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Brownfields 2009 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
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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 Massachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection was selected to receive a brownfields
assessment coalition grant. The Department of
Environmental Protection (state population 6,349,097)
has formed a coalition with the City of Springfield and
the Town of Grafton. Grant funds will target
Springfield's South End and South Grafton. The South
End contains 50 reported sites and 34 underground
storage tanks. Industrial facilities and abandoned
brownfields are intermingled with residences, and pose
risks to human health and the environment, including
the Connecticut River. South Grafton, one of the
nation's oldest industrial communities, has 12 known
sites, 3 of which are in 19th century mill complexes.
Both target areas have significant sensitive populations.
Fifty-seven percent of South End residents are
minorities. The poverty rate in South Grafton is 10
percent higher than the town rate. Assessment of
brownfields is expected to facilitate site cleanup and
help leverage funds for redevelopment.
Assessment Grant
$800,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection for a brownfields
assessment coalition grant. Community-wide
hazardous substances and petroleum grant funds will
be used to conduct one to two comprehensive
assessments each in the City of Springfield and the
Town of Grafton, and an additional four to six
comprehensive assessments in other high-need
communities throughout the state. Grant funds also
will be used to develop a brownfields inventory,
conduct cleanup planning, 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/region 1 /brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection
(617) 292-5697
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.
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