Brownfields 2010 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, East Central Vermont 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. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. 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 Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. The Commission represents 30 towns (combined population 56,185) in east-central Vermont. The targeted Towns of Randolph and Hartford serve as regional employment centers and contain historic downtown areas. Randolph has a history of manufacturing from companies such as Vermont Castings woodstoves and Ethan Allen furniture. There are 14 sites in Randolph that are on the state"s hazardous sites list. Hartford contains the only active rail yard in the region, along with several warehouses, and has long served as a transportation hub and regional distribution center. It contains 31 potential brownfields listed by the state and dozens more that are not listed. From 1998 to 2008, the manufacturing sector declined by 29 percent in Hartford and 48 percent in Randolph. Assessment of brownfields will clarify environmental concerns and build upon past efforts to return brownfields to beneficial reuse. Assessment Grants $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission for two brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will be used to identify sites and conduct Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments in the Towns of Randolph and Hartford, which are the two largest towns represented by the Commission. 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: Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, VT (802)457-3188 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-10-038 Apr 10 ------- |