I jBt; | Brownfields 2005 As Tucson, AZ 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 Tucson was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. Tucson (population 486,699) contains an approximately 15.6-square mile federally designated Empowerment Zone (EZ) with nearly 48,000 residents. When compared to the rest of the city, the EZ has twice the concentration of minority residents and more than twice the city's unemployment rate. Seventy percent of households in the zone are low-income, and the median household income is 40 percent lower than that of surrounding areas. The EZ contains several brownfields sites, including former gas stations, dry cleaners, auto repair facilities, abandoned warehouses, railroad facilities and various spurs, and vacant/abandoned inner-city structures, businesses, and motels. They are dispersed throughout the zone and, in some cases, occupy large portions of otherwise valuable land. Assessment of these sites will facilitate the implementation of the master plans developed for the area that include mixed-use developments, greenspace/open space, and alternative transportation throughout the Empowerment Zone. Grant Fact Sheet Assessment Grant $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the City of Tucson for two brownfields assessment grants. Grant funds will be used to develop an inventory and prioritize properties, conduct approximately 1,000 environmental transaction screens, and perform Phase I and II environmental site assessments at sites throughout the city's Empowerment Zone (EZ). Funds also will be used to track and manage the data gathered using a geographic information system database. Petroleum funds will be used to perform the same tasks at sites in the EZ 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 9 Brownfields Team (415) 972-3091 EPA Region 9 Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/region9/brownfields) Grant Recipient: City of Tucson, AZ City of Tucson (520) 791-5414 City of Tucson (520) 791-5414 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-05-131 nil- a ancl Emergency .. Protection Agency Response (5105T) MaV05 Washington, DC 20450 ^ v ' ------- |