Brownfields 2005
Grant Fact Sheet
Rutland Regional
Planning Commission,
VT
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 Rutland Regional Planning Commission (RRPC)
was selected to receive a brownfields assessment
grant. The RRPC is a land use and transportation
organization providing planning and organizational
support to the 27 towns within the region. The region
(population 63,400), which is primarily comprised of
rural towns and sub-regional centers surrounding
Rutland City, contains 277 identified petroleum sites.
The city, the economic and social hub of the county,
developed around industrial and manufacturing opera-
tions. The sub-regional hubs developed around mining,
foundry operations, clothing factories, and textile mills.
Assessment Grant (
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Rutland Regional Planning
Commission for a brownfields assessment grant.
Grant funds will be used to conduct public out-
reach and involvement activities, develop an
inventory of petroleum-contaminated brownfields
sites, and perform Phase I, II, and III site assess-
ments at sites scattered throughout the region,
with a focus on ten communities with the highest
concentration of underground storage tanks.
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: Rutland Regional Planning
Commission, VT
802-775-0871
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Many of the more rural areas are agricultural. With the
decline in industrial activity, once thriving properties
were abandoned or downsized, and the population in
industrial villages declined, in some cases by as much
as 30 percent. At the same time, the populations of the
rural towns are increasing. The region has lost 7,000
acres of farmland to development over the past five
years. Assessment and redevelopment of brownfields
is expected to contribute to the vibrancy of villages,
creating new jobs and housing, generating tax revenues
for the towns, and restoring a sense of identity and
pride in the area.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-05-030
May 2005
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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