United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-115
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
\>EPA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Port Arthur, TX
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
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.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the City of Port Arthur for a
Brownfields Pilot. Port Arthur is located along the
Gulf Coast in southeast Texas and is rich in ethnic
and racial diversity. The advent of the railroad and
the port establishedthe city as an important terminus
of the Kansas City Southern Railroad and as one of
the largest refinery ports in the country. The city
attracted industry and became home to 11 major
manufacturing companies. Unfortunately, the area
entered a period of decline, and by the early 1990s,
9 of the 11 manufacturing facilities ceased operations.
With the closure of these facilities came the closure
of many small and medium suppliers to these
facilities. As the industrial base declined, so did the
adjacent neighborhoods.
The Pilot targets properties in areas that have large
minority populations who have been impacted by
economic distress and perceived environmental
contamination. The targeted properties are primarily
located on the West Side of Port Arthur and near
downtown. These areas encompass large tracts of
vacant and underutilized sites and represent a major
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Port Arthur, TX
Date of Announcement:
May 2000
Amount: $200,000
Profile: TheCityofPortArthur
targets brownfields located on
the West Side of Port Arthur and
neardowntown—areas known
for their economic and
environmental blight.
Contacts:
City of Port Arthur
(409)983-8101
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 6
(214)665-6736
Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.htm
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brown fields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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source of economic and environmental blight. For
example, 40 percent of the West Side's minority
residents live below the poverty level and almost 50
percent are unemployed.
OBJECTIVES
The aim of the city is to remove environmental
barriers to redevelopment, restore properties in
distressed areas to productive reuse, and rebuild
sustainable communities. The city plans to create a
cleanup and redevelopment process that will serve
as a catalyst for neighborhood recovery and economic
growth. The city will use the Pilot to focus on
brownfields as the central link between environmental
protection and economic revitalization to the
distressed areas.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Identifying brownfields, creating an inventory of
sites, and selecting high-priority sites for further
assistance;
• Conducting environmental assessments on
approximately six targeted sites;
• Designing and implementing community involvement
strategies to ensure public participation; and
• Developing tools and models to reduce barriers to
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.
The cooperative agreementforthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Port Arthur, TX
May2000 EPA 500-F-OO-115
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