5 o T> Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet New Bedford, MA 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 City of New Bedford was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. With a population of 93,768, New Bedford is the seventh largest city in Massachusetts and one of the most diverse. Roughly half of the population is Portuguese or of Portuguese descent, and a significant percentage of the city's residents are minorities. The city's average per capita income of $15,602 is well below both national and state averages. More than 17 percent of families live below the poverty level. New Bedford also has chronically high unemployment rates. Assessments conducted through these grants will help the city identify issues that could potentially impact public health and the environment, and allow the city to appropriately manage the risk. The city also will be in a better Assessment Grants $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the City of New Bedford for two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous sub- stances grant funds will be used to conduct a minimum of seven Phase I and Phase II environ- mental site assessments. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct a minimum of eight Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments. 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: City of New Bedford, MA 508-979-1487 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. position to identify sites for cleanup and redevelop- ment. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA560-F-08-015 April 2008 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |