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 Brownfields  2005

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

    Ark-Tex Council of

        Governments,

  Southwest Arkansas

  and Northeast Texas

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 Ark-Tex Council of Governments was selected to
receive a brownfields assessment grant.  The Council
serves ten mostly rural counties, nine in Texas and one in
Arkansas. The cities in this region developed around
railroads that supported industries, including timber and
agriculture. These industries have since left, and the
region has suffered from a lack of new investment. The
region has a population of 311,562, and suffers from a
higher unemployment rate, higher poverty rate, and
Assessment Grant
                                 (2005^
  $200,000 for hazardous substances
  EPA has selected the Ark-Tex Council of Govern-
  ments for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant
  funds will be used to inventory brownfields
  properties, and conduct approximately ten to 15
  Phase I site assessments and two to three Phase
  II site assessments. Funds also will be used to
  perform health monitoring activities in neighbor-
  hoods surrounding the sites, conduct community
  outreach activities, and launch a web site with
  project information and status reports.
  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
  214-665-6736
  http://www.epa.gov/earthlr6/6sf/bfpages/
  sfbfhome.htm
  Grant Recipient: Ark-Tex Council of Govern-
  ments, TX
  903-832-8636
  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
lower per capita income than the state and national
averages. There are more than 100 legal and illegal
closed landfills in the area, as well as many abandoned
industrial facilities and gas stations. These blighted
areas inhibit economic development, and decrease
housing and land values of adjacent properties.
Brownfields redevelopment will increase economic
development, create jobs, provide the rationale for
undertaking additional brownfields projects, and protect
the health and environment of the region's communities.
                                               Solid Waste and
                                               Emergency Response
                                               (5105T)
                       EPA 560-F-05-062
                       May 2005
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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