Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, 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.

ASSESSMENT GRANTS

$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation for two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct community outreach activities, perform Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, develop cleanup plans, and promote greenspace creation activities in targeted cities and boroughs of Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Petroleum funds will be used to conduct the same tasks at sites with potential petroleum contamination.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. Lehigh Valley (population 579,156) is located north of Philadelphia. The economy of the valley traditionally has relied on steel, textile, and natural resources-based industries. With the decline in these industries, the cities and boroughs of the valley have been impacted by the legacy of closed and abandoned factories, mills, and mines. This impact is best exemplified in the case of Bethlehem Steel, a company that once employed over 30,000 workers. The legacy of the steel mill and of all the ancillary businesses built around it have contributed to the deterioration of the local economy. This phenomenon repeats itself to varying degrees throughout the valley. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission has identified 250 brownfields in the area. The unemployment rates in three of the four communities targeted for assessment are significantly higher than the county rate. Median household incomes average 20 to 25 percent less than the county average. Assessment of the brownfields in these communities will allow the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation to continue its efforts to redevelop the valley, facilitate job creation, leverage private investment, protect the environment, and preserve greenspace.

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: Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, PA
610-266-7179

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