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Brownfields 2008
Grant Fact Sheet
Kennebec Valley
Council of
Governments, ME
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 Kennebec Valley Council of Governments
(KVCOG) was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. Located in central Maine, the
KVCOG serves 176,620 residents in 62 municipalities
in Kennebec and Somerset Counties and six towns in
western Waldo County. The region has a long manu-
facturing history, including paper and textile mills, shoe
manufacturers, and fish packing operations. Many of
the region's industrial operations were located along
river valleys where water power was available. As
manufacturing declined, land and buildings were
Assessment Grant
$200,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Kennebec Valley Council of
Governments for a brownfields assessment grant.
Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to
conduct up to six Phase I and up to three Phase II
environmental site assessments in Kennebec,
Somerset, and western Waldo 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: Kennebec Valley Council of
Governments, ME
207-453-4258, ext. 21
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.
abandoned or became underused. Since 2001, the
region has lost about 3,000 jobs, primarily in the
manufacturing sector. Regional poverty rates range
from 12.2 to 15.6 percent. Today, there are 49
potential brownfields in the KVCOG area. The
potential for contamination at these sites and the costs
associated with assessment and cleanup are signifi-
cant. Brownfields assessment is expected to help
communities throughout the KVCOG area leverage
other public funds and encourage private investment
in these sites.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-08-024
April 2008
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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