I JBt | Brownfields 2004 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet V c/ Oklahoma Energy Resources Board 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 Oklahoma Energy Resources Board was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The State of Oklahoma (population 34.5 million) includes three Enterprise Zones, and is home to 39 federally recognized Native American tribes. More than 11 percent of Oklahoma families live below the poverty level, and almost 52 percent of school children qualify for free or reduced price meals. Since the beginning of petroleum exploration and production in the late 1890s, an estimated 450,000 wells have been drilled across Oklahoma. There are thousands of orphaned and abandoned petroleum exploration and production sites, many of which are within or near urban settings. In the past ten years, the board has restored 5,000 of these sites across the state. The assessment grant will allow the board to leverage its existing funds to maximize the number of sites it can inventory, assess, characterize and, ultimately, restore. This will benefit the economy, environment, and health and safety of local communities throughout the state. Assessment Grant $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to inventory, assess, and characterize multiple sites throughout the state. 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: Oklahoma Energy Resources Board (800) 664-1301 ext 234 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-04-083 Protection Agency Response (5105T) June 2004 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- |