SEFft United States Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste And Emergency Response (5401G) EPA 510-F-02-013 June 2002 www.epa.gov/oust/ Underground Storage Tanks And Brownfields Sites MISSOURI/St. Louis EPA's USTfields Initiative funds states and tribes to conduct pilot projects in brownfields communities to assess and clean up petroleum contamination from federally-regulated underground storage tanks (USTs) at idle or abandoned commercial properties. Petroleum contamination has generally been excluded from funding under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and has not, therefore, been covered under EPA's Brownfields Program. In 2002, EPA's Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) competitively selected 40 state and tribal USTfields Pilots. In each pilot, the state will work with a local community or the tribe will work with its EPA Region to address identified sites. Each pilot is awarded up to $100,000 of Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust funds to assess and clean up petroleum-contaminated sites; as a result, the sites will be ready for future reuse. BACKGROUND The State of Missouri will work with the City of St. Louis as its partnering local area. The city is a Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot and Brownfields Showcase Community. As part of its Brownfields cleanup plans, the city has identified 6 - 9 abandoned gas stations with underground storage tanks in two of its northern neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are part of a Federal Empowerment Zone and a larger comprehensive revitalization plan. Abandoned gas stations within the neighborhood are not only eyesores to the surrounding communities but also pose potential threats to human health and the environment from petroleum contamination. OBJECTIVES Using USTfields Pilot funds, augmented by the Missouri Petroleum Insurance Fund, the state will work with the city to assess and clean up abandoned gas stations in the two targeted neighborhoods. This cleanup work will provide health and environmental benefits, as well as mitigate illegal dumping and criminal activities occurring at these sites. Local non-profit community development corporations will be involved in the redevelopment of this area. After the sites are cleaned up, they will be reused to create opportunities for economic improvements. EPA Region 7 St. Louis, MO Applicant Name: State of Missouri Local Partner: City of St. Louis Date of Selection: June 2002 Profile: Missouri will work with the City of St. Louis to assess and clean up several abandoned gas stations to help create opportunities for economic improvements. Contacts: EPA Region 7 Janet Hallier (913) 551-7532 Missouri Department of Natural Resources Betty Keehart (573) 751-3176 For further information, go to www.epa.gov/oust/ EPA USTfields INITIATIVE EPA has not yet negotiated the Cooperative Agreements with states and tribes to fund these pilots; therefore, activities are subject to change. ------- |