Massachusetts Resources

MA Brownfield Programs 

MassDEP Brownfields Program Main Page 

State Funding Program: MA does not currently have a state brownfield funding program. 

Liability Relief Program: The Brownfields Act established statutory liability relief in MGL Chapter 21E for certain parties undertaking Brownfields projects.  

The brownfield program in MA is currently managed regionally. The regional offices by community can be found here, and the respective brownfield contacts are listed in the table below.

Partners in Network

State contact information & Roundtable resource

The Massachusetts Brownfields Program works closely with other state agencies federal and local government partners, non-profits, and the private sector to assist in the assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of these properties. MassDEP provides funding opportunities and technical assistance, maintains a brownfields inventory, and conducts outreach and community engagement.

Organization Name Contact Roundtable resource
MassDEP Abby Anderson abigail.e.anderson@mass.gov
MassDEP Ash Desmond Ash.Desmond@mass.gov
MassDEP David Foss David.Foss@Mass.Gov

Regional offices help with regulatory issues, permit applications and local environmental concerns. They also provide access to environmental files for the public to review by appointment.

Organization Name Contact Roundtable resource
Northeast Regional Office, Wilmington Joanne Fagan joanne.fagan@state.ma.us ME Northeast Roundtable.pdf
Southeast Regional Office, Lakeville Angela Gallagher angela.gallagher@state.ma.us
Central Regional Office, Worcester Amy Sullivan, Mark Baldi mark.baldi@state.ma.us
amy.sullivan@state.ma.us		 ME Northeast Roundtable.pdf
Western Regional Office, Springfield Saadi Motamedi saadi.motamedi@state.ma.us

Regional contact information & Roundtable resource

Council of Governments (COG) serves as a regional coordinator and facilitator, helping multiple local governments work together on assessment, cleanup, and redevelopment of brownfield sites. COGs often manage or support EPA brownfields grants, provide technical assistance, share data and best practices, and align brownfield projects with regional planning, transportation, housing, and economic development goals.

Organization Name Contact Roundtable resource
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Melissa Provencher mprovencher@berkshireplanning.org
Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (Mpo) Tegin Teich tteich@ctps.org
Cape Cod Commission Kristy Senatori ksenatori@capecodcommission.org
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission Janet Pierce jpierce@cmrpc.org
Franklin Regional Council Of Governments Jessica Atwood jatwood@frcog.org
Martha's Vineyard Commission Adam Turner turner@mvcommission.org
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission Cecelia Gerstenbacher CGerstenbacher@mvpc.org
Metropolitan Area Planning Council Martin Pillsbury mpillsbury@mapc.org
Montachusett Regional Planning Commission Glenn Eaton geaton@mrpc.org
Nantucket Planning And Economic Development Commission Mary Longacre
Northern Middlesex Council Of Governments Daniela Garcia-Moreno dgarciamoreno@nmcog.org
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Erica Johnson ejohnson@pvpc.org
Old Colony Planning Council Nick Giaquinto ngiaquinto@ocpcrpa.org
Southeastern Regional Planning And Economic Development District Jeffrey Walker jwalker@srpedd.org

Brownfields Inventory

MassDEP maintains a statewide brownfields inventory that includes an Excel list and GIS map. As noted on the page, these lists/maps are not comprehensive, as Brownfield sites are NOT required to "self-identify" or register with the Department.  

 

Regulatory Framework

Information on the site remediation process and the regulatory framework (the Massachusetts Contingency Plan) can be found on the webpage. 

 

Planning Documents

Massachusetts Law (Part I, title VII, Chapter 41, Section 81D) requires every city or town to establish a planning board and develop a Master Plan that includes land use, housing, economic development, natural resources, transportation, open space and other services.  

There is no central repository for the master plans but they are typically available on the websites of each town/city and/or the 13 regional planning agencies in the state.

 

State and Town Data

The Massachusetts State Data Center official local source of demographic, economic and social statistics produced by the U.S. Census Bureau.

MA Population Health Statistics compiles and curates data sets from across DPH programs and bureaus, as well as from external data contributors to study population health trends and inform policy development.

MassGIS is the state’s one-stop-shop for interactive maps and associated descriptive information.

 

Public Health Data

MA Population Health Statistics compiles and curates data sets from across DPH programs and bureaus, as well as from external data contributors to study population health trends and inform policy development.

The MA Environmental Public Health Tracking website also includes maps and tables for selected categories. Community profiles include asthma rates and Pb blood levels by town, while the Health Data section includes a list of all data and the scale at which they are available.

Specific categories of interest to brownfield grants:

The CDC National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network includes a map in the Data Explorer Tool by census tract for two cancer indicators: crude prevalence of cancer among adults and number of breast cancer cases for a 10-year period. These are NOT actual cancer rates; they are modeled on the basis of survey responses and the PLACES project (Population Level Analysis and Community Estimates).

The United States Data Statistics website includes data visualizations with actual cancer rates, which are available at the county and congressional district level.

The Cancer page on the MAEPHT provides access to both Direct and Standardized Incidence Rates for different types, by community and by census tract. Cancer incidence data provided on this website are obtained from the Massachusetts Cancer Registry (MCR) within the MDPH Office of Data Management and Outcomes Assessment.

Hospitalization data available by community and pediatric prevalence also available by school through the Asthma page on the MAEPHT.

The only dataset available nationally for birth defects is through the CDC National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network and it provides data at the county level for 11 different types of birth defects.

The Childhood Lead Poisoning page on the MAEPHT provides access to Pb blood levels by community.