Washington, DC, May 30, 2006 - U.S. Representative John Carter (TX-31) has announced that the city of Rosebud has been awarded a grant for $200,000 as part of the Brownfields Program from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The program provides funding to state, local and tribal governments for the cleanup of Brownfields sites. This grant will allow the city of Rosebud to clean hazardous substances, pollutants, and contaminants at the former Halbert Hospital, an abandoned property contaminated with asbestos and lead. The city plans to build affordable housing on the site.

“These federal funds will allow the city to turn a rundown and unhealthy property into viable, affordable housing for the people of Rosebud,” Congressman Carter said. “The Brownfields Program is crucial in revitalizing many sites that would otherwise be a burden of unusable space to local communities.”

A Brownfield is a property which may have expansion, redevelopment, or reuse challenges due to hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminates. 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.