The primary objectives of EPA's cercla section 128(a) state and tribal response program grants are to provide financial support to states, US territories, and tribal nations to (1) establish or…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 1 awarded $812,000 to the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation under the State and Tribal Response Program Grants (CFDA 66.817) effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. This noncompetitive grant funds Vermont's brownfield response program, which targets real properties whose redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by hazardous substances. The award enhances the state's capacity to establish and strengthen four statutory program elements: timely survey and inventory of brownfield sites, oversight and enforcement authorities protecting human health and the environment, resources for meaningful public involvement, and mechanisms for cleanup plan approval and verification of completed responses.

Under this award, Vermont DEC will conduct comprehensive brownfield site planning, assessment, and cleanup activities throughout the state. Key deliverables include surveying and inventorying brownfield properties, maintaining and updating annually a public record of completed and planned response actions, performing Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments, executing limited cleanup activities, and expanding public education and outreach. No sub-awards are included in this assistance agreement. The grant advances the EPA Brownfields Program's goal of empowering states and communities to assess, remediate, and sustainably reuse brownfield sites while protecting environmental and public health resources.

The primary objectives of EPA's cercla section 128(a) state and tribal response program grants are to provide financial support to states, US territories, and tribal nations to (1) establish or enhance the four statutory elements of an effective state or tribal response program, as specified in cercla section 128(a)(2), (2) maintain and update, at least annually, a public record of sites, pursuant to cercla 128(b), that includes the name and location of sites at which response actions have been completed during the previous year and the name and location of sites at which response actions are planned to be addressed in the next year, and (3) conduct a limited number of brownfield site assessments or cleanups that will help establish or enhance the state or tribal nation's response program. The purpose of this award is to enhance the capacity of vermont department of environmental conservation brownfields response program to meet the section 128(a) elements. Vermont department of environmental conservation will oversee and perform planning, assessment, and cleanup of brownfields sites throughout the state of vermont. Activities:vermont department of environmental conservation will perform the following activities: timely survey and inventory of brownfield sites, which are properties whose expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence of hazardous substances. IT also includes oversight and enforcement authorities to ensure that response actions protect human health and the environment; resources to provide meaningful public involvement; mechanisms for approval of cleanup plans, and verification of complete responses. The objective of this project is to assist in remediating and reusing brownfields sites throughout the state of vermont. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:vermont department of environmental conservation will expand public education and outreach of the vermont department of environmental conservation voluntary cleanup program to all communities in the place of performance, and oversee the assessments and cleanups of sites through the state targeted brownfield assessment program, this funding is used to handle funding personnel costs.