5 o Brownfields 2007 Grant Fact Sheet Rensselaer, NY 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 Rensselaer was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. Located along the Hudson River across from Albany, Rensselaer (popula- tion 7,761) enjoyed a period of steady economic growth from the late 1800s through the 1960s. This growth was primarily due to the expansion of manu- facturing operations at the city's textile mills and pharmaceutical and chemical plants. All of the textile mills were closed by the early 1980s. The city's pharmaceutical and chemical industries also had declined significantly by 1999. Almost 13 percent of residents now live below the poverty level. About one- third of the city's parcels are vacant. Many of these are located along the Hudson River. Assessment of the city's brownfields will leverage redevelopment re- Assessment Grants $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the City of Rensselaer for two assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct four or five Phase I and three Phase II environmental site assess- ments, and support community outreach through- out the city. 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 2 Brownfields Team 212-637-4314 http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/ brownfields/ Grant Recipient: City of Rensselaer, NY 518-465-1693 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. sources needed to revitalize the city's waterfront area as a place to live, work, and play. Planned pathways and trails will facilitate public access to the waterfront from the city's train station. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-07-137 May 2007 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |