United States
                  Environmental
                  Protection Agency
                  Washington, D.C.  20460
 Solid Waste
 and Emergency
 Response (5101)
      EPA 500-F-98-170
      July 1998
 v>EPA   Brownfields  Assessment
                  Demonstration   Pilot
                      State  of Massachusetts  Department
                                   of Environmental Protection
  Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
                 Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower States, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 200 Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilots,  at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of
brownfields solutions.  The Pilots are intended to provide EPA, States,Tribes, municipalities, and communities with
useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site
assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND

EPA has selected the  State  of Massachusetts
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for
a Brownfields Pilot. As part of its waste site cleanup
program, DEP uses State funds to address immediate
risks at sites where no resources are available to
conduct an assessment and cleanup. DEP then places
priority liens on the properties to secure  future
reimbursement. Of the estimated 7,000 contaminated
sites throughout the  State, there are currently 78
priority liens; more than half of these lien properties
are in economically distressed areas. While proven
to be a very effective tool for cost recovery at many
sites, the only way to clear the lien at an abandoned
property  is through a public sale of the property.
Since DEP typically does not conduct a complete site
assessment and cleanup at these sites, prospective
purchasers  are discouraged  from participating in
public sales due to the unknown costs of cleanup.
DEP plans to use the Pilot to create and test a process
for addressing this barrier to assessment, cleanup,
and redevelopment of brownfields in Massachusetts.
The Pilot will focus on the former Microfab, Inc. site
in Amesbury (population 15,800).  Amesbury is a
typical New England mill town located in northeastern
Massachusetts. The per capita income of Amesbury
residents is  among the lowest 10% in the  State
PILOT SNAPSHOT
  State of Massachusetts
     Departmentof
 Environmental Protection
Date of Announcement:
July 1998

Amount: $200,000

Profile: The Pilot targets
the abandoned Microfab,
Inc. site in Amesbury,
Massachusetts for
assessment, cleanup, and
redevelopment.
Contacts:

State of Massachusetts
Department of
Environmental
Protection
(781)932-7710
  Regional Brownfields Team
  U.S. EPA-Region 1
  (617)573-9681
      Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
     http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/brnfld/

    For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
  additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
   publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
         http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

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because of low-wage jobs in the City. Microfab is an
abandoned high-tech facility in a prime location near
major transportation corridors. A higher priority lien
and unknown levels of contamination have prevented
private developers  from completing assessment,
cleanup, and redevelopment of the site.

OBJECTIVES

Massachusetts DEP wants to  work  with
communities and other State agencies to develop
a process that will enable private parties to assume
responsibility for cleanup and redevelopment of
sites with liens. The Pilot will enable the State to
create  a model that can be applied in 51  other
communities. Pilot funds will be used to conduct
a Phase II site assessment, risk characterization,
technology evaluation, and cleanup cost estimate
for the Microfab site in Amesbury.  The City of
Amesbury will facilitate  public participation in
redevelopment decision making  and  provide
redevelopment incentives.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilotinclude:

• Completing a comprehensive Phase II site
  assessment and risk characterization of the
  Microfab property;

• Evaluating cleanup technologies for potential
  use at the site, including assessment of
  innovative technologies to reduce cleanup
  costs; and

• Estimating cleanup costs  for the site.

The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet
are subject to change.
 Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot             State of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
 July 1998                                                                     EPA500-F-98-170

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