Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority, MO

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

$700,000 for hazardous substances
$300,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority (EIERA) for a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the EIERA will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities for sites contaminated with petroleum and hazardous substances. Funds also will be used to conduct community involvement and cleanup operations. EIERA will work with the State of Missouri's Department of Natural Resources to support cleanup activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority (EIERA) was selected to receive a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The EIERA is a corporate and political body that serves as Missouri's link between environmental interests and economic development. Of Missouri's 5,595,211 residents, 21 percent live in unincorporated areas, and 99 percent of Missouri's communities have populations below 50,000. The target communities for the revolving loan fund are these unincorporated and small-population communities. Mining and manufacturing have left many of these rural areas with environmental challenges, and the small communities do not have the economic resources necessary to overcome them. It is estimated that there are over 40,000 abandoned properties in Missouri, most of which are brownfields. A third of these sites are located in rural or suburban communities, where they are often situated in a prominent position in the town, such as on a main road or street corner. Brownfields redevelopment will address human health and environmental threats that are barriers to development in these communities, and create greenspace and recreational facilities.

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 7 Brownfields Team
913-551-7646
http://www.epa.gov/region7/cleanup/brownfields/index.htm

Grant Recipient: Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority, MO
573-751-4919

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