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Brownfields 2007
Grant Fact Sheet
Association of South
Central Oklahoma
Governments
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 Association of South Central Oklahoma Govern-
ments (ASCOG) was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. ASCOG represents a consortium of
eight counties, 72 communities, and ten conservation
districts with a combined population of 284,303. The
ASCOG region is primarily rural, with an agriculture-
based economy. Increased gas, diesel, and fertilizer
prices; years of drought; and wildfires in 2006 have
severely impacted the agriculture industry. The
average poverty rate in the region is 17 percent, and
the unemployment rate in some counties is as high as
eight percent. Over the past two decades, the popula-
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Association of South
Central Oklahoma Governments (ASCOG) for a
brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
stances grant funds will be used to conduct about
12 to 18 Phase I and three to nine Phase II
environmental site assessments at sites in the
ASCOG region. Grant funds also will be used 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 6 Brownfields Team
214-665-6780
http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields
Grant Recipient: Association of South Central
Oklahoma Governments
580-252-0595
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.
tion in the rural counties has declined by 30 to 50
percent. There are few job opportunities for the area's
Hispanic population. To date, 128 brownfields sites
have been inventoried. They range from a large 140-
acre refinery complex to individual structures. Assess-
ment of brownfields will help allay the concerns about
potential health risks posed by the sites, and pave the
way for cleanup and revitalization. Brownfields
redevelopment is expected to attract new industry,
create much-needed jobs, and increase the local tax
base in ASCOG's communities.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-07-010
May 2007
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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