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  Brownfields  2007

  Grant Fact Sheet

        North  Country

         Council, Inc.,

        Northern New

           Hampshire


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

North Country Council, Inc. was selected to receive
two brownfields assessment grants. New Hampshire's
North Country (approximate population 85,000)
encompasses more than 3,000 square miles in the
northern third of the state. It was a center for textile,
shoe, and wood products industries through the 1950s.
Since then, plant closures have been responsible for the
loss of the majority of manufacturing jobs in the area.
While the state's population increases, the North
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected North Country Council, Inc. for
 two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous
 substances grant funds will be used to inventory
 and rank sites and perform from eight to ten
 Phase I and Phase II environmental site assess-
 ments. Funds also will be used for community
 outreach. 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: North Country Council, Inc., NH
 603-444-6303, ext. 22

 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.
Country continues to lose residents. The median
household income in the area is far below the state
median. As the communities in North Country transi-
tion from industrial centers to commercial and tourism
centers, the need to redevelop brownfields has become
increasingly important. Most of the old industrial
structures are located in or near central business
districts. They pose a significant threat to the public
health in towns that rely on wells for drinking water.
Assessment of these sites will provide opportunities for
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                        EPA560-F-07-126
                        May 2007
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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economic development in the area. Redevelopment of
North Country downtown areas will provide local
employment opportunities and lessen development
pressures on rural landscapes.

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