5 o T> Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet Rutland Regional Planning Commission, Rutland County, VT 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 Rutland Regional Planning Commission was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. Located in west-central Vermont along the New York border, the Rutland region is primarily rural and includes most of the communities within Rutland County. The economy of Rutland County (population 63,400) was based on mining, textile, and other industrial operations. The decline of these industries led to a loss of population in town centers and created Assessment Grants $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Rutland Regional Planning Commission for two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct community outreach activities and perform six Phase I and five Phase II envi- ronmental site assessments. Petroleum grant funds will be used to perform the same tasks at 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: Rutland Regional Planning Commission, VT 802-775-0871 The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negoti- ated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. potentially contaminated, abandoned, and underused facilities in prime locations. In addition, the county has lost 7,000 acres of farmland to development over the past five years, despite slow economic and popula- tion growth. Economic growth in the region has been hindered by the presence of blighted buildings in the county's town cores. Redevelopment of brownfields will help increase local tax bases, reinvigorate historic town centers, and reduce sprawl. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-07-147 May 2007 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |