Brownfields 2009 Assessment  Grant Fact Sheet
              Ark-Tex Council of Governments, Southwest Arkansas and
              Northeast Texas
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 Ark-Tex Council of Governments (ATCOG) was
selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants.
The ATCOG serves nine counties in northeast Texas
and one in southwest Arkansas (combined population
305,570). The decline in industry in the ATCOG region
has driven away residents and increased the number of
abandoned and potentially contaminated parcels.
According to federal and state data, there are 366
hazardous waste sites, 571 leaking petroleum storage
tank sites, and 79 unauthorized landfills in the ATCOG
region. In the cities of Texarkana, Arkansas, and
Texarkana, Texas, ATCOG has identified over 50
abandoned gas stations and dozens of structures in the
downtown areas with potential hazardous substances
contamination. The average poverty and unemployment
rates in the region are 18.7 and 18.3 percent,
respectively. Assessment of the region's brownfields
will increase community knowledge about public health
and the environment, and is expected to help leverage
cleanup and redevelopment funds.
                  Assessment Grants

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

                  EPA has selected the Ark-Tex Council of
                  Governments for two brownfields assessment grants.
                  Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds
                  will be used to conduct 10 to 15 Phase I and 5 to 8
                  Phase II environmental site assessments. Petroleum
                  funds will be used to conduct 10 to  15 Phase I and 4
                  to 7 Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant
                  funds also will be used to inventory and characterize
                  sites, conduct cleanup planning, 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: Ark-Tex Council of
                  Governments,TX
                  (903)832-8636

                  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-09-028
        May 09

-------