 1,000 additional acres in process. Cleanup of the Franklin Coal Bank will remove an eyesore which is currently being used for illegal dumping and other illicit activities. It also will help protect the watershed by eliminating a source of mine drainage runoff. Planned residential redevelopment of the site will add much-needed affordable housing to the community. This is expected to bolster tax revenues, generate new jobs, and increase the values of nearby properties.

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: Earth Conservancy, PA
570-823-3445

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