Brownfields 2009  Assessment Grant  Fact Sheet
              Northwest Regional Planning Commission, Northwest Vermont
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 Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC)
was selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant.
The NRPC serves 23 municipalities in Franklin and Grand
Isle Counties (combined population 55,535) in northwest
Vermont. Brownfield sites are scattered throughout the
region. Although the number of sites is unknown, most are
located in or near cities or villages or at important
intersections and gateways. The common denominator is
the link to the  development of transportation. The shift
from railroads to trucking led to the abandonment of
manufacturing sites. These sites include junkyards,
landfills, power generation plants, and vacant
manufacturing facilities. They pose threats to the 35
percent of regional residents who obtain drinking water
from private sources that are not regularly tested for
contaminants.  Per capita income in the  region lags behind
state and national levels. Brownfield assessments are
expected to resolve uncertainties regarding contamination,
and facilitate site cleanup and redevelopment.
                    Assessment Grant

                    $200,000 for hazardous substances

                    EPA has selected the Northwest Regional
                    Planning Commission for a brownfields
                    assessment grant. Community-wide hazardous
                    substances grant funds will be used to conduct
                    three to four Phase I and one or two Phase II
                    environmental site assessments in Franklin and
                    Grand Isle Counties. Grant funds also will be used
                    to 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: Northwest Regional Planning
                     Commission,VT
                     (802) 524-5958

                     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-09-125
      May 2009

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