I ^ | Brownfields 2006 Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
V c/ Picuris Pueblo, Picuris Pueblo Indian Reservation, NM
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
Picuris Pueblo was selected to receive a brownfields
cleanup grant. Picuris Pueblo (330 members) is a
federally recognized tribe and the smallest of New
Mexico's indigenous nations. Settled since about 800
A.D., the Picuris Pueblo settlement is one of the
country's oldest continuously inhabited settlements.
The tribe's median income is $11,528, 36 percent of
families live below the federal poverty level, and 19
percent of residents are unemployed. Beginning in the
1950s, small local mining companies began exploring
the cleanup site. Industrial-scale production began there
in 1988, and between 1999 and 2004, the site was the
largest mica mine west of the Mississippi River. The
site has been blighted by mining, and has contributed to
siltation and erosion from uncontrolled stormwater
runoff. Picuris Pueblo has suffered from the loss of
sacred space and the traditions tied to the site. The
cleanup grant will enable the tribe to restore the site,
protecting water, land, and habitat. It will also allow the
tribe to use the site for sacred activities. Finally, it will
provide economic development opportunities through
the crafting and sale of micaceous pottery.
Cleanup Grant
$140,137 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected Picuris Pueblo for a brownfields
cleanup grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will
be used to reclaim mine-scarred land at the U.S. Hill
Mica Mine site, ten miles south of Ranchos de Taos.
The area was an important cultural site once used by
the tribe for small-scale gathering of micaceous clay
for making traditional pottery, but was later used to
extract and process minerals. It contains unsafe
conditions, and contributes to area contamination.
Grant funds also will be used for community
outreach 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/brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Picuris Pueblo,NM
(505) 587-2519
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-06-148
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Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	MaV06
Washington, DC 20450	^ v '

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