/ O \ Brownfields 2000 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet
\ ±$2. J Port Arthur, TX
EPA Brownfields Initiative
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
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into
law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields 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.
Background
EPA has selected the City of Port Arthur for a
Brownfields Pilot. Port Arthur is located along the Gulf
Coast in southeast Texas and is rich in ethnic and racial
diversity. The advent of the railroad and the port
established the city as an important terminus of the
Kansas City Southern Railroad and as one of the largest
refinery ports in the country. The city attracted industry
and became home to 11 major manufacturing companies.
Unfortunately, the area entered a period of decline, and
by the early 1990s, 9 of the 11 manufacturing facilities
ceased operations. With the closure of these facilities
came the closure of many small and medium suppliers to
these facilities. As the industrial base declined, so did the
adjacent neighborhoods.
The Pilot targets properties in areas that have large
minority populations who have been impacted by
economic distress and perceived environmental
contamination. The targeted properties are primarily
located on the West Side of Port Arthur and near
downtown. These areas encompass large tracts of vacant
and underutilized sites and represent a major source of
economic and environmental blight. For example, 40
percent of the West Side's minority residents live below
the poverty level and almost 50 percent are unemployed.
Pilot Snapshot
Date of Announcement: 09/01/1997
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The City of Port Arthur targets brownfields
located on the West Side of Port Arthur and near
downtown-areas known for their economic and
environmental blight.
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/brownfields)
Grant Recipient: City of Port Arthur,TX
(409)983-8101
Objectives
The aim of the city is to remove environmental barriers
to redevelopment, restore properties in distressed areas
to productive reuse, and rebuild sustainable
communities. The city plans to create a cleanup and
redevelopment process that will serve as a catalyst for
neighborhood recovery and economic growth. The city
will use the Pilot to focus on brownfields as the central
link between environmental protection and economic
revitalization to the distressed areas.
Activities
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
•	Identifying brownfields, creating an inventory of
sites, and selecting high-priority sites for further
assistance;
•	Conducting environmental assessments on
approximately six targeted sites;
•	Designing and implementing community
United States	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 500-F-00-115
nil- a	ancl Emergency	.. __
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	MaV00
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involvement strategies to ensure public
participation; and
• Developing tools and models to reduce barriers
to brownfields cleanup and redevelopment.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet
been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this
fact sheet are subject to change.
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
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
Solid Waste
EPA 500-F-00-115
May 00

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