f jQl\ Brownfields 1995 Assessment Pilot Fact Sheet

Laredo.TX

EPA Brownfields Initiative

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.

Background

EPA selected the City of Laredo for a Brownfields Pilot.
Laredo is the hub of international freight movement
between the United States and the Republic of Mexico.
The area's predominantly Hispanic population is ranked
among the poorest in the nation. The city's industries and
land uses remained virtually unregulated until the 1980s,
resulting in many environmental abuses that the city has
had limited knowledge of and scant resources to
effectively address.

The city's Pilot work plan originally planned to help
investigate, cleanup, and redevelop the Paso del Indio, a
100-acre city-owned property that lies between
downtown Laredo and the Rio Grande River. In February
1996, the city, with the assistance of EPA Region 6 and
the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission,
investigated the Paso del Indio property. This
investigation indicated that the property was not
contaminated. Based on this finding, the city has
refocused the Pilot efforts to inventory and assess
potential brownfields sites, with special emphasis on sites
along the riverfront

Pilot Snapshot

Date of Announcement: 09/01/1995
Amount: $200,000

Profile: The Pilot targets properties within the City
of Laredo, with special emphasis on waterfront sites.

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: City of Laredo,TX
(210) 791-7441

Objectives

The objectives of the Pilot are to help create a green
corridor between the U.S. - Mexican border on the Rio
Grande and facilitate commercial development. The
reuse of selected brownfields is expected to spur
economic redevelopment on the riverfront and increase
interest in environmental cleanup, crime prevention, and
improvement of the Rio Grande's water quality.

The involvement and active participation of area
stakeholders, including financial institutions, downtown
businesses, hospitality and tourism operations, adjacent
residential neighborhoods, the railroads, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife, U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service, U.S. Customs
Service, International Boundary and Water
Commissions, and the Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission, will be key to accomplishing
these objectives.

Activities

The Pilot has:

United States	c

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•	Completed an inventory of 13 properties and
targeted 10 of these.

The Pilot is:

•	Conducting outreach to current property owners,
realtors, prospective buyers, and lending
institutions to educate them about the city's
brownfields effort, with the objective of
expediting environmental revitalization;

•	Conducting further public meetings to
disseminate information and gain public input
for the brownfields process;

•	Developing a Pilot-wide comprehensive plan for
adaptive reuse, emphasizing employment,
long-term environmental education, and
environmental justice to moderate- and
low-income residents; and

•	Planning site history documentation, cleanup
plan development, and categorical listings of
potential uses and users for the Los Altos del Rio

Experience with the Laredo Pilot has been a catalyst for
related activities, including the following:

• EPA and the Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission support the city's
program by conducting sampling and analysis
activities.

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.

site.

United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450

and Emergency
Response (5105T)

Solid Waste

EPA 500-F-00-267
Dec 00

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