'<=   Brownfields 2010 Assessment  Grant Fact Sheet
          j?   Southwest Region Planning Commission, Southwest New
  %,*X^    Hampshire
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 Southwest Region Planning Commission (SWRPC)
was selected to receive two brownfields assessment
grants. The SWRPC's region consists of 35 municipalities
in southwest New Hampshire (combined population
102,515). Small manufacturing had been a staple of the
region"s economy since the Industrial Revolution, but
there has been a significant loss of furniture, metalwork,
and textile manufacturing. This loss has left behind many
vacant or underused industrial properties that are a
community blight, reduce property values,  and inhibit
private investment. Several towns in the region have
unemployment rates that are higher than the state average,
and the region has lower average household incomes and
higher poverty rates than the state.  Brownfield
assessments are expected to advance the SWRPC's plans
to move additional brownfields toward  redevelopment.
                    Assessment Grants $200,000 for
                    hazardous substances $135,000 for
                    petroleum
                    EPA has selected the Southwest Region Planning
                    Commission for two brownfields assessment
                    grants. Community-wide hazardous substances
                    grant funds will be used to inventory sites, and
                    conduct six Phase I and four Phase II
                    environmental site assessments. Community-wide
                    petroleum grant funds will be used to inventory
                    sites, and conduct five Phase I and three Phase II
                    environmental site assessments. Grant funds also
                    will be used to conduct health monitoring studies
                    and support 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/regionl/bro wnfields)

                    Grant Recipient: Southwest Region Planning
                    Commission,NH
                    603-357-0557

                    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-10-028
      April 2010

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