Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant
Fact Sheet
Talladega, AL
RECOUERY.GOV
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 Talladega was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Founded in 1835,
Talladega (population 17,344) was one of the first
agricultural centers in eastern Alabama. The city once
sustained a varied economy supported by foundries,
textile mills, small businesses, and other manufacturers.
The decline in many of the industrial and manufacturing
companies left the city with numerous deteriorating
buildings and an economic downturn. During the past two
decades, the decline in the textile industry resulted in the
loss of more than 1,000 jobs and the closure of seven
mills and supporting industries. There are an estimated 46
brownfield sites city-wide. About 18 are in the targeted
Battle Street Corridor, a major transportation corridor in
the city. Household income in Talladega consistently
ranks lower than the county, state, and national levels.
Nineteen percent of city residents live below the poverty
level, and 42.3 percent are minorities. Brownfield
assessments will help property owners understand
conditions at sites, and are expected to facilitate site
cleanup.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
$200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
Funding)
EPA has selected the City of Talladega for two
brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds
will be used to conduct about 30 Phase I and 16
Phase II environmental site assessments, and
support community outreach activities. Grant
funds also will be used to conduct cleanup
planning.
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/was te/bf)
Grant Recipient: City of Talladega, AL
(256) 362-8775
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-09-205
May 2009
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