Brownfields 2004 Grant Fact Sheet

Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, VT

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development 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, the President signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields 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 GRANT

$167,000 for hazardous substances
$43,000 for petroleum

EPA has selected the Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission for a brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to perform at least two Phase I, one Phase II, and one Phase III site assessments, and up to two remedial action plans. Petroleum grant funds will be used to perform two Phase I and Phase II site assessments and one remedial action plan for petroleum-contaminated sites.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The region is made up of 10 towns with a combined population of 25,105. In the 19th and 20th centuries, these towns relied on the rivers running through them to power the mills and factories that were the region's economic life force. Manufacturing layoffs and closures, particularly in the precision tool industry, have resulted in a dramatic decline in the local economy, job opportunities, and wages, and an increase in unemployment. The plant closings have left large, abandoned and underutilized structures in downtown areas, many in the midst of worker housing complexes. Revitalization of these sites is expected to bring businesses and jobs back to the downtown areas and help reclaim the region's valuable waterway resources.

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 at: www.epa.gov/brownfields.

EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
617-918-1221
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

Grant Recipient: Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, VT
802-674-9201

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.