5
              o
                            T>

  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

         Pittsburg,  KS


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 Pittsburg was selected to receive a brown-
fields assessment grant. Located in southeastern
Kansas, Pittsburg (population 19,243) dates back to
the late 1800s, when it was a coal mining town. As
mining operations shut down and related industries left
the area, we 11-paying jobs were lost and the operations
left scarred lands and waste. The region is still strug-
gling to replace jobs, and Pittsburg's unemployment
rate is higher than the state average. More than 16
percent of the population lives below the poverty
level. Thousands of acres of mined land in the region
remain contaminated from former mining and smelting
operations. Commercial development often is re-
stricted by contamination and the cost of cleanup.
After brownfields are assessed, the city will move
forward with plans to clean up and redevelop them for
                                                                              \
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the City of Pittsburg for a
 brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
 stances grant funds will be used to conduct Phase
 I and II environmental site assessments at the
 former Weir City Zinc/All-Quip Property, which
 is contaminated by metals. Grant funds also will
 be used to develop cleanup and reuse plans and to
 support community outreach 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 7 Brownfields Team
 800-223-0425
 http://www.epa.gov/Region7/citizens/brownfields/
 index.htm

 Grant Recipient: City of Pittsburg, KS
 620-231-4100

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
commercial and residential use. Brownfields redevel-
opment is expected to remove potential health threats,
discourage development on greenspace in the city,
create jobs, increase tax revenues, and improve the
city's image.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                         EPA560-F-06-159
                         May 2006
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

-------