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 Brownfields 2007

  Grant  Fact  Sheet

    Southwest Region

            Planning

         Commission,

      Southwest 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

The Southwest Region Planning Commission was
selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants.
The Southwest Region (population 103,941) is a
network of villages and low-density rural housing
surrounding several regional commercial and employ-
ment centers. Small manufacturing has been a staple
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the Southwest Region Planning
 Commission for two brownfields assessment
 grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
 used to identify and characterize sites and con-
 duct up to five Phase I and four Phase II environ-
 mental site assessments. Funds also will be used
 to conduct community outreach and education
 activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to
 perform the same tasks for 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: Southwest Region Planning
 Commission, NH
 603-357-0557

 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.
of the region's economy since the Industrial Revolu-
tion. Between 1950 and 1980, the region lost much of
its furniture, metalwork, and textile industries. Although
modest redevelopment has occurred, there are still
many vacant and underused properties, especially in
former industrial town centers. The town centers have
the greatest potential for contamination and are the
                                              Solid Waste and
                                              Emergency Response
                                              (5105T)
                       EPA560-F-07-162
                       May 2007
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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region's more densely populated areas. These centers
tend to have low-to-moderate income neighborhoods.
with a disproportionate number of sensitive populations.
Assessment will facilitate redevelopment of historic
village centers and downtowns. Redevelopment of the
brownfields will help protect municipal and private
water supplies, many of which rely solely on ground-
water. It also will increase local employment, enhance
the local tax base, and preserve the rural farm and
forest landscape.

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