United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response(5105) EPA500-F-01-307 April 2001 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ &EPA Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Sioux City, IA Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105) Quick Reference Fact Sheet EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative isdesignedtoempowerstates, communities, and otherstakeholders ineconomicredevelopmenttoworktogetherinatimelymannertoprevent.assess.andsafelycleanupbrownfieldstopromote theirsustainable reuse. Brownfieldsareabandoned, idled,orunder-usedindustrialandcommercialfacilitieswhereexpansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination. EPAisfunding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years, with additional funding provided for greenspace), to test assessment models and facilitate coordinated assessment and cleanup efforts at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels; and job training pilot programs (each funded upto$200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affectedbybrownfieldstofacilitatecleanupofbrownfieldssitesandpreparetraineesforfutureemploymentintheenvironmental field; and, acleanup revolving loanfund program (eachfundedupto$1,000,000 overfiveyears)toprovidefinancial assistance forthe environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies astheycontinuetoseek new methodsto promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment. BACKGROUND EPA has selected Sioux City to receive supplemental assistance for its Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot. Sioux City (population 80,505) has historically been a commercial center of the upper Missouri River. Much of the commerce was related to the processing and distribution of livestock in the Sioux City stockyards area located at the confluence of the Missouri and Floyd Rivers. The Pilot is targeting this 215-acre tract of land that is designated by the city as an urban renewal area and is within the state- designated enterprise zone. In the 1920s, the stockyards and related businesses employed thousands. Beginninginthe 1950s, however, a changing livestock industry and labor unrest resulted in a two-decade decline for the stockyards. Today, only a few packing plants remain in business while others have been abandoned, leaving large brownfields such as former packing plants and livestock holding facilities. Those employed by the remaining stockyards, almost 70 percent minority, have an average salary far below the statewide average. PILOT SNAPSHOT Sioux City, Iowa Date of Award: April 2001 Amount: $150,000 Profile: The Pilot will target the 215-acre stockyards area, located within a state- designated enterprise zone, for Phase I and Phase II environmental assessment, continuing the activities of the original Pilot. Contacts: Sioux City Community and Economic Development Department (712) 279-6345 Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA-Region 7 (913)551-7988 Visit the EPA Region 7 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region07/specinit/brown/brownfields.htm For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ ------- OBJECTIVES AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES The Pilot will use supplemental funding to continue the activities of the original Pilot, which will involve conducting a second round of Phase I environmental assessments on target properties and Phase II assessments on three sites whose Phase I assessments suggested the need for further investigation. The city's obj ectives are to remove the stigma of real and perceived environmental contamination through assessment and cleanup of targeted sites in the stockyard area, stimulate economic revitalization in the area, and curtail urban sprawl by facilitating the reuse of brownfields. The city also aims to maintain the few viable businesses that remain atthe stockyards while expandingthe commercial use of the area to include biotechnology, agri-industry, and light industry. The Pilot plans to: • Conduct community outreach to enhance the participation of residents, property owners, partners, and other stakeholders in the brownfields project; • Conduct a second round of Phase I environmental assessments on five sites originally targeted by the Pilot; and • Conduct Phase II environmental assessments of three prioritized sites. The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Brownfields Supplemental Assistance Sioux City, Iowa April 2001 EPA500-F-01-307 ------- |