Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet

Pearsall, TX

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

$197,600 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Pearsall for a brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct two Phase I and eight Phase II environmental site assessments, a community health assessment that involves monitoring environmental health effects, and community involvement activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Pearsall was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Located in south Texas, Pearsall (population 7,157) is a farming and ranching community founded when the railroad arrived in 1881. Hispanics represent 84.2 percent of the population, and 35 percent of residents live below the poverty level. The unemployment rate is 7.7 percent. Assessment activities will focus on the westside area. Interspersed in the westside area are nine petroleum-contaminated sites and ten abandoned businesses, of which nine housed agricultural chemicals, such as pesticides, and repair shops. The city's brownfields stifle local investment, lower property values, may pose environmental hazards, and facilitate illegal activity. When brownfields are assessed and eventually cleaned up, the community will create indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and preserve greenspace. Brownfields redevelopment will expand the tax base, increase investments, and create jobs.

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 6 Brownfields Team 214-665-2241 http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields

Grant Recipient: City of Pearsall, TX
830-334-3676

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