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Picuris Pueblo to Receive Grant from EPA

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

(Dallas, Texas - May 12, 2006) Picuris Pueblo has been selected to receive a $140,137 Brownfields cleanup grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 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."

Picuris Pueblo will use the grant to clean mine-scarred lands at the U.S. Hill Mica Mine site, about 10 miles south of Ranchos de Taos. The site contains several hazards, including a waste rock dump, an overburden dump, two 20'-60' open pits, and processed mica fine waste. The site contributes to siltation and erosion from uncontrolled stormwater runoff. The grant will be used to restore the site, protecting water, land and habitat.

Picuris Peublo is a federally-recognized Indian tribe located in southern Taos County. For many years, Picuris Pueblo members visited the site to gather micaceuos clay to make traditional pottery.

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/.