Brownfields  2010 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Escambia County, FL
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

Escambia County was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. The county (population
311,727) is targeting five Community Redevelopment
Areas (CRAs) for brownfield assessments. These CRAs
adjoin the City of Pensacola and represent the county"s
high-density, urban mixed-use industrial, commercial,
and residential core. Economic decline and heavy
industry in these CRAs have resulted in more than
1,800 vacant sites with suspected contamination. Since
75 percent of the CRAs are zoned residential, residents
of these areas are subject to potential risks. The poverty
rate in the CRAs is 26 percent. The unemployment rate
exceeds 13 percent, and 55 percent of residents are
African-American. Brownfield assessments are
expected to facilitate site cleanups and attract
large-scale, mixed-use projects to the CRA
neighborhoods.
                   Assessment Grants

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

                   EPA has selected Escambia County for two
                   brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                   hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                   conduct 10 Phase I and seven Phase II environmental
                   site assessments. Petroleum grant funds will be used
                   conduct 20 Phase I and 11 Phase II environmental
                   site assessments. Grant funds also will be used for
                   cleanup planning and 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 4 Brownfields Team
                   (404) 562-8792
                   EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
                   (http: //www. epa.gov/region4/waste/bf)

                   Grant Recipient: Escambia County,FL
                   850-595-3538

                   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-10-069
        Apr 10

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