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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

     West Monroe,  LA


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 West Monroe was selected to receive a
brownfields revolving loan fund grant. Located in
northern Louisiana, West Monroe (population 13,250)
was not directly impacted by the hurricanes of 2005.
Nevertheless, it has been experiencing the effects of
associated economic crisis and population shifts as
businesses and individuals relocate  from storm-
impacted areas. The city has a poverty rate of approxi-
mately 22 percent. West Monroe plans to address
brownfields sites throughout the city, with a focus on
sites within the federally designated Ouachita Parish
Urban Renewal Community and U.S. Census tract 56.
Almost 20 of the at least 100 brownfields sites in the
city are located in tract 56. The presence of these
brownfields has contributed to the deterioration  of
already suffering, older parts of town. The target area
  Revolving Loan Fund
  Grant
  $500,000 for petroleum

  EPA has selected the City of West Monroe for a
  brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant
  will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund
  from which West Monroe will provide loans to
  support cleanup activities at sites contaminated
  with petroleum. Grant funds will be used to
  establish and operate the loan fund, perform
  community outreach and marketing activities, and
  support cleanup planning and oversight activities.
  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: City of West Monroe, LA
  318-396-2600

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
includes West Monroe's two industrial parks and the
historic downtown area. Forty-eight percent of residents
in the area are minorities and nearly 37 percent live in
poverty. The city has a great need to redevelop
brownfields sites in order to provide real estate and
support growth. Brownfields cleanup and redevelop-
ment is expected to accelerate economic development
that will create more jobs and ultimately bring more
opportunities to low-income and minority families in
the city.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                          EPA560-F-06-147
                          May 2006
                          www.epa.gov/brownfields

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