5
              o
                           T>

  Brownfields  2007

  Grant  Fact Sheet

          Taunton,  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 Taunton was  selected to receive a
brownfields assessment grant and a brownfields
revolving loan fund grant. Located in southeastern
Massachusetts, Taunton (population 55,976) is an old
seaport community that historically sustained manufac-
turing businesses. With the downsizing and relocation
of the manufacturing industries, Taunton was left with
hundreds of acres of brownfields and many vacant,
underused, and potentially contaminated properties.
The loss of its commercial and industrial bases and
general economic decline in  the three target neighbor-
hoods present significant challenges for the city. The
median household incomes in these neighborhoods
range from 61 to 74 percent of the state median. The
poverty rate in the downtown area is 16.5 percent.
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances

EPA has selected the City of Taunton for a
brownfields assessment grant. Hazardous sub-
stances grant funds will be used to inventory and
prioritize sites, perform up to ten Phase I and up
to five Phase II environmental site assessments,
and conduct community outreach activities.
Revolving Loan Fund
Grant
$1,000,000 for hazardous substances

EPA has selected the City of Taunton for a
brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant
will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund
from which the City of Taunton will provide loans
and subgrants to support cleanup activities for
sites contaminated with hazardous substances.
Grant funds also will be used to conduct commu-
nity 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 Taunton, MA
508-821-1030

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.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                        EPA560-F-07-174
                        May 2007
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

-------
Assessment of the city's brownfields will facilitate
cleanup of these sites, which will reduce potential
health and safety risks and visual blight. Brownfields
cleanup and redevelopment is expected to spur private
investment, create new jobs for the greater Taunton
area, and increase greenspace along adjacent rivers.

-------