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  Brownfields  2008

  Grant Fact  Sheet

      Southern  Maine

    Regional Planning

          Commission


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 this 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission
(SMRPC) was selected to receive two brownfields
assessment grants. The SMRPC  serves 39 communi-
ties (combined population 202,232) in an area extending
from the Atlantic Coast to the White Mountains in
southern Maine. Most southern Maine communities
developed around textile mills built during the 1800s.
Today, most mill sites in the region are abandoned.
Many communities have been severely affected by the
loss of more than 17,000 manufacturing jobs in the
state during the past decade. As a result, the area
 Assessment Grants
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 $200,000 for petroleum

 EPA has selected the Southern Maine Regional
 Planning Commission for two brownfields assess-
 ment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds
 will be used to conduct Phase I and Phase II
 environmental site assessments, update an inven-
 tory of brownfields, and perform community
 involvement activities. 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/regionl/brownfields

 Grant Recipient: Southern Maine Regional
 Planning Commission
 207-324-2952

 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.
contains many abandoned or underutilized former
mills, gasoline stations, and automotive repair facili-
ties. At least 26 neighborhoods in the region have
residents earning less than 80 percent of the national
per capita income. Brownfields assessments are
expected to help implement a major component of the
region's strategy for redevelopment and the reuse of
older buildings and sites.
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-08-030
                        April 2008
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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