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A $300,000 federal grant may
help pump economic life into some formerly polluted lands in the Twin Cities
area. On May 31, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected the
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to receive $300,000 in funding for
brownfields site revitalization. The funds will be used to help assess, cleanup
and redevelop vacant and unused properties in underserved neighborhoods in the
Twin Cities region.
"We're grateful to the EPA for this grant award, and
appreciate EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s commitment to continue funding this
important program,” says John Linc Stine, MPCA Commissioner. “Their selection
of the MPCA shows that they recognize our excellent program and our great
partners at Minnesota Brownfields. Best of all, we're going to leverage and
target this money to improve and reclaim land for reuse and economic benefit in
areas of the Twin Cities that need it most. This is a win for environmental
justice communities that often carry a greater burden from legacy
pollution."
“The
MPCA has developed significant partnerships with environmental justice groups,
city and public agencies, and nonprofits that will ensure successful execution
of this grant. Minnesota Brownfields is proud to support the MPCA in this
effort,” says Martha Faust, Minnesota Brownfields Executive Director.
Of this funding, $200,000 will be used to assess and develop
cleanup plans for properties contaminated with hazardous substances. The
remaining $100,000 will be used to do the same at properties contaminated with
petroleum.
In the past 10 years, MPCA cleanup programs have helped to
put more than 25,000 acres of contaminated property back to productive use. Sustainability
principles such as waste minimization, ecosystem preservation, natural resource
conservation, local environmental quality restoration, and energy efficiency
are often used when cleaning up and redeveloping brownfield sites.
Learn more about the benefits of MPCA Brownfields cleanup
programs on the Brownfields
Redevelopment webpage.
About Minnesota Brownfields: founded in 2006, Minnesota
Brownfields is a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the
efficient cleanup and reuse of land throughout Minnesota — www.mnbrownfields.org.
Broadcast version
On May 31, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency announced it has awarded the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency a $300,000 grant to help the agency assess and develop
cleanup plans for contaminated properties. The funds will be targeted to assess
vacant and unused properties in underserved neighborhoods in the Twin Cities
region.
The funding will be used
to assess sites contaminated with hazardous substances as well as some
contaminated with petroleum products. In the past 10 years, the MPCA has helped
put more than 25,000 acres of contaminated property back to productive use.
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The mission of the MPCA is to protect and improve the environment and enhance human health.
St. Paul • Brainerd • Detroit Lakes • Duluth • Mankato • Marshall • Rochester • Willmar
www.pca.state.mn.us • Toll-free and TDD 800-657-3864
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