Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Fort Worth, TX
EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield 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. In
2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help
states and communities around the country cleanup and
revitalize brownfields sites. 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 City of Fort Worth was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located in northeast
Texas, Fort Worth (population 543,971) has targeted
major industrial corridors in the three most
economically distressed districts of the city. About 69
percent of the city's 423 brownfields are in these three
central city districts. The city's highest unemployment
rates, in excess of 10 percent, occur in portions of these
districts, and 19 to 28 percent of households have
incomes under $15,000. Between 80 and 90 percent of
the residents of these districts are minorities. Large
industrial properties, abandoned automotive shops, and
dry cleaners characterize the many types of vacant
properties with potential contamination. These
contaminated properties have created blocks of vacant
businesses. Assessment of brownfields is expected to
leverage cleanup and redevelopment funding in the
central city area and catalyze community
improvements.
                   Assessment Grants

                   $200,000 for hazardous substances
                   $200,000 for petroleum

                   EPA has selected the City of Fort Worth for two
                   brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                   grant funds will be used to conduct about 30 Phase I
                   and 16 Phase II environmental site assessments for
                   hazardous substances and petroleum contamination.
                   Grant funds also will be used to develop a database
                   of institutional controls and historical contamination
                   within the city, and 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
                   (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).

                   EPA Region 6 Brownfields Team
                   (214) 665-6780
                   EPA Region 6 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Fort Worth,TX
                   (817)392-7550

                   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 negotiated.
                   Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
                   subject to change.
  United States
  Environmental
  Protection Agency
  Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-09-043
        May 09

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