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Louisiana to Receive More Than $2.2 Million from EPA

Release Date: 05/12/2006
Contact Information: Cynthia Fanning at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

(Dallas, Texas - May 12, 2006) Seven Louisiana groups have been selected to receive 10 Brownfields grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency totaling $2,262,218, EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene announced today.

"EPA's Brownfields program can be an important part of the cure for ailing inner city properties," Greene said. "Brownfields grants help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use."

The city of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish will receive $200,000 for community-wide hazardous substances assessment. This assessment funding will help to remove obstacles for redevelopment and encourage investment in the urban core of Baton Rouge.

The Acadiana Regional Development District will receive $200,000 to assess petroleum sites community-wide. ARDD represents Acadia, Evangeline, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, St. Mary and Vermilion parishes, including 49 incorporated towns and communities. ARDD plans to target abandoned petroleum sites near residential areas resulting from oil and gas activities.

The New Orleans Regional Business Park will receive $200,000 to assess community-wide hazardous substance sites and $200,000 to assess community-wide petroleum sites. NORBP contains known junkyards, dumpsites and businesses with underground storage tanks.

The South Central Planning and Development Commission will receive $200,000 for community-wide assessment of hazardous substance sites and $200,000 for community-wide assessment of petroleum sites. The Commission's district includes Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John and Terrebonne parishes, and six communities in those parishes. Funds will also be used for community outreach activities, including an environmental justice workshop.

Shreveport-Bossier Community Renewal will receive $200,000 for asbestos removal at the Petroleum Tower in downtown Shreveport. Following the removal and renovation, the building will meet "Green Standards." The building will be a training center that will focus on educating others to rebuild their own neighborhoods, villages and cities.

The Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana in Shreveport will receive $197,718 for cleanup of the former Wilson Foods property and $164,500 for cleanup of the former Caddo Parish Health Unit property. Both sites will become part of the InterTech Science Park, which is dedicated to medical, scientific and biotechnology development.

The city of West Monroe will receive $500,000 for a revolving loan fund to support cleanup of petroleum sites. The target area for cleanups includes the Ouachita Parish Urban Renewal Community. The city will offer no-interest loans to eligible borrowers, perform community outreach and marketing, and support cleanup planning and oversight.

A Brownfield is a property which may have expansion, redevelopment or reuse challenges from hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. EPA's Brownfields program is designed to help stakeholders assess, safely clean and sustainably reuse these properties. Reinvesting in Brownfields increases local tax bases, facilitates job growth, uses existing infrastructure, takes development pressures off undeveloped land, and improves and protects the environment.

Applicants receiving 292 Brownfields grants in four categories totaling $69.9 million are being announced nationwide today. More information about EPA's Brownfields program and the grant recipients is available at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/.