United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-01-232
April 2001
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
<>EPA Brownfields Cleanup
Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
Ft Worth, 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 $250,000 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, brownfields cleanup revolving
loan fund (BCRLF) programs (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years), to provide financial assistance 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
Fort Worth is the thriving western anchor of a rapidly
growing metropolitan area. Once dependent on defense,
oil, and agriculture, the City's economy has become
more diversified, securing over 15,000 high-tech jobs
in the last five years. While there is an overall feeling
of prosperity, several city council districts still have
high poverty and unemployment levels. In these areas,
which are often centers of minority populations (Black
and Hispanic), unemployment is still as high as 7% to
10%, and 25% to 32% of the people in these areas live
below the poverty line. Brownfields sites remain a key
barrier to business relocation and the creation of
opportunities for local residents. The BCRLF program
will assist the City in its efforts to revitalize these areas.
In the first year of Fort Worth's Brownfields Program,
which included the "Bust a Brownfield" outreach
program, 223 potential candidates for redevelopment
were identified. Sites ranged from less than one acre to
more than 70 acres. Phase I and Phase II site
assessments have been conducted for a number of these
sites. More than 70% of these sites are located within
three targeted city council districts that have the highest
minority populations and are the most economically
disadvantaged in the City.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Fort Worth, TX
Date of Announcement:
April 2001
Amount: $1.0 million
BCRLF Target Area:
Sites located within City
Council Districts 2,5, & 8
Contacts:
Regulatory/Environmental Coordinator Region 6 Brownfields
Department of Environmental Management Coordinator
(817)871-8136 (214)665-6688
Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/Region06/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.htm
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional
Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications
and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
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BCRLF OBJECTIVES
LEVERAGING OTHER RESOURCES
Fort Worth's brownfields goals are to: (1) identify
and assess brownfields sites, (2) promote the cleanup
and redevelopment of identified brownfields, (3)
maintain a database of sites to track assessment,
remediation, and reuse, (4) reduce associated health
risks, (5) reduce crime associated with abandoned
buildings, and (6) increase public awareness of the
needs and progress of brownfields activities and
issues.
FUND STRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS
The City of Fort Worth will serve as the lead agency.
The City's Department of Environmental
Management will serve as site manager. The City
has not yet chosen a fund manager but may utilize
either a community or economic development
corporation currently involved in fund management
for the City.
The City has leveraged millions of dollars in
Economic Development Initiative grants and Section
108 loans from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development, along with additional millions
in grants from the Economic Development
Administration, to aid in the redevelopment of the
most economically distressed areas of the City.
Additional funds are available for site assessment
and the preparation of cleanup plans through the
Brownfields Site Assessment program managed by
the Voluntary Cleanup Program office.
Use of BCRLF Pilot funds must be in accordance with
CERCLA, and all CERCLA restrictions on use of
funding also apply to BCRLF funds.
Brownfields Cleanup Revolving Loan Fund Pilot
April 2001
Fort Worth, TX
EPA 500-F-01-232
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