\   Brownfields 2010 Revolving Loan Fund Grant
              Fact  Sheet
              Maine  Department of Economic and Community Development
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 Maine Department of Economic and Community
Development was selected to receive a brownfields
revolving loan fund grant. The target areas for this
grant are rural mill  towns throughout the state.  Maine
(population 1,317,207) has a rich industrial heritage,
and cities, towns, and villages across the state were
once home to a large number of mills. However, the
decline in the manufacturing sector has caused many of
these mills to close. In several small communities, these
mills were the single largest employer, and their
closings have had severe economic consequences.
Many of these towns have unemployment rates
significantly higher than the state and national
averages, and significantly lower per capita and
household incomes. Brownfield cleanups conducted
through the RLF grant are expected to play a critical
role in revitalizing these rural  mill towns by  attracting
redevelopment that can create jobs and increase tax
revenues.
                  Revolving Loan Fund Grant

                  $800,000 for hazardous substances
                  $200,000 for petroleum
                  EPA has selected the Maine Department of
                  Economic and Community Development for a
                  brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The grant
                  will be used to capitalize a revolving loan fund from
                  which the Maine Department of Economic and
                  Community Development will provide loans and
                  subgrants to support cleanup activities for sites
                  contaminated with hazardous substances and
                  petroleum. Grant funds also will be used to market
                  the fund. The Department plans to provide six or
                  seven loans, and four or five subgrants.

                  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: Maine Department of Economic
                  and Community Development
                  (207)624-9813

                  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)
EPA560-F-10-176
        Apr 10

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