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Brownfields 2006 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
New Orleans Regional Business Park, LA
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 New Orleans Regional Business Park (NORBP) was
selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants.
One of the largest industrial parks in the United States, the
NORBP is a 7,000-acre business park located completely
within the boundaries of the City of New Orleans
(population 469,032). Approximately 286 potential
brownfields have been identified throughout New
Orleans. At least 12 of these are within the NORBP
district. One of the largest brownfields in the area is a
former municipal incinerator. In addition, there are illegal
refuse dump sites, automobile junkyards, and pesticide
manufacturers. The largely African-American population
(77.3 percent) of the NORBP census tract has few
conveniences and contains the majority of the city's
large-scale apartment complexes. Prior to Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, approximately 87 firms employing
11,743 individuals and generating spending that supported
another 26,428 jobs in the New Orleans economy were
operating in the NORBP. However, economic
development in the NORBP district has been stifled by the
presence of unsightly commercial operations and
practices that have created blight and environmental risks.
Assessment and eventual cleanup of the brownfields in
the NORBP will preserve greenspace and natural
resources, create jobs, and increase the district's economic
development potential.
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the New Orleans Regional
Business Park for two brownfields assessment
grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
used to inventory and characterize sites, complete
at least six Phase I and three Phase II
environmental site assessments, and prepare at
least two risk-based cleanup plans for sites in the
regional business park in eastern New Orleans.
The inventory and characterization of brownfields
also will include properties potentially
contaminated by flooding related to Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. Petroleum grant funds will be
used to perform the same tasks at sites with
potential petroleum contamination.
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: New Orleans Regional Business
Park,LA
(504) 710-5559
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-06-144
May 2006

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United States	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 560-F-06-144
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2006
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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