Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission

Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission, doing business as Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional, is a U.S. local government entity and inter-municipal planning commission that acts as a federal grant recipient, delivering regional planning, environmental assessment, infrastructure capacity building, and solid waste management technical assistance to rural communities across New Hampshire and Vermont.

The Commission operates entirely as a prime grant recipient (86% of recent awards) and sub-recipient on grant programs; it holds no federal contracts and does not compete for contract vehicles. Its corporate structure as a U.S. local government entity makes it ineligible for SBA set-asides. The Commission is headquartered in Lebanon, New Hampshire and serves a defined geographic cohort spanning Grafton, Sullivan, and Merrimack Counties in New Hampshire and adjacent areas in Vermont.

The Commission's federal grant portfolio centers on three primary capability areas. Environmental remediation and brownfields assessment work includes a $500,000 Cooperative Agreement from EPA Region 1 (CFDA 66.818, Brownfields Multipurpose, Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup Cooperative Agreements program) awarded July 1, 2023, running through September 30, 2027, to conduct up to 8 Phase I and 5 Phase II environmental site assessments, hold community meetings, and develop cleanup plans for brownfield sites across three counties in New Hampshire. Solid waste management and rural infrastructure support includes three Solid Waste Management Grants (CFDA 10.762) from USDA's Rural Utilities Service, most recently awarded August 8, 2025 through August 8, 2027, providing technical assistance on landfill evaluation and closure planning. Transportation and community revitalization capacity building is anchored by a $1,188,443 Cooperative Agreement from the Department of Transportation (CFDA 20.942, Thriving Communities Program Capacity Builders Cooperative Agreements) awarded June 17, 2024 through June 16, 2027, delivering technical assistance and planning support to disadvantaged communities in the Upper Valley region to access Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for transformative infrastructure projects. A fourth active grant, a Project Grant from EPA Region 1 awarded October 1, 2023, funded the Commission's School Chemical Safety Project, which developed webinar training and on-site chemical inventory support for schools in western-central New Hampshire and Vermont, with sub-recipients Hazardous Materials Consulting, Inc. and Anne Macevan, CPA.

The Commission's customer concentration is narrow and stable. FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) and USDA Rural Utilities Service account for 21 of 29 awards (72% of award count); EPA and its regional offices supply 6 awards. Combined obligated funding across all awards is $9.9 million. Sub-award activity (14% of recent awards) includes transportation planning UPWP (Unified Planning Work Program) sub-awards from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and a green infrastructure project sub-award from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Activity is light and declining — three awards in both 2023 and 2024, two in 2025, and one in 2026 — with only one award facing ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, indicating minimal recompete pressure near-term.