I 33 ^ 111 CD 'Vf. <-^ ^ PRO^ Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments, LA 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, the President 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 pro- grams through a separate mechanism. Community Description The Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The target sites are located in a low-income, high- unemployment neighborhood of Shreveport (population 252,161). Eighty-seven percent of the target commu- nity population of 2,026 is minority. The average per capita income of residents in the area is $10,349, less than half the national per capita income. During the regional decline of the oil industry in the 1980s, Shreve- port lost 10,000 jobs, many of them in the older, inner- city industrial area. The inner city has hundreds of acres of potentially contaminated industrial sites. The Assessment Grant $152,429 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments for a brownfields assess- ment grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct community outreach activities and perform Phase II post-demolition environmental assessments and cleanup planning at two properties located in an industrial park in central Shreveport. 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 214-665-2180 http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields Grant Recipient: Northwest Louisiana Council of Governments, LA 318-841-5950 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, the activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. two target properties are part of the InterTech Science Park, a combination of technology-based businesses and ventures dedicated to medical, scientific, and biotechnology development in progress in the inner-city section of Shreveport. Assessment and cleanup of these properties will help move the tech park along, providing many employment opportunities for the residents of surrounding communities. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-04-162 June 2004 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |