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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

            Selma,  AL


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 City of Selma was selected to receive a brown-
fields assessment grant. Located in central Alabama,
Selma (population 20,512) is a historic city with many
structures dating back to the 1800s, and a history
spanning from the Civil War to the civil rights move-
ment. The city is a federally designated Renewal
Community, and is characterized by low-wage jobs, a
lack of affordable housing, blight, and abandoned
commercial properties. The unemployment rate  is 9.1
percent, 31 percent of residents live below the poverty
level, and 70 percent of residents are African-Ameri-
can. Exceptionally high rates of coronary disease and
lung, breast, and colon cancers have been reported in
the city's African-American population. Brownfields
are concentrated in minority neighborhoods and have
had a negative impact on the entire city's economy.
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the City of Selma for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
 stances grant funds will be used to develop a
 brownfields inventory and perform Phase I and
 Phase II environmental site assessments. Funds
 also will be used to develop cleanup plans,
 conduct community outreach, and determine the
 possible impacts of human exposure to hazardous
 substances.
 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 4 Brownfields Team
 404-562-8866
 http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm

 Grant Recipient: City of Selma, AL
 334-874-2100

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
When brownfields are assessed and eventually cleaned
up, they will be returned to productive use with a mix
of business and residential development. Brownfields
redevelopment will attract investment, spur economic
opportunities, create higher-paying jobs, protect human
health, and increase affordable housing.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-06-069
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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