I jBt; | Brownfields 2006 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
Pearsall, TX
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. 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.
Community Description
The City of Pearsall was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located in south Texas, Pearsall
(population 7,157) is a farming and ranching community
founded when the railroad arrived in 1881. Hispanics
represent 84.2 percent of the population, and 35 percent
of residents live below the poverty level. The
unemployment rate is 7.7 percent. Assessment activities
will focus on the westside area. Interspersed in the
westside area are nine petroleum-contaminated sites and
ten abandoned businesses, of which nine housed
agricultural chemicals, such as pesticides, and repair
shops. The city's brownfields stifle local investment,
lower property values, may pose environmental hazards,
and facilitate illegal activity. When brownfields are
assessed and eventually cleaned up, the community will
create indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and
preserve greenspace. Brownfields redevelopment will
expand the tax base, increase investments, and create jobs.
Assessment Grant
$197,600 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Pearsall for a
brownfields assessment grant. Petroleum grant
funds will be used to conduct two Phase I and
eight Phase II environmental site assessments, a
community health assessment that involves
monitoring environmental health effects, and
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: City of Pearsall,TX
(830)334-3676
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	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 560-F-06-152
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2006
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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