Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Lamoille County Planning Commission, VT 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 Lamoille County Planning Commission (LCPC) was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. The LCPC serves 15 municipalities (combined population 23,233) in Lamoille County in north-central Vermont. The LCPC inventory to date has identified two dozen brownfield sites that are in addition to the state-identified 70-plus sites in the region. These sites are located in villages, downtown areas, and growth centers that developed along the Lamoille River. These areas also tend to be the most blighted and economically distressed areas in the region. Growth in the region is attributed to the county's proximity to the state's largest business district, Burlington; the state capital, Montpelier; and other employment centers. At the same time, manufacturing jobs continue to leave the area. The county's average wage and median household income are below the state averages. Brownfield assessments are expected to facilitate the development of cleanup strategies and efforts to maintain communities that provide living-wage jobs and affordable housing opportunities. Assessment Grants $200,000 for hazardous substances $200,000 for petroleum EPA has selected the Lamoille County Planning Commission for two brownfields assessment grants. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to conduct about seven Phase I and up to three Phase II environmental site assessments. Petroleum funds will be used to conduct about seven Phase I and five to six Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to conduct cleanup planning, and continue inventory, prioritization, and public 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: Lamoille County Planning Commission, VT (802) 888-4548 ext 110 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-09-079 May 09 ------- |