Brownfields 2004 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
                       , CA
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
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed
into law the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields
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 Visalia was selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant. Approximately 70
percent of Visalia's population of 98,812 is minority.
The city's poverty rate is 31.8 percent, compared to the
national average of 12.4 percent. The unemployment
rate of 16.7 percent is nearly three times that of the
national average. The population of the target area is
14,543. Redevelopment of these brownfields is
expected to provide a retail, entertainment, civic,  and
commercial center in the city, thereby generating  new
jobs, increasing tax revenues, and addressing
environmental justice issues.
                   Assessment Grant

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

                   EPA has selected the City of Visalia for a
                   brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances
                   grant funds and petroleum grant funds will both be
                   used to evaluate and conduct Phase I environmental
                   assessments on selected parcels northeast of
                   downtown Visalia, in an old industrial area
                   contaminated with arsenic, petroleum, and lead.
                   Funds also will be used for community outreach.
                   The city owns or has options to buy most of the land
                   at this 65-acre site. After redevelopment, the area
                   will become a government and commercial center.

                   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 9 Brownfields Team
                   (415) 972-3091
                   EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
                   (http://www.epa.gov/region9/brownfields)

                   Grant Recipient: City of Visalia, CA
                   City of Visalia
                   (559)713-4312

                   Mayor of Visalia
                   (559)713-4312

                   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)
EPA560-F-04-219
        Jun 04

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