Brownfields 2009  Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
               Regional Planning Commission, Southeast 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 Regional Planning Commission  (RPC) was selected
to receive two brownfields assessment grants. The RPC is
the official Metropolitan Planning Organization for the
New Orleans region. It represents Jefferson, Orleans,
Plaquemines, St. Bernard, and St. Tammany Parishes
(combined population 1,030,000). The RPC has identified
120 potential brownfield sites and an additional 72 vacant
and abandoned service stations in the metropolitan area.
Many of the service stations have become dumping
grounds for hazardous chemicals. These contaminated
sites have adversely affected public health and economic
development in the region. Most of the sites are located in
densely populated low-income areas. Minority
communities are concentrated in these more urban parts of
the region. Nearly 29 percent of the region's residents are
African-American, including 58.8 percent of residents in
Orleans Parish. Brownfield assessments are expected to
help educate area residents about green building
techniques and sustainable practices, and allow the RPC
to expand on the success of its existing projects.
                     Assessment Grants

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

                     EPA has selected the Regional Planning
                     Commission for two brownfields assessment
                     grants. Community-wide hazardous substances
                     grant funds will be used to conduct five Phase I
                     and two Phase II environmental site assessments.
                     Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct six
                     Phase I and two Phase II environmental site
                     assessments. 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 6 Brownfields Team
                     (214) 665-6780
                     EPA Region 6 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/region6/bro wnfields)

                     Grant Recipient: Regional Planning
                     Commission,LA
                     (504) 568-6622

                     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-09-062
      May 2009

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