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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
South Central
Planning &
Development
Commission, South
Central Louisiana
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders 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 South Central Planning & Development Commis-
sion was selected to receive two brownfields assess-
ment grants. The Commission's district consists of
Assumption, Laforche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John,
and Terrebonne Parishes; the City of Thibodaux; the
Towns of Golden Meadow, Gramercy, Lockport, and
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the South Central Planning &
Development Commission for two brownfields
assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant
funds will be used to conduct an inventory of
sites, and to perform ten Phase I and three Phase
II environmental site assessments. Petroleum
grant funds will be used to conduct an inventory
of sites, and to perform ten Phase I and two Phase
II environmental site assessments. Funds also will
be used for community outreach activities,
including an environmental justice workshop.
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
214-665-2241
http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields
Grant Recipient: South Central Planning & Devel-
opment Commission, LA
985-851-2900
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Lutcher; and the Village of Napoleonville. This area
became home to approximately 60,000 evacuees from
Hurricane Katrina, increasing the area's population to
390,197. Historically, the region prospered from its
abundant natural resources, rich estuaries, marine and
freshwater fisheries, animal fur and hides, waterways,
and oil and gas supplies. All parishes have some oil and
gas activity. The unemployment rates in these communi-
ties range from 9.2 percent to 15.4 percent, and poverty
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-06-146
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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rates range from 11.4 percent to 21.8 percent. Hurri-
canes Katrina and Rita severely impacted the six-parish
region, causing chemical and oil spills, flooding homes
and businesses with industrial hazardous substances,
and increasing health risks. Waste storage areas are
cracked, leaked, or have failed; damaged transformers
may have caused oil or PCB spills; and dry chemical
storage areas are water damaged. When these
brownfields are assessed and eventually cleaned up,
they may be used for small commercial sites, a technol-
ogy center, playground, community center, farmers
market, and potentially for greenspace. Brownfields
redevelopment will improve economic development,
encourage job development, eliminate threats to human
health and the environment, and improve the quality of
life in the Commission's communities.
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