United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105)
EPA 500-F-01-289
April 2001
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
&EPA EPA Brownfields
Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, VT
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
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, and safely clean up
brownfields to promote their sustainable reuse. Brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and
commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental
contamination. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years,
with additional funding provided for greenspace) to test assessment models and facilitate coordinated assessment
and cleanup efforts at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels; and job training pilot programs (each funded up to
$200,000 over two years) to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to facilitate cleanup
of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan
fund program (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) to provide financial assistance for the environmental
cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs 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 Two Rivers-Ottauquechee
RegionalCommissionforaBrownfields Assessment
Pilot. Situated in the center of Vermont's eastern
side, the Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Region consists
of 27 small towns whose population totals 36,054.
Poverty rates in several of the towns are considerably
higher than the state average. In recent years, the
region's employment base has shifted toward lower
paying service sector jobs as a result of a decline in
agriculturalproductionandmanufacturing.
Despite its large size, the region has limited space for
commercial and industrial redevelopment due to
infrastructure constraints. The presence of numerous
brownfield properties within the region has had a
negative impact on the region's tourism industry,
which is a large part of the region's economy. The
redevelopment of the 84 identified brownfields
presents an opportunity to help reverse the region's
downward trends by revitalizing communities and
creating needed economic opportunities.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Date of Announcement:
April 2001
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot targets upto eight
brownfield sites that will be selected
and prioritized with help from
communitymembers.
Two Rivers-Ottauquechee
Regional Commission, VT
Contacts:
Two Rivers-Ottauquechee
Regional Commission
(802)457-3188
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 1
(617)918-1424
Visit the E PA Region 1 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region01/remed/brnfld/
Forfurtherinformation,includingspecific 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 Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional
Commission plans to return the region's brownfields
toactivecommercialandindustrialuse.ThePilotwill
develop acomprehensive brownfield site identification
and prioritization process driven by the potential for
public benefit. The Pilot plans several outreach
activities and will involve community members in its
discussions and decision-making activities early in
the project. Up to eight sites having the highest
economic reuse potential will be selected for Phase
I environmental site assessments. Two targeted sites
will proceed to Phase II environmental site
assessments, and the one with the highest reuse
potential will undergo a Phase in environmental site
assessment. The Pilot plans to develop cost-effective
solutions, financing strategies, and implementation
measures that create the necessary conditions for
reuse.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Developing an inventory and prioritizing potential
brownfield sites;
• Involving the community in brownfields
redevelopment planning; and
• Conducting Phase I, n, and in environmental site
assessments.
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 Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, VT
April 2001 EPA500-F-01-289
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