Brownfields  2009 Assessment  Grant Fact Sheet
               Mobile, AL
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 Mobile was selected to receive two
brownfields assessment grants. Located in Mobile
County, the City of Mobile (population 202,181) is an
economic, cultural, educational, and recreational hub of
Alabama's Gulf Coast. In its prime, Mobile's downtown
area was the center of the community, with thriving
businesses and developing neighborhoods. When the
nearby Brookley Military Base Complex and major
employers such as the International Paper Company left
the area, Mobile lost thousands of jobs and related
revenues. Major flooding in downtown Mobile caused by
Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina left many buildings
underused or vacant, and plagued with environmental
issues. More than 50 percent of residents in the downtown
target area are minorities, and 28.1 percent live in poverty.
A preliminary inventory revealed about 32 brownfield
sites in the downtown area in need of redevelopment.
Brownfield  assessments will help the city quantify and
delineate contamination at the sites, facilitate cleanup, and
determine appropriate site reuse.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the City of Mobile for two
                     brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide
                     hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
                     conduct 21 Phase I and 12 Phase II environmental
                     site assessments in Mobile's greater downtown
                     area. Petroleum grant funds will be used to
                     conduct 11 Phase I and 8 Phase II environmental
                     site assessments in the same area. Grant funds also
                     will be used to 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 4 Brownfields Team
                     (404) 562-8792
                     EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web  site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/region4/was te/bf)

                     Grant Recipient: City of Mobile,AL
                     (251)208-7177

                     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-09-147
      May 2009

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