5
o
T>
Brownfields 2008
Grant Fact Sheet
Cherokee Nation,
Saline National Park, OK
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 this 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The Cherokee Nation was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Located in northeastern
Oklahoma, the 14-county tribal area (population
941,708) of the Cherokee Nation is rural except for a
few small-to-moderately-sized cities. Although there
are no designated Native American reservation lands in
Oklahoma, Native American communities are present
throughout. These communities are characterized by
poverty and substandard living conditions. Many tribal
members work in low-paying jobs and seasonal jobs
without benefits, and as subsistence farmers and
ranchers. Within Delaware County (population 28,070),
Cleanup Grant
$104,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Cherokee Nation for a
brownfields cleanup grant. Hazardous substances
grant funds will be used to clean up the Saline
Courthouse site located near the Town of Rose in
Delaware County. The courthouse was built in
1884 and is listed on the National Register of
Historic Sites and Oklahoma's List of Endangered
Properties. The site building is contaminated with
metals.
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
214-665-6780
http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields
Grant Recipient: Cherokee Nation, OK
918-453-5089
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. The cooperative
agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti-
ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact
sheet are subject to change.
where the Saline Courthouse site is located, the
poverty rate is 21.7 percent. The site is the only
surviving courthouse from the nine District Courts that
came into existence after enactment of the 1839
Constitution of the Cherokee Nation. Cleanup of the
site is expected to increase interest and tourism in the
park area and stimulate the local economy.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-08-156
April 2008
www.epa.gov/brownfields
------- |