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  Brownfields  2008

  Grant Fact Sheet

  Androscoggin  Valley

            Council of

        Governments,

       Western  Maine

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 Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments
(AVCOG) was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located in western Maine, the
AVCOG serves the 188,015 residents of Franklin,
Androscoggin, and Oxford Counties. The region has a
long history of industrial activities, including the manu-
facturing of shoes, textiles, and pulp, paper, and wood
products. As industry declined over the past several
decades, manufacturing mills and factories became
 Assessment Grant
 $200,000 for hazardous substances
 EPA has selected the Androscoggin Valley Council
 of Governments for a brownfields assessment
 grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
 used to expand the existing brownfields inventory
 and conduct six Phase I and three Phase II envi-
 ronmental site assessments throughout Franklin,
 Androscoggin, and Oxford Counties. Grant funds
 also will be used to support community 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/regionl/brownfields
 Grant Recipient: Androscoggin Valley Council of
 Governments, ME
 207-783-9186
 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.
vacant and unused, resulting in 50 potential brownfields
in the region. Between 1980 and 2000, the region lost
10,760 manufacturing jobs. Today, many communities
in the tri-county area struggle with high unemployment
rates and low-to-moderate incomes. Brownfield sites in
the area pose ongoing health and safety concerns,
discourage investment, and dampen community
revitalization efforts. Brownfields assessment will help
identify site impacts and is expected to serve as a
catalyst for site reuse.
                                               Solid Waste and
                                               Emergency Response
                                               (5105T)
                       EPA 560-F-08-022
                       April 2008
                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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