Brownfield Sites Completed

Clean-ups under the Federal Brownfields Grants program have been increasing in Maine, but the number of projects in coming years could be affected by more limited Federal Grant monies.

Maine has one of the oldest and most successful Brownfields programs in the country. Brownfield grants to DEP and other Maine non-profits are used to investigate and clean-up sites that may be contaminated from historic use of chemicals or petroleum. By either undertaking or quantifying the cost of clean-up, the program removes the uncertainty of future liability for developers, in turn spurring investment. It is estimated that one Brownfields Grant dollar leverages $18 additional investment dollars1. Brownfield sites are usually serviced by water, sewer, transportation and energy infrastructure systems. By fostering redevelopment of these sites, we increase wealth by changing a blighted area into a commercial center, thus increasing the value of surrounding properties, the efficiency of local infrastructure and ultimately the local tax base.


1Testimony of Geoff Anderson, President and CEO, Smart Growth America to the US Senate Committee on Environment on Public Works Subcommittee on Superfund, Toxics and Environmental Health, July 24, 2013 (http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/documents/nbc-anderson-testimony_7-24-2013.pdf)

Contact: Nick Hodgkins (207) 287-2651

Brownfield Sites completed

More information

See also: