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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant Fact  Sheet

     Merrimack  Valley

             Planning

     Commission, MA


EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu-
nities, and other stakeholders 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 Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC)
was selected to receive two brownfields assessment
grants. The MVPC is a regional planning agency that
serves 15 cities and towns (total population 318,556)
in northeast Massachusetts. As the "Birthplace of the
American Industrial Revolution," the Merrimack
Valley is struggling with many of the same problems
facing other historic areas of New England. Key
among these problems is the environmental legacy of
the region's long industrial past. According to the
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protec-
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the Merrimack Valley Planning
 Commission for two brownfields assessment
 grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
 used to update, prioritize, and maintain the
 region's brownfields inventory of sites, perform
 Phase I and II environmental site assessments,
 and conduct community outreach programs
 throughout the Valley. Petroleum grant funds will
 be used to perform the same tasks for sites with
 potential petroleum contamination.
 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: Merrimack Valley Planning
 Commission, MA
 978-374-0519

 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
 yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
 in this fact sheet are subject to change.
tion, the Valley has more than 300 brownfields proper-
ties that have not been assessed or cleaned up. These
sites exacerbate the already weakened regional
economy that is burdened by high unemployment and
high poverty rates. In addition to environmental justice
concerns related to poverty and income, the Merrimack
Valley has a large Hispanic population, 17 percent, as
compared to the state's 6.8 percent. In the City of
Lawrence, the most populous community in the Valley,
more than 21 percent of families live below the poverty
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                        EPA560-F-06-011
                        May 2006
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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level, and nearly 60 percent of residents are Hispanic.
Assessment of the Valley's brownfields sites, and their
eventual cleanup and redevelopment, is expected to
spur much-needed business and housing growth and
help preserve the local environment.

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