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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

       Tuscaloosa,  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 Tuscaloosa was selected to receive a
brownfields  assessment grant. Tuscaloosa (population
77,906), located southwest of the City of Birmingham,
is targeting the contiguous Black Warrior Riverfront
Development and the Tuscaloosa Downtown Urban
Renewal and Redevelopment areas for assessment. It
has been said that the City of Tuscaloosa was designed
with its back to the Black Warrior River. The
riverfront area, a historically industrial area, has been
neglected for several years. It is the location of many
active and abandoned industrial facilities. In the
downtown area, blight, economic concerns, and
joblessness are reflected in the 58 percent of neighbor-
hood buildings that are in poor condition and the 25
percent that are either vacant or underutilized. Assess-
ment of the city's brownfields sites will encourage
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the City of Tuscaloosa for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant
 funds will be used to inventory and prioritize
 sites, conduct community outreach activities, and
 perform from four to nine Phase I and from three
 to five Phase II environmental site assessments in
 the Tuscaloosa Downtown Urban Renewal and
 Redevelopment areas, and the Black Warrior
 Riverfront Development area. Funds also will be
 used to monitor health effects related to the
 assessed properties.
 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 Tuscaloosa, AL
 205-349-0160

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
residents to participate in a process that will help
ensure sustainable reuse of contaminated properties in
their communities. The plan for the downtown area
includes a federal courthouse with a plaza and park
linking it to City Hall and other retail, office, and
residential areas. The plan for the riverfront area
includes a hotel and convention complex, commercial
and residential space, recreational facilities, and
greenspace.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA 560-F-06-071
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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