Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet

North Fork Community Development Council, CA

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.

CLEANUP GRANT

$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the North Fork Community Development Council for a brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to clean up the 135-acre North Fork Mill site at 57839 Road 225. The site was a lumber mill for 50 years, and is contaminated with PCBs, dioxin, and petroleum hydrocarbons. Grant funds also will be used to develop cleanup plans, and conduct community involvement activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The North Fork Community Development Council was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. The Development Council is a non-profit organization in the Town of North Fork (population 3,500), located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The town is an isolated community historically supported by the timber industry. In 1994, the town's lumber mill closed, and as a result, more than 10 percent of the community's jobs were lost and approximately one-sixth of businesses dependent on the mill closed down. Many members of the Native American Mono community were employed by the mill or auxiliary businesses, so this community was particularly hard hit. Approximately 52 percent of North Fork residents earn low incomes, and 21 percent live in poverty. Brownfields redevelopment is expected to benefit the North Fork community by enhancing property values, and providing jobs, community amenities, and affordable housing.

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 9 Brownfields Team
415-972-3092
http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/index.html

Grant Recipient: North Fork Community Development Council, CA
559-877-2244

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