^f^j|	United States	Office of Emergency and	July 2000
Environmental Protection	Remedial Response
Agency	(5201G)
Superfund	Redev
GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River
Pittsfield Economic
Development Authority, MA
EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Initiative (SRI) is a nationally coordinated effort to facilitate the return of Superfund
sites to productive use by selecting response actions consistent with anticipated use. The SRI Pilots are intended to
help local governments enhance their involvement in the Superfund decision-making process by assisting EPA in
predicting future land uses for Superfund sites. Under the Pilot Program, EPA will provide up to $100,000 in financial
assistance and/or services to local governments for specified activities. Applicants are offered several types of program
assistance, including funding through a cooperative agreement, access to facilitation services, and/or the availability of
personnel under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA).
BACKGROUND	PILOT SNAPSHOT
P lot
EPA selected the City of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, for
a Superfund Redevelopment Pilot. Pittsfield is home to
the General Electric (GE)-Pittsfield/Housatonic River
Superfund site. The GE plant in Pittsfield has
historically been the sole producer and major handler of
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in western
Massachusetts. It is the only known source of the PCB
wastes that were discovered in the Housatonic River
sediments and floodplain between Pittsfield and Lenox.
The site includes the GE facility where PCB wastes
were dumped and areas where soil was contaminated
by the migration of the wastes via the Housatonic River.
It also includes the river sediments and groundwater
contaminated by PCBs. The site is in the heart of the
city and has been vacant for a number of years. In
September 1997, EPA proposed adding the site to its
list of hazardous waste sites needing cleanup.
OBJECTIVES
Prior to the closure of its Pittsfield plant, GE was the
largest employer in the region. The Pittsfield Economic
Development Authority (PEDA) will use the Pilot funds
to develop a reuse plan for the site. Economic
redevelopment of the property represents the area's
best opportunity to attract businesses to the area,
resulting in jobs and an increase in the city's tax base.
As part of the reuse plan, PEDA will first investigate
the sites's condition, identify obstacles to and
opportunities for reuse, and evaluate the impacts of
reuse. PEDA will also meet with community groups to
ensure that the city's concepts are in line with the
community's vision for the site.
GE-Pittsfield7
Housatonic
River
Boston

Applicant Name: Pittsfield Economic
Development Authority
Site Name: GE-Pittsfield/Housatonic River
Date of Selection: July 2000
Anticipated Award: Cooperative Agreement
($100,000)
Profile: The city will reach community
consensus and develop a plan for reusing the
site and attracting businesses to the area.
Contacts:
Don Berger
U.S. EPA Region 1
(617) 918-1351
Superfund Hotline:
(800) 424-9346 or
(703) 412-9810 (DC Metro Area)
berger.don@epa.gov reuse.info@epa.gov
Visit the EPA Superfund Redevelopment Web site
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/programs/recycle/pilot.htm

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