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Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Albany, NY
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield 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. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The City of Albany was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Since 1950, Albany's
population has declined from approximately 130,000 to
93,919. To reverse its economic misfortunes, the city
endeavors to make parcels of land located in industrial -
or commercial-zoned areas available for development.
The city is targeting eight census tracts, primarily
centered around and to the east of the downtown area,
which encompass approximately 4.4 square miles and
are home to 25,000 residents. These tracts contain a
mixture of commercial and industrial properties, and old
and generally poorly maintained houses. Many of the
parcels may contain contaminants from historic urban
fill, dry cleaning operations, repair facilities, and
Assessment Grant
A2005
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the City of Albany for a
brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
stances grant funds will be used to perform up to
four Phase I and up to three Phase II environ-
mental site assessments, review remediation
alternatives, and develop remediation plans for
sites in neighborhoods in and around downtown
Albany. Funds also will be used to conduct
community-wide meetings to present the results
of the investigations and future plans.
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 2 Brownfields Team
212-637-4314
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/
brownfields/
Grant Recipient: City of Albany, NY
518-434-5265
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
industrial/commercial operations. The minority popula-
tion of these areas ranges from 43 to 84 percent, and
36 to 53 percent of families live below the poverty
level. Assessment and cleanup of these properties will
help the city evaluate and reduce the potential expo-
sure of the targeted community to contaminants. It also
will enable the commercial revitalization of the area,
thereby improving local employment opportunities.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-036
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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