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  Brownfields  2006

  Grant  Fact Sheet

    Easthampton,  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 City of Easthampton was selected to receive a
brownfields cleanup grant. Located in south-central
Massachusetts, Easthampton (population 16,574) was
historically an industrial mill community with the
second highest population density in Hampshire
County. From 1995 through  1998, the city lost more
than 600 jobs due to the closings of three large manu-
facturers.  Thirty-five percent of the households in
Easthampton earn low-to-moderate incomes, and the
number of families living below the poverty level has
nearly doubled since 1990. Potential contamination of
former industrial properties has hampered redevelop-
ment of the city's mill district and other former
industrial properties. The city plans to clean up and
redevelop brownfields into affordable housing.
Brownfields redevelopment  will reduce environmental
  Cleanup  Grant
  $55,200 for petroleum
  EPA has selected the City of Easthampton for a
  brownfields cleanup grant. Petroleum grant funds
  will be used to clean up the former Hannifan
  Automotive Facility at 154-158 Everett Street,
  where soil and groundwater are contaminated
  with petroleum. Cleanup activities at the site will
  involve excavating and disposing of contami-
  nated soil, groundwater injection of a
  bioremediation agent, and removal of above-
  ground debris. Grant funds also will be used to
  conduct community outreach activities.
  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: City of Easthampton, MA
  413-529-1406

  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
threats, increase property values, and preserve outlying
greenspace.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                          EPA560-F-06-212
                          July 2006
                          www.epa.gov/brownfields

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