Brownfields  2009 Assessment  Grant Fact  Sheet
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 City of Yreka was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located in northern
California, Yreka (population 7,290) was founded during
the gold rush of the 1850s but flourished for over 100
years because  of the timber industry. Construction of a
freeway that bypasses Yreka's Main Street and sharp
declines in the lumber industry during the 1970s have left
a legacy of abandoned and contaminated lumber mill sites
and businesses. These brownfields include automotive
sites left vacant in town after the freeway was built. The
poverty rate has increased over the past 10 years to more
than 21 percent, and the local economy has continued to
decline. Assessment of brownfields is expected to
promote site cleanup and redevelopment, which in turn is
expected to reduce health threats, create jobs, and
preserve greenspace.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the City of Yreka for two
                     brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                     grant funds will be used to inventory and prioritize
                     brownfields, conduct 25 Phase I and 10 Phase II
                     environmental site assessments for hazardous
                     substances and petroleum contamination, 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 9 Brownfields Team
                     (415) 972-3091
                     EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/region9/bro wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: City of Yreka,CA
                     (530) 842-1638

                     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-09-195
      May 2009

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