Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
Fact Sheet
Corpus Christ!, TX
REC(M(H.GBV
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. On
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed
into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to
jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of
jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the
Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate and
clean up former industrial and commercial sites. Under
this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Corpus Christi was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Corpus Christi
(population 285,175) is located on the coast of the Gulf
of Mexico. The city has hosted a large petroleum
industry, chemical plants, and heavy industry. During
the 1970s and 1980s, many factories and plants closed
and now lie vacant or underused, in part because of
fears of unknown and potential contamination. The city
also has a significant number of military facilities, some
of which are closed and unused because of
contamination. Corpus Christi will focus on
brownfields in the city's north side and in the
neighboring downtown area, which are among its most
economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. These
areas have significantly higher minority populations
and unemployment rates than the rest of the city, and
the median household income of $15,659 is less than
half that of the city as a whole. Brownfield assessments
are expected to make north side and downtown
properties more attractive to developers and leverage
funds for cleanup and redevelopment.
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
$200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
Funding)
EPA has selected the City of Corpus Christi for two
brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
conduct up to nine Phase I and three Phase II
environmental site assessments, identify cleanup
options, and support community outreach activities.
Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the
same tasks at sites with potential petroleum
contamination.
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 Corpus Christi,TX
(361)826-1868
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-09-274
May 09
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