Brownfields 2004 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
              Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, MA
EPA Brownfields Program

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield 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 the Brownfields
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 Montachusett Regional Planning Commission
(MRPC) was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment grant. MRPC serves the 19 towns and three
cities comprising the Montachusett Region, which is
west of Boston and has 230,000 residents. The
nationwide decline in manufacturing employment,
coupled with the closure of the Fort Devens Army
Base, has adversely affected the Montachusett Region.
Approximately 6.6 percent of residents live in poverty,
and the region's unemployment rate is 6.9 percent.
Redevelopment of brownfields is expected to lead to
new commercial and industrial enterprises, greenspace,
residential development, and municipal uses.
                  Assessment Grant

                  $200,000 for hazardous substances

                  EPA has selected the Montachusett Regional
                  Planning Commission to receive a brownfields
                  assessment grant. Hazardous substances grant funds
                  will be used to conduct at least ten Phase I and at
                  least two Phase II assessments at selected sites in the
                  22 municipalities of the Montachusett Region. Grant
                  funds will also be used for 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
                  (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).

                  EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
                  (617)918-1424
                  EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
                  (http: //www. epa.gov/region 1 /brownfields)
                  Grant Recipient: Montachusett Regional
                  Planning Commission, MA

                  Montachusett Regional Planning Commission
                  (978)345-7376

                  Montachusett Regional Planning Commission
                  (978) 345-7376 ext 2245

                  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 negotiated.
                  Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
                  subject to change.
  United States
  Environmental
  Protection Agency
  Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-04-080
        Jun 04

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