Biden Administration Announces $4.5 Million to Tackle Polluted Brownfield Sites in Minnesota
EPA announces Minnesota communities to receive Brownfields Cleanup, Assessment and Revolving Loan Fund Grants to help build a better America while advancing environmental justice
DULUTH (May 18, 2022) – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore joined Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Katrina Kessler and Duluth Mayor Emily Larson at Duluth City Hall to announce five Brownfield grants totaling $4.5 million to fund work in the city and other communities across Minnesota.
“EPA’s Brownfields Program breathes new life into communities by helping to turn contaminated and potentially dangerous sites into productive economic contributors. Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are significantly ramping up our investments in communities, with the bulk of our funding going to places that have been overburdened and underserved for far too long,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan.
EPA’s grants are supported by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides a total of $1.5 billion to advance environmental justice, spur economic revitalization, and create jobs by cleaning up contaminated, polluted or hazardous brownfield properties. Approximately $3 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be used help turn brownfield sites in Minnesota into hubs of economic growth and job creation, along with $1.5 million from Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations.
“EPA’s Brownfields grants are a great investment in Minnesota’s future,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore. “One of the best ways we can build back better in Minnesota is by revitalizing unused and contaminated properties and returning them to productive purposes in communities across the state.”
“This funding will help provide communities and tribes across our state with the resources they need to identify and clean up contaminated or hazardous sites,” said Senator Amy Klobuchar. “By restoring these areas, we can protect our environment and create new development opportunities for families and businesses – a true win-win.”
“Revitalizing existing polluted properties so they can be used for generations to come is critical,” said Senator Tina Smith. “Cleaning up brownfields is not only good for our planet, but creates jobs, restores economic vitality to local communities, and helps achieve environmental justice by redeveloping communities that have been disproportionately impacted by pollutants and other hazardous substances. This is exactly the type of project the federal government should be a partner in and I’m excited to see how this grant funding will shape the future of these communities.”
Brownfield projects can range from cleaning up buildings with asbestos or lead contamination, to assessing and cleaning up abandoned properties that once managed dangerous chemicals. Once cleaned up, former brownfield properties can be redeveloped into productive uses such as grocery stores, affordable housing, health centers, museums, parks, and solar farms.
The Brownfields Program advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40 percent of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Approximately 86 percent of the communities selected to receive funding as part of today’s announcement across the nation have proposed projects in historically underserved areas.
“These dollars are critical to our ongoing efforts to support cleanup activities in low-income communities across Minnesota,” said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler. “Contamination from legacy manufacturing facilities, gas stations, and dry cleaners are often hurdles to neighborhoods working to realize their vision for the future. This grant will facilitate site investigations and advance community-based redevelopment projects that will improve the quality of life for Minnesotans.”
The MPCA will receive a $2 million grant to conduct 64 environmental site assessments, and up to 15 cleanup plans. Grant funds also will be used to prepare a Community Involvement Plan and conduct community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant are the Lake Street Corridor and West Broadway Corridor in Minneapolis, University Avenue Corridor in Saint Paul, and the City of Cass Lake in northern Minnesota. Priority sites are located in old industrial and commercial corridors and include a former wood-treating plant, a vacant big-box retail store, a former gas station and repair shop, a former railroad roundhouse, and additional sites that are vacant or have dilapidated buildings with an unknown history.
“I’m pleased the EPA is awarding $2.5 million in federal Brownfields assessment and cleanup grants to the Minnesota Pollution Control Authority and the St. Paul Port Authority,” said U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum. “These funds will protect the health and safety of our neighbors, provide opportunities to build affordable housing, and stimulate economic opportunities. This is a step toward achieving environmental justice for our neighborhoods, especially those which have been historically overburdened by economic and environmental challenges.”
The City of Duluth will receive a $1 million EPA grant to clean and revitalize brownfields sites. Cleanup is currently underway at the former St. Louis County Jail site in Duluth, now known as New Burnham Apartments. Remediation associated with this project will result in 32 new units of residential housing, 12 of which will be affordable to tenants earning 60% or less of the Area Median Income. The revitalization of this building positively impacts the community by restoring a historic structure while adding much needed housing units to downtown Duluth.
“We are deeply grateful to the EPA for this brownfield grant,” said Mayor Emily Larson. “Duluth has a strong track record in using grant funding to address brownfield sites with an eye toward cleanup, and also reactivation. In this case, we are thrilled to help contribute to an investment in new housing for our community, especially at this unique and historic site.”
The City of Austin will receive a $500,000 EPA grant to conduct 30 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to update an inventory of brownfield sites and conduct community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant include older parts of the city that contain some of the oldest housing stock and high concentrations of poverty. Priority sites include a former dry cleaner, a former auto repair shop, several former gas stations, a former tire dealer, a former clay mine, a former tannery, and a site recently used as an industrial dump.
"We’ve been persistent in applying to the EPA for this environmental assessment grant because we know that there are often underlying environmental issues holding back effective redevelopment on various sites in Austin,” said Mayor Stephen King. “Doing an assessment of the environmental conditions can position us for other remediation funds and eventual redevelopment to a more economically productive use while mitigating lingering contaminants in our community. I am thankful for these needed resources and partnership with the EPA to bring about further progress in Austin."
Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians will receive a $500,000 EPA grant to conduct 19 environmental site assessments. Grant funds also will be used to develop an area-wide redevelopment plan and to conduct community engagement activities. The target areas for this grant are the villages of Little Rock, Red Lake, Ponemah, and Redby, which sit along the shores of Lower Red Lake. Priority sites within the Reservation include a vacant site used as a sand and gravel pit and unofficial dump, a vacant sawmill, a commercial fish processing area, an abandoned store, and a dump site adjacent to a transfer station.
“The Red Lake Nation appreciates receiving the brownfield grant funds from the EPA, said Red Lake Nation Chairman Darrell G. Seki, Sr. “We look forward to the day when the unauthorized/unsanctioned dump ground will be cleaned up, and a park and recreation area takes its place for the enjoyment of our Tribal members.”
The St. Paul Port Authority will receive a $500,000 grant to clean up the Hillcrest Redevelopment Project located at 2200 Larpenteur Avenue E in the city of St. Paul. The cleanup site is a vacant, 112-acre property that was formerly a golf course that was built in the early 1920s and is contaminated with metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Grant funds also will be used to monitor institutional controls and conduct community engagement activities.
“This grant will be instrumental in bringing The Heights back to productive use, transitioning from a mercury-polluted site to a thriving, ideally carbon free, community hub with 1,000 living wage jobs and 1,000 new housing units,” said Kathryn Sarnecki, senior vice president of real estate and development at St. Paul Port Authority. “This is especially important on St. Paul’s Greater Eastside, where low-income and minority communities have been disproportionately impacted by environmental burdens.”
During the past 10 years, EPA has invested a total of $11.9 million in Brownfields grants in Minnesota communities. Those funds have been used to complete 278 assessments and 35 cleanups and prepare 93 properties for reuse. In addition, those grants have leveraged $460,643,724 and 4,623 jobs.
The national list of the applicants selected for funding is available here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2022-brownfields-assessment-rlf-cleanup-arc-grants-and-rlf
Since its inception in 1995, EPA’s investments in brownfield sites have leveraged more than $35 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. This has led to significant benefits for communities across the country. For example:
- To date, this funding has led to more than 183,000 jobs in cleanup, construction, and redevelopment.
- Based on grant recipient reporting, recipients leveraged on average $20.43 for each EPA Brownfields dollar and 10.3 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements.
- In addition, an academic peer-reviewed study has found that residential properties near brownfield sites increased in value by 5% to 15% as a result of cleanup activities.
- Finally, analyzing data near 48 brownfields, EPA found an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional tax revenue for local governments in a single year after cleanup—2 to 7 times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of those brownfield sites.
Background
A brownfield is a property for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Redevelopment made possible through the program includes everything from grocery stores and affordable housing to health centers, museums, greenways, and solar farms.
The next National Brownfields Training Conference will be held on August 16-19 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Offered every two years, this conference is the largest gathering of stakeholders focused on cleaning up and reusing former commercial and industrial properties. EPA co-sponsors this event with the International City/County Management Association. Conference registration is open at www.brownfields2022.org.
For more on Brownfields grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-brownfields-grant-funding
For more on EPA’s Brownfields program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields