All News Releases By Date

Alabama Cities of Tarrant, Selma and Tuscaloosa Receive EPA Grants for Revitalization

Release Date: 05/12/2006
Contact Information: Laura Niles, 404-562-8353, [email protected]

(ATLANTA – May 12, 2006) The cities of Tarrant, Selma and Tuscaloosa in Alabama were recognized today in Tarrant as successful applicants for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields grants that promote the redevelopment of abandoned and contaminated or potentially contaminated waste sites. Each city will receive $200,000 in Brownfields grant funds for assessment or cleanup of properties.

Tarrant will receive $200,000 in cleanup grant funds for the Vulcan Rivet and Bolt cleanup project, which will convert a former industrial site into a transportation hub that will provide reliable and convenient access to public transportation. Selma will receive $200,000 in assessment grant funds to develop a brownfields inventory, conduct environmental site assessments and develop cleanup plans. Tuscaloosa will receive $200,000 in petroleum assessment grant funds for environmental assessments to support its ongoing downtown and riverfront redevelopment projects.

In the Southeast, 22 applicants were selected to receive grants for assessment or cleanup of properties. Nationally, communities in 44 states and two territories, as well as three tribes will share $69.9 million in grants to help transform community eyesores into community gems. Since the beginning of the brownfields program, EPA has awarded 883 assessment grants totaling $225.4 million, 202 revolving loan fund grants totaling $186.7 million, and 238 cleanup grants totaling $42.7 million.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In January 2002, President Bush signed the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act, which authorizes up to $250 million in funds annually for brownfields grants. The 2002 law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands or sites contaminated by petroleum or the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs.

More information on the grant recipients in the Southeast and throughout the nation: epa.gov/brownfields/archive/pilot_arch.htm

More information on the Brownfields program: epa.gov/brownfields