Brownfields 2006 Grant Fact Sheet

Easthampton, MA

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 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.

CLEANUP GRANT

$55,200 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Easthampton for a brownfields cleanup grant. Petroleum grant funds will be used to clean up the former Hannifan Automotive Facility at 154-158 Everett Street, where soil and groundwater are contaminated with petroleum. Cleanup activities at the site will involve excavating and disposing of contaminated soil, groundwater injection of a bioremediation agent, and removal of above-ground debris. Grant funds also will be used to conduct community outreach activities.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The City of Easthampton was selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Located in south-central Massachusetts, Easthampton (population 16,574) was historically an industrial mill community with the second highest population density in Hampshire County. From 1995 through 1998, the city lost more than 600 jobs due to the closings of three large manufacturers. Thirty-five percent of the households in Easthampton earn low-to-moderate incomes, and the number of families living below the poverty level has nearly doubled since 1990. Potential contamination of former industrial properties has hampered redevelopment of the city's mill district and other former industrial properties. The city plans to clean up and redevelop brownfields into affordable housing. Brownfields redevelopment will reduce environmental threats, increase property values, and preserve outlying greenspace.

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
617-918-1424
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/

Grant Recipient: City of Easthampton, MA
413-529-1406

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