Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet

Clackamas County, OR

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders 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
EPA has selected Clackamas County for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct up to eight Phase I and up to three Phase II environmental site assessments, support community outreach activities, create a site inventory, and prepare cleanup and redevelopment plans for one of the assessed properties.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

Clackamas County was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Clackamas County (population 364,388) is one of three counties that make up the Portland Metropolitan Region. It has the largest concentration of businesses in the State of Oregon. The county's economic base has particular strength in metal fabrication, machinery, distribution, computer hardware, software and professional service firms. The county also has several large retail areas. However, unemployment rates for the county are well above the national rates. More than 50 percent of the county's residents must commute out of Clackamas for employment, and 9.2 percent of all residents live below the poverty level. There are over 100 known brownfield sites totaling 1,000 acres that are industrial sites and former lumber mills. Over one-third of the land in the county is protected national forest land. A lack of industrial and larger commercial sites is hurting the county's ability to expand business, create jobs, and keep businesses in the county. Revitalized brownfields will be used for new businesses, parks, community centers, and retail space. Brownfields redevelopment will increase investment in the county, increase tax revenue to support public services, create jobs, increase property values, reduce blight and environmental health hazards, and restore local pride.

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 10 Brownfields Team
206-553-2100
http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/sites/bf

Grant Recipient: Clackamas County, OR
503-353-4327

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