The “Rust Belt.”

Many Western Pennsylvanians chafe at the term. And we don’t blame them. The image that the turn-of-phrase conjures — a region that is past its prime and all-but defunct, like an ancient piece of machinery lying in a shuttered, unkempt workyard — is less than flattering.

That’s not who we are. Most Pennsylvanians already understand this fact — it’s people and companies from elsewhere that often need to be convinced.

Which is why a recent brownfield assessment grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency made us sit up and take notice. Not only is the grant substantial — $600,000 to be precise — but it seems like county officials already have a good line on where the money could do the most good.

The nature and location of sites on the county’s list vary widely — from the 263-acre compound of Indspec Chemical Corp. in Petrolia, to the former homes of Friedman’s, Allegheny Axle and Kmart in Butler.

In all, there are 438 acres of brownfield that could be assessed using the federal money.

Let’s put that another way: there are 438 acres of property that have a better chance today of being revitalized than they did last month. That’s indisputably a very good thing.

Mark Gordon, the county’s chief of economic development and planning, has pledged to hit the ground running once the EPA grant makes it to Butler County. He cautioned last month that it will likely be months before that comes to pass.

That means county officials will have plenty of time to lay the framework for these assessments, which require buy-in from community members and the people or entities which actually own the properties.

Even after that has been achieved, the federal money can only be used for the first step in any revitalization program: assessing what is needed to clean each site up and get it ready for redevelopment.

What comes after that first step will likely be much more difficult. But it will also reduce the cost of developing these sites in the future, and perhaps entice developers considering Butler County to look at reusing land that’s already been home to an industrial, manufacturing or automotive operation, rather than starting from scratch at a different location.

This is a promising initiative, and something in which we hope communities and owners of the brownfield sites embrace and participate.