A \ Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant &Z] Fact Sheet Tulare Redevelopment Agency, CA 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 Tulare Redevelopment Agency was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. The City of Tulare (population 52,000) is located in the central San Joaquin Valley along Highway 99. It is in the midst of an ethnically diverse valley with a large Hispanic population. The surrounding Tulare County is a low-income, rural community with a 10.6 percent unemployment rate. The county's agricultural output ranks second in the nation, and about a third of the city's workforce is employed in farming or other agricultural services. Currently, the Agency's brownfields list contains 20 sites encompassing more than 35 acres in and adjacent to the city's downtown corridor. About 45 percent of these sites are suspected to have petroleum contamination, and 25 percent are suspected to contain hazardous substances. Many of them are vacant, blighted, and underused. Assessment of brownfields will provide the Agency with the tools to evaluate the properties and facilitate plans to address environmental conditions. Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances (Recovery Act Funding) $200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act Funding) EPA has selected the Tulare Redevelopment Agency for two brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct 10 Phase I and 5 Phase II environmental site assessments for hazardous substances and petroleum contamination. Grant funds also will be used to identify sites, prepare cleanup plans, and monitor and enforce institutional controls. 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/bro wnfields) Grant Recipient: Tulare Redevelopment Agency,CA (559) 684-4254 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-09-143 May 2009 ------- |