HI
                          C3
  Brownfields  2004

  Grant  Fact Sheet

        Capitol Region

            Council of

 Governments, Central

          Connecticut


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders in economic development
to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield 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 pro-
grams through a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG)
was selected to receive a brownfields assessment
grant. CRCOG represents 34 contiguous cities and
towns (total population 788,678) that comprise the 760-
square-mile metropolitan Hartford region. Between
1990 and 2001, the region experienced a 26 percent
drop in employment in machining and aerospace, two
of its core industries. There also was a nearly 13
percent drop in employment in the insurance sector.
These drastic reductions have left numerous
underutilized commercial and industrial sites across the
                       J
  Assessment Grant
  $200,000 for petroleum

  EPA has selected the Capitol Region Council of
  Governments for a brownfields assessment grant.
  Grant funds will be used to create a regional
  inventory of sites, prioritize and select sites for
  evaluation, and conduct Phase I and Phase II site
  assessments at petroleum-contaminated sites in
  the capital region.
  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: Capitol Region Council of
  Governments, CT
  860-522-2217

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
region. At the same time, the region's minority popula-
tion has grown from nearly 21 percent to more than 27
percent. The metropolitan Hartford region also has
experienced a sprawling development pattern with
open space and agricultural lands consumed for new
development and infrastructure, thereby reducing
greenspace and endangering the environment. Assess-
ment and redevelopment of the region's brownfields
sites are expected to create jobs and increase tax
revenues, while reducing the pressure on open space
and preserving natural resources.
                                               Solid Waste and
                                               Emergency Response
                                               (5105T)
                       EPA560-F-04-118
                       June 2004
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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