The West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Centers were created in 2005 by the West Virginia Legislature to empower communities to plan and implement brownfields redevelopment projects. The two Centers promote economic development and environmental and public health protection through innovative redevelopment of brownfield sites. The Centers also promote and coordinate the development of brownfield property by providing training and technical assistance, facilitating site preparation efforts, engaging community involvement, as well as by helping communities with grant writing and leveraging project funding. In an effort to provide comprehensive assistance to communities throughout West Virginia, the two Centers coordinate by producing state-wide conferences, collaborating on regional projects, and sharing current brownfields information. The Northern West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center is housed in the West Virginia Water Research Institute at the National Research Center for Coal & Energy at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV. They serve the northern 33 counties with collaborations extending statewide. The West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University, located in Huntington, WV is housed within The Center for Environmental, Geotechnical, and Applied Sciences (CEGAS). They serve the southern 22 counties in West Virginia with collaborations also extending statewide.