Brownfields Cleanup Revolving
Loan Fund Pilot Fact Sheet

Niagara County, NY
(Coalition with Niagara County and the City of Niagara Falls)

EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.

PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement: May 25, 1999 Amount: $1.0 million
BCRLF Target Area: Nine sites, totaling 389 acres, in Niagara County and 12 sites, totaling 74 acres, in the City of Niagara Falls

BACKGROUND

Niagara County and the City of Niagara Falls elected to form a coalition for the BCRLF program. Niagara County is comprised of 20 municipalities that range from industrial cities and villages to rural and suburban townships, all of which contain several brownfields sites. Over the years, the area experienced loss of population, economic stagnation, and loss of employment in manufacturing. This has resulted in a high concentration of sites with environmental contamination and increased pressure to develop greenfields and agricultural lands. Over 5,000 acres of brownfields have been identified county-wide. The pilot has identified nine sites in the County, totaling 389 acres, and 12 sites in the City, totaling 74 acres, that will be given high-priority status for the BCRLF. Sites located in the City also benefit from being designated State Economic Development Zones.

BCRLF OBJECTIVES

The Niagara County pilot anticipates that the BCRLF will help the County accomplish the following goals:

Cleanup and redevelop blighted or vacant land and facilities, returning them to productive use;
Create new job opportunities;
Retain and expand the real estate tax base;
Increase economic development through affordable financing to local companies;
Assist in the creation and stimulation of private sector capital; and
Complement the Small Business Administration, Empire State Development Corporation, local community, and other organizations' loan programs.

FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS

Niagara County will serve as lead agency. Both Niagara County and the City of Niagara Falls will act as site manager at their respective sites. The Niagara County Industrial Development Agency (NCIDA) will serve as fund manager. The pilot anticipates $200,000 as the maximum loan amount.

LEVERAGING

Potential leveraging may result from programs like the Western New York Corporation/Regional Working Capital Loan Fund and the New York State Environmental Bond Act. The pilot is also exploring options available through other federal programs.

Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of funding also apply to BCRLF funds.

CONTACTS

Commissioner, Niagara County Department of Planning, Development, and Tourism
(716) 439-7235

Region 2 Brownfields Coordinator
(212) 637-4314

Visit the EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/brownfields/

For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460

Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)

EPA 500-F-99-085
May 1999

Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)

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Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot Fact Sheet