A) Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management 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. 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 this law, 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 Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) was selected to receive a brownfields assessment coalition grant. RIDEM's coalition partners are the municipalities of Central Falls, Pawtucket, and Cumberland (combined population 123,726). RIDEM anticipates focusing 60 percent of the grant on these three municipalities, and the remaining 40 percent on properties throughout the state (population 1,048,319). The coalition municipalities were part of the American Industrial Revolution beginning in the late 1700s. The first U.S. textile mill was built in Pawtucket in 1790. The coalition is connected by the Broad Street corridor along the historic Blackstone River. Over one-third of residents in these neighborhoods live below the poverty level. There are about 90 potential brownfield sites in the area, including automotive shops, gas stations, and former heavy manufacturing facilities. Abandoned and underused former industrial properties also can be seen along almost any road in the state. Brownfield assessments are expected to facilitate the state's long-term goals of brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. Assessment Grant $1,000,000 for hazardous substances (Recovery Act Funding) EPA has selected the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management for a brownfields assessment coalition grant. Community-wide hazardous substances grant funds will be used to inventory sites and conduct a minimum of 25 Phase I and 10 Phase II environmental site assessments. 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: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (401) 222-4700 ext 7126 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-09-150 May 2009 ------- |