I JBt \ Brownfields 2005 Assessment Grant Fact Sheet

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, MA

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
January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into
law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields 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 Berkshire Regional Planning Commission was
selected to receive a brownfields assessment grant. Over
half of the region's high-paying manufacturing jobs were
lost when Berkshire County's two major manufacturers
closed or restructured over a decade ago. Since then, more
smaller manufacturing companies have closed, further
increasing job losses and dotting the landscape with well
over 1,000 brownfields. With rising unemployment that is
already above the state average and a declining
population, Berkshire County (population 130,953) ranks
third in the state for the highest poverty level. Many of the
underused and abandoned manufacturing and commercial
properties exist adjacent to residential areas in the
county's urban cores. Assessment and reuse of
brownfields will breathe new life into the economy and
preserve greenfields. The Berkshire Regional Planning
Commission plans to assess brownfields for cleanup and
redevelopment in the urban cores where 95 percent of the
region's jobs once existed, thereby reducing blight and
contamination, and promoting investment and new
employment.

Assessment Grant

$200,000 for hazardous substances

EPA has selected the Berkshire Regional Planning
Commission for a brownfields assessment grant.
Grant funds will be used to inventory, map, rank,
and prioritize brownfields; perform Phase I and
Phase II site assessments; and reach out to the
community during each step of the process.

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: Berkshire Regional Planning

Commission,MA

(413)442-1521

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	c

Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 560-F-05-010

Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2005

Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )


-------