Project Grant 00A01213

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $850,000 Project Grant to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (Maine DEP) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Section 128(a) State and Tribal Response Program Grants (CFDA 66.817). The purpose of this grant is to enhance Maine DEP's brownfields response program and support the state's efforts to (1) establish or enhance the four statutory elements of an effective state response program, (2) maintain and update a public record of sites where response actions have been completed or are planned, and (3) conduct a limited number of brownfield site assessments or cleanups. Key activities to be performed by Maine DEP include timely surveying and inventorying of brownfield sites, providing oversight and enforcement authorities to ensure response actions protect human health and the environment, enabling meaningful public involvement, and verifying completed responses. The grant award will allow Maine DEP to expand public education and outreach of the state's voluntary cleanup program, assess numerous brownfield sites, and oversee the cleanup of several properties across the state.