&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA500-F-98-137
May 1998
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
State of New Hampshire
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. Since 1995, EPA has funded more than 150 Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of
brownfields solutions. The Pilots are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful
information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment,
environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the State of New Hampshire for a
Brownfields Pilot. New Hampshire was one of the
first manufacturing centers in the nation, and many
of its small towns developed around textile and
manufacturing mills. A number of these mill and
manufacturing sites were abandoned or underutilized
as textile and manufacturing jobs left the state. A
total of 467 non-National Priorities List (NPL) sites
have been inventoried by the state and found to be
contaminated with hazardous substances.
New Hampshire is composed primarily of small
towns and cities, and only one—Manchester—has a
population over 100,000. Abandoned or underused
industrial and commercial properties can have a
significant impact on tax revenues and jobs in small
municipalities, since their property tax bases are
comparatively small. In small towns, the resolution
of contamination issues surrounding an abandoned
site that formerly housed even a small industrial
facility can have a dramatic impact on the local
community. Cleanup and redevelopment of these
properties usually is hindered because of the uncertain
environmental conditions and unclear liabilities
associated with the contamination. The state has
identified nine brownfields in different towns as
potential targets for Pilot assistance.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
State of New Hampshire
Date of Announcement:
May 1998
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot intends
to fund site assessment
and cleanup planning
efforts for New
Hampshire's smaller
towns in preparation for
entry into the state's
brownfields or voluntary
cleanup programs.
Contacts:
New Hampshire
Department of
Environmental Services
(603)271-2900
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 1
(617)573-9681
Visit the EPA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/brnfld/
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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OBJECTIVES
The state' s obj ective is to create a brownfields cleanup
and redevelopment partnership among federal, state,
and local governments. The state will send EPA Pilot
funds to small municipalities that are actively
attempting to address environmental problems and
other issues found at idle properties. The Pilot
assessments will be targeted toward: small
municipalities where brownfields have a significant
adverse impact on the local economy; known
contaminated sites; and municipalities that are most
active in trying to address their brownfields problems.
The state' s brownfields program will provide liability
protection for prospective purchasers upon approval
of a cleanup plan, and will extend this protection to
future owners upon completion of cleanup. Funding
site assessment and cleanup planning efforts will
prepare sites for entry into the state's brownfields or
voluntary cleanup programs.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Selecting sites that are either 1) owned by a
municipality (e.g., taken for back taxes), or 2) being
considered for purchase or municipal acquisition
by tax deed or eminent domain;
• Providing targeted assistance to municipalities with
the greatest need and potential impact to increase
propertytaxes, createjobs, and concurrently resolve
environmental problems;
• Conducting site assessments and preparing cleanup
plans to aid in site redevelopment;
• Continuing to work with town redevelopment efforts
and maintain the working relationships with all of
the towns containing potential sites; and
• Establishing baseline data to track progress at each
site. The baseline will consist of the assessed value
of the property, the back taxes owed, and the status
of the site with respect to environmental indicators.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been
negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet
are subject to change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot State of New Hampshire
May 1998 EPA500-F-98-137
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