Brownfields 2009 Assessment and
Revolving Loan Fund Grant Fact
Sheet
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, MA
RECOUERY.GOV
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. On February 17, 2009,
President Barack Obama signed into law the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act is an
unprecedented effort to jumpstart our economy, and create
or save millions of jobs. This law provided stimulus funds
to the Brownfields Program to award grants to evaluate
and clean up former industrial and commercial sites.
Under both laws in Fiscal Year 2009, EPA will provide
financial assistance to eligible applicants through four
competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving
loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission was
selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants and
a brownfields revolving loan fund grant. The Commission
is a regional planning agency that serves 15 cities and
towns (combined population 318,556) in northeast
Massachusetts. There are more than 300 contaminated
properties in the region, from large chemical processing
facilities to small machine shops and gas stations. More
than 250 of these properties are in the urban core
communities of Haverhill, Lawrence, and Methuen.
These cities experienced the decline of the textile mill
complexes that were the mainstay of the local and
regional economies. Lawrence, a federally designated
Renewal Community, has an unemployment rate that is
twice the national average. More than 60 percent of city
residents are minorities, and 21 percent of families live
below the poverty level. Similar conditions exist in other
areas of the region. Brownfield assessments will help the
Commission maintain momentum on redevelopment
projects throughout the region. Cleanups conducted
through the revolving loan fund grant will reduce
Assessment Grants
$200,000 for hazardous substances
(Recovery Act Funding)
$200,000 for petroleum (Recovery Act
Funding)
EPA has selected the Merrimack Valley Planning
Commission for two brownfields assessment
grants. Community-wide hazardous substances
and petroleum grant funds will be used to evaluate
and prioritize sites and conduct 12 Phase I and 7
Phase II environmental site assessments. Grant
funds also will be used to support community
involvement activities. The primary target areas
will be the three densely developed urban centers
of Haverhill, Lawrence, and Methuen.
Revolving Loan Fund Grant
$1,000,000 for hazardous substances
EPA has selected the Merrimack Valley Planning
Commission for a brownfields revolving loan fund
grant. The grant will be used to capitalize a
revolving loan fund from which the Merrimack
Valley Planning Commission will provide loans
and subgrants to support cleanup activities for
sites contaminated with hazardous substances.
Grant funds also will be used to operate and
market the program and support community
involvement activities. The primary target areas
will be the three densely developed urban centers
of Haverhill, Lawrence, and Methuen.
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) .
TnPA
1 Rrr\ixmfifi1rlc
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA560-F-09-101
May 2009
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potential risks to human health and the environment, and
help leverage public and private funds for sustainable
redevelopment.
(617)918-1424
EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/regionl/bro wnfields)
Grant Recipient: Merrimack Valley Planning
Commission,MA
(978)374-0519
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-09-101
May 2009
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