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Targeted Brownfields
Assessments
   EPA's Brownfields Program 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 property, the expansion, redevelopment, or
   reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous
   substance, pollutant, or contaminant.   EPA's Brownfields Program provides financial and technical
   assistance for brownfields revitalization, including grants for environmental assessment, cleanup,
   and job training.
WHAT is A TARGETED BROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT?

EPA's Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TEA)
program is designed to help states, tribes, and
municipalities—especially those without EPA
Brownfields Assessment pilots/grants—minimize the
uncertainties of contamination often associated with
brownfields.  Targeted Brownfields Assessments
supplement and work with other efforts under EPA's
Brownfields Program to promote cleanup  and
redevelopment of brownfields.
Under the TEA program, EPA provides funding and/or
technical assistance for environmental assessments at
brownfields sites throughout the country.  Under the
Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act, EPA's TEA assistance is available
through two sources:  directly from EPA through EPA
Regional Brownfields offices under Subtitle A of the
law, and from state or tribal voluntary response
program offices receiving funding under Subtitle C of
the law.  A TEA may encompass one or more of the
following activities:
  • A screening or "all appropriate inquiry" (Phase I)
   assessment, including a background and historical
   investigation and a preliminary site inspection;
  • A full (Phase II) environmental assessment,
   including sampling activities to identify the types
   and concentrations of contaminants and the areas
   of contamination to be cleaned; and
  • Establishment of cleanup options and cost
   estimates based on future uses and redevelopment
   plans.
Targeted Brownfields Assessment funding may only be
used at properties eligible for EPA Brownfields funding.
The property must be "a 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."  The Brownfields
Law offered amendments that made additional
                             properties eligible for TEA funding, including mine-
                             scarred land; properties contaminated by a controlled
                             substance (as defined in section 102 of the Controlled
                             Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 802)); and petroleum-
                             contaminated properties of relatively low risk.
                             EPA generally will not fund TBAs at properties where
                             the owner is responsible for the contamination unless
                             there is a clear means of recouping EPA expenditures.
                             Further, the TEA program does not provide  resources
                             to conduct cleanup or building demolition activities.
                             Cleanup assistance is available, however, under EPA's
                             cleanup or RLF grants.

                             TARGETED BROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT ASSISTANCE

                             EPA may use TEA funds for federally-led environmental
                             assessment activities or for environmental assessments
                             conducted by states or tribes under Subtitle  C
                             cooperative agreements with EPA. When EPA takes the
                             lead for a TEA, it works in consultation with the state
                             or tribe.  Whether the environmental assessment is
                             EPA-, state-, or tribal-led, early and meaningful
                             opportunities for community involvement  are generally
                             part of a TEA.
                             Under Subtitle A of the Brownfields Law, TEA
                             assistance is allocated by each of EPA's ten Regional
                             offices.  The Regions have discretion in selecting areas
                             to target for environmental assessment assistance and
                             typically prefer to target properties that: are abandoned
                             or publicly owned; have low to moderate
                             contamination; include issues of environmental justice;
                             suffer  from the stigma of liability; or have a prospective
                             purchaser willing to buy and pay for the cleanup of the
                             property, if needed.  The selection process is guided by
                             criteria used to help establish relative priorities among
                             the properties within a Region. The criteria include the
                             following:
                              • Property control and ownership transfer is not an
                                impediment—preference will be given to sites

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    which are publicly owned, either directly by a
    municipality or through a quasi-public entity such
    as a community development corporation.  If a
    property is privately owned, there generally must be
    a clear means of recouping EPA expenditures.
  • There is a strong municipal commitment—either
    financially, or through commitment of municipal
    resources for other components of the project.
  • There is a clear municipal/community vision and
    support for property revitalization.
  • There are adequate leveraged funds available for
    cleanup and  redevelopment, and/or the property has
    strong development potential (perhaps demonstrated
    by past or present developer interest).
  • EPA assessment assistance is crucial to the
    property's  redevelopment; lack of an assessment
    has proven to be an obstacle at the property.
  • Existing information  supports redevelopment—the
    property will likely have low to moderate
    contamination levels, and redevelopment will
    provide tangible benefits for the community.
  • The project area has a clear need for revitalization
    evidenced by significant deterioration and/or
    significant environmental justice issues.
  • There is clear coordination between the EPA Region
    and the state or tribe.
  • The TEA is  consistent with other EPA/federal
    agency initiatives—the property has an important
    link to other  EPA/state or EPA/tribal initiatives; a
    direct health/environmental threat will be mitigated
    or property revitalization will serve to spur further
    beneficial activity in the surrounding area.
Under Subtitle C of the Brownfields Law, TEA
assistance can also be allocated by each state and tribe
receiving Subtitle C funding. The selection criteria and
amount of assistance available varies with each state
and tribe.

SOME TARGETED BROWNFIELDS ASSESSMENT
SUCCESSES

Old Town, Maine—As a result of EPA's TEA program,
four acres of formerly  contaminated property on the
banks of the Penobscot River in Old Town, Maine is
now a recreational area with a playground and paths for
running and biking. The property's building had been
used as a warehouse until the city foreclosed on the
property for unpaid taxes. For 17 years the property
stood abandoned, as fears regarding suspected
contamination and responsibility for expensive cleanup
kept potential purchasers at bay.
Old Town contacted EPA  seeking assistance with the
property, and EPA determined the extent of the
          property's contamination under its TEA program.
          Following  a $20,000 assessment, the property's
          abandoned structures were demolished and the
          contamination cleaned up. While the city funded this
          extensive cleanup, EPA pursued the former owners for
          reimbursement of cleanup costs.
          Honolulu, Hawaii—In Honolulu's Kaka'ako district,
          waterfront  property that has long been home to fish
          canneries, ship yards, city industrial yards, and office
          buildings is being transformed into such varied
          enterprises as  a children's museum, parks, and several
          private commercial and retail projects. EPA provided a
          critical piece of this redevelopment puzzle by awarding
          $90,000 in TEA funding to the Hawaii Department of
          Health.  The Department of Health retained oversight
          authority for both assessment and  subsequent cleanup,
          but worked closely with the  Hawaii Community
          Development Authority (HCDA), which was working
          to redevelop this area.  The eventual redevelopment of
          the Kaka'ako district will create new jobs for
          surrounding communities and increased  tax revenues
          for the city.
          Smithville,  Texas—Due in large part to the cooperation
          of two federal agencies, a former metal fabrication
          plant in Smithville, Texas is now home to a furniture
          manufacturing company. In 1990  the previous owner
          filed for bankruptcy on this contaminated, three-acre
          property.  Due to  its prime location as a possible
          industrial district, the city marshaled its resources to
          clean up and redevelop the property.  In  addition to
          environmental assessment work, EPA assisted
          Smithville in acquiring aid from the U.S. Department of
          Commerce and its technical assistance program.  The
          city completed property cleanup and the property was
          ready for reuse by the furniture manufacturer.

          How CAN You APPLY FOR TARGETED BROWNFIELDS
          ASSESSMENT ASISTANCE?

          TBAs supplement other efforts under EPA's
          Brownfields Program to promote cleanup and
          redevelopment of brownfields.
          The TEA selection process varies with each EPA
          Region and by state Voluntary Response Programs.
          Each Region is given an annual budget to spend on
          TBAs.  State Voluntary Response Programs allocate
          TEA funding on a case-by-case basis. If you are
          interested in receiving TEA  assistance, please contact
          the EPA Brownfields staff in your Region or staff in
          your state or tribal Voluntary Response Program. You
          can  obtain  current contact information under the "Tools
          and Contacts" section of EPA's Brownfields web site,
          at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/.  You can  also call
          EPA's Office of Brownfields Cleanup and
          Redevelopment at (202) 566-2777.
      Fact
     Waste
and Emergency
         (5105)
      ERA 500-F-03-015

WWW.

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