\ Ul O Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, ME 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, 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. Addi- tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments (KVCOG) was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. The KVCOG serves 176,620 people in 68 municipalities in Kennebec, Somerset, and western Waldo Counties. The disused mills and manufacturing operations that characterize the region's many unremediated brownfields sites are a legacy of the region's economic history. The state has identified 49 potential brownfields in the region, which is suffer- ing from job losses, underemployment, and rising poverty. Since January 2001, central Maine has lost 2,700 comparatively high-paying manufacturing jobs. Assessment Grant (20051 $200,000 for hazardous substances EPA has selected the Kennebec Valley Council of Governments for a brownfields assessment grant. Grant funds will be used to review the state's list of brownfields sites in the region, educate munici- palities and residents about the Council's brownfields initiative, solicit information on additional brownfields for the inventory, develop site selection criteria, conduct Phase I site assessments on up to six sites, select up to three sites for Phase II assessments, and identify possible reuse options for selected sites. 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: Kennebec Valley Council of Governments, ME 207-453-4258, ext. 22 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. The unemployment rate in Somerset County alone has reached 8.9 percent, and overall unemployment in the region is higher than the state average. Poverty rates in the region range from 11.1 to 17 percent. The brownfields scattered along the river valleys, particu- larly those in and near the urban areas, are obstructing the economic revitalization of this depressed region. The KVCOG's plan to initiate brownfields identifica- tion and assessment will rekindle hope in the ability of the region to clean up contaminated brownfields, and restore new economic opportunities. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-05-023 May 2005 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |