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Brownfields 2006
Grant Fact Sheet
Southern Maine
Regional Planning
Commission,
Springvale, ME
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 Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission
was selected to receive two brownfields assessment
grants. The Commission serves 39 communities in
York, Cumberland, and Oxford Counties (population
186,000). Southern Maine has a rich industrial
heritage, particularly in the textile industry dating back
to the late 1800s. Most of the communities in the
region were developed to serve industrial mills, the
majority of which are now abandoned, moth-balled, or
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Southern Maine Regional
Planning Commission for two brownfields
assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant
funds will be used to update the existing
brownfields inventory and reassess priorities.
Funds also will be used to conduct Phase I and II
site assessments at four to six sites within the
region's 39 communities, and to conduct a
community involvement program, including
public meetings. Petroleum 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: Southern Maine Regional Plan-
ning Commission, ME
207-324-2952
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
in some cases condemned. The Commission has
identified at least 300 potential brownfields, including
100 contaminated with petroleum. The region has
significant problems with the loss of manufacturing
jobs, and includes distressed communities with poverty
rates as high as 19.5 percent, and unemployment rates as
high as seven percent. Brownfields assessment will
focus on the downtown and adjacent areas, with the goal
of renovating mill structures for mixed uses.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA560-F-06-018
May 2006
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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Brownfields redevelopment will combat suburban
sprawl, offer redevelopment opportunities for investors
that will preserve the natural and historic character of
the region, create new jobs, and revitalize local
economies.
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