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Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet
Emeryville, CA
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 this 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.
ASSESSMENT GRANTS
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Emeryville for two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct up to five Phase I and two to three Phase II environmental site assessments. The city plans to focus on sites along the Emeryville Greenway in the Park Avenue District, and potential open space and housing sites.
COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION
The City of Emeryville was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. Emeryville (population 9,500) is a 1.2-square-mile city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay. It has a diverse and rapidly increasing population. The median household income in the city is significantly lower than the county median, and the poverty and unemployment rates are significantly higher than the county rates. Over the past nine years, the city has had considerable success in cleaning up and fully or partially redeveloping about 155 acres of brownfields. About 85 acres of brownfields still remain scattered around the Park Avenue District. These brownfields continue to release contaminants into the groundwater and air, and interfere with the city's efforts to improve the quality of life in Emeryville. The stigma attached to the sites impedes redevelopment. Assessment of the area's brownfields is expected to help remove that stigma and provide opportunities for redevelopment.
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.
EPA Region 9 Brownfields Team
415-972-3091
EPA Region 9 Brownfields web site
Grant Recipient: City of Emeryville, CA
510-596-4356
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.