'<=   Brownfields 2011  Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
              South Central Planning & Development Commission, South
              Central Louisiana
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 South Central Planning & Development Commission
was selected to receive two brownfields assessment
grants. The Commission's district serves the Parishes of
Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John
the Baptist, and Terrebonne (combined population
345,598). Primary economic drivers in the district have
historically been agriculture, commercial fishing,  and the
oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. All the core
industries have been affected by global shifts, plant
closings, and the 2010 Gulf oil spill. These changes have
resulted in brownfields, including abandoned sugar mills,
other agri-business facilities, and oil field and
petrochemical sites. The Commission has identified 129
brownfields, approximately 25 percent of which are
former gas stations. In the most disadvantaged areas of the
three river parishes, 69 percent of residents are minorities,
and 27 percent live in poverty. Brownfield assessments
will provide the basis for a plan linking site identification
with public education and marketing, and are expected to
spur redevelopment.
                    Assessment Grants

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

                    EPA has selected the South Central Planning &
                    Development Commission for two brownfields
                    assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous
                    substances and petroleum grant funds will be used
                    to update the current brownfields inventory and
                    perform from 10 to 12 Phase I and five or six
                    Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant
                    funds also will be used to conduct cleanup
                    planning and support community involvement
                    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/bro wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: South Central Planning &
                     Development Commission,LA
                     (985)851-2900

                     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-128-102
       May 2011

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