Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet

Tuscaloosa, AL

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

$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Tuscaloosa for a brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize sites, conduct community outreach activities, and perform from four to nine Phase I and from three to five Phase II environmental site assessments in the Tuscaloosa Downtown Urban Renewal and Redevelopment areas, and the Black Warrior Riverfront Development area. Funds also will be used to monitor health effects related to the assessed properties.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Tuscaloosa was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Tuscaloosa (population 77,906), located southwest of the City of Birmingham, is targeting the contiguous Black Warrior Riverfront Development and the Tuscaloosa Downtown Urban Renewal and Redevelopment areas for assessment. It has been said that the City of Tuscaloosa was designed with its back to the Black Warrior River. The riverfront area, a historically industrial area, has been neglected for several years. It is the location of many active and abandoned industrial facilities. In the downtown area, blight, economic concerns, and joblessness are reflected in the 58 percent of neighborhood buildings that are in poor condition and the 25 percent that are either vacant or underutilized. Assessment of the city's brownfields sites will encourage residents to participate in a process that will help ensure sustainable reuse of contaminated properties in their communities. The plan for the downtown area includes a federal courthouse with a plaza and park linking it to City Hall and other retail, office, and residential areas. The plan for the riverfront area includes a hotel and convention complex, commercial and residential space, recreational facilities, and greenspace.

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 4 Brownfields Team
404-562-8866
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm

Grant Recipient: City of Tuscaloosa, AL
205-349-0160

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