EPA Announces $8 Million in Brownfields Grants to Cleanup Communities across Vermont

May 16, 2025

BOSTON (May 16, 2025) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of $8 million in Brownfields Grants to communities across Vermont. These grants—which include Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Grants—put the agency's commitment to protect human health and the environment into action while remaining good stewards of tax dollars and advancing policies to energize the economy.  

Brownfields Assessment and Revolving Loan Fund Grants in Vermont include:

• $3.4 million for four selectees for Assessment Grants, which will provide funding for brownfield inventories, planning, environmental assessments, and community outreach.
• $2 million for two selectees for Revolving Loan Fund Grants that will provide funding for recipients to offer loans and subgrants to carry out cleanup activities at Brownfields sites.

Brownfields Supplemental Revolving Loan Fund Grants in Vermont include: 

• $2.65 million for two high-performing recipients to help communities continue their work to carry out cleanup and redevelopment projects on contaminated Brownfields sites. Supplemental funding for Revolving Loan Fund Grants is available to recipients that have depleted their funds and have viable cleanup projects ready for work.  

"Today's Brownfields announcement reflects EPA's commitment to clean air, land, and water for every American. From rural towns to urban centers, we are helping communities across New England clean up contaminated sites and unlock new opportunities for economic growth and revitalization," said EPA Regional Administrator Mark Sanborn. "Through partnerships with states, local governments, and the private sector, we're returning blighted properties to productive use—and showing that a clean environment and economic development can go hand in hand."

"As the Environmental Program Manager at the Bennington County Regional Commission, I consider our Brownfield Redevelopment Program to be the most important and impactful component of my job. My experiences have clearly demonstrated how Brownfield Redevelopment addresses every aspect of regional planning including the remediation of environmental contamination, reuse and redevelopment of blighted properties, job creation in all economic sectors and, especially, much needed housing in our downtown and village centers," said Jim Henderson, Environmental Program Manager, Bennington County Regional Commission. "Bennington, a focal point of Vermont's water powered industrial revolution, has been transformed through our Brownfield Redevelopment Program. I am very proud of the projects that we have completed, and I am very excited to be able to continue this exciting and meaningful work."

"Since 2006 the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission has been fortunate to obtain multiple grants from the Environmental Protection Agency to enable us to support our municipalities, non-profits and the private sector conducting environmental assessments or developing corrective action plans at more than 55 sites," said Charlie Barker, Executive Director of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission. "This award of a Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund grant means we can also now provide critical funds for the final cleanup of numerous sites, particularly those for mixed residential/commercial buildings. We thank the federal government and the EPA for supporting needed environmental remediation and economic development in Chittenden County."

The selected applicants in Vermont are:

• Bennington County Regional Planning Commission has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct approximately ten Phase 1 and seven Phase 2 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to prepare site cleanup plans and conduct community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant include census tracts within the Towns of Bennington and Pownal. Priority sites include a 5.6-acre former paper mill, a 2.9-acre vacant former wire manufacturing facility, and a 300,000-square-foot former battery plant.
• Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission has been selected to receive $1,200,000 to lead a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. Grant funds will be used to inventory sites and conduct approximately 22 Phase 1 and 14 Phase 2 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop site cleanup and reuse plans and support community engagement activities. Assessment activities will focus on the Town of Berlin and the Cities of Barre and Montpelier. Priority sites include a 134-acre former country club, three former automotive sites, a 30-acre former timber farm, and a former sawmill. Non-lead coalition members include Barre City, Central Vermont Economic Development Corporation, and Downstreet Housing and Community Development.
• Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission has been selected to receive $1,000,000 for a Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the commission will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities. Grant funds also will be used to develop cleanup plans and support community engagement activities. RLF activities will focus on Barre City. Priority sites include a former car dealership and auto repair center, the former town garage, a former machining and fabrication shop, the Nelson Hardware Building, and a former timber farm.
• Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission has been selected to receive $1,000,000 for a Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from which the commission will provide loans and subgrants to support cleanup activities. Grant funds also will be used to oversee site cleanups and support community engagement activities. RLF activities will focus on the Cities of Burlington and Winooski. Priority sites include a vacant Greyhound bus building, a vacant former railyard, a vacant former gas station lot, and a vacant parcel with a history of industrial use.
• Mount Ascutney Regional Commission has been selected to receive $500,000 for a Brownfields Assessment Grant. Community-wide grant funds will be used to conduct approximately six Phase 1 and four Phase 2 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop site cleanup plans and Community Involvement Plans, host public meetings, and conduct other community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant include census tracts within the Towns of Springfield and Ludlow. Priority sites include an 18,000-square-foot former textile manufacturing facility, a 12,000-square-foot school building vacant since 2013, and a 0.6-acre former textile machinery manufacturer.
• Mount Ascutney Regional Commission has been selected to receive $650,000 in supplemental funding for their Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund program, in addition to the $7,564,235 in EPA funds already awarded. The commission's RLF program has successfully made loans or subgrants leading to 21 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Projects projected for use of the new funding include the Fellows Gear Shaper and Jones and Lamson in Springfield.
• Northeastern Vermont Development Association has been selected to receive $1,200,000 to lead a Brownfields Assessment Coalition Grant. Grant funds will be used to conduct approximately 15 Phase 1 and 10 Phase 2 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to inventory and prioritize sites, develop site cleanup plans and an area-wide plan, and support community engagement activities. Assessment activities will focus on small towns and rural areas throughout northeast Vermont. Priority sites include an 8-acre former Catholic school, a 0.25-acre former department store, a 61-acre former timber farm and agricultural land, a 7-acre salvage yard along the Moose River, a 50-acre former Air Force base, and multiple properties damaged by a recent flood. Coalition members include RuralEdge Housing & Community Development, the Northern Forest Center, and the Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital.
• Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development has been selected to receive $2,000,000 in supplemental funding for their Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund program, in addition to the $10,067,850 in EPA funds already awarded. The agency's RLF program has successfully made loans or subgrants leading to 44 cleanup projects that are either completed or in progress. Projects projected for use of the new funding include Monument Place in Bennington and a property at 453 Pine Road in Burlington.

View the full list of selected applicants here. Federal grant recipients must satisfy legal and administrative requirements to receive funds from EPA.

Background

EPA's Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in Brownfields Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. In New England alone, these investments have revitalized hundreds of sites, created jobs, and improved the quality of life in communities.

Nationally, EPA's Brownfields investments have leveraged to date more than $42 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Over the years, the relatively small investment of federal funding was able to leverage, from both public and private sources, more than 220,500 jobs.  

For more on the Brownfields Grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding

For more on EPA's Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields

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