News Releases from Region 05

EPA Brownfields Funding Announced for Mankato and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 31, 2017

CHICAGO – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency selected 172 communities and organizations across the country, including the Minnesota community of Mankato and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Area), to receive funding for brownfields site revitalization to help local governments redevelop vacant and unused properties, transforming communities and local economies.

“EPA is committed to working with communities to redevelop Brownfields sites which have plagued their neighborhoods. EPA’s Assessment and Cleanup grants target communities that are economically disadvantaged and include places where environmental cleanup and new jobs are most needed," said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "These grants leverage considerable infrastructure and other investments, improving local economies and creating an environment where jobs can grow. I am very pleased the President’s budget recognizes the importance of these grants by providing continued funding for this important program.”

The following communities and organizations in Minnesota were selected to receive funding:

• The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency was selected to receive a $300,000 grant to investigate environmental conditions at properties with redevelopment potential in underserved neighborhoods in the Twin Cities region.  Previous brownfields grants awarded to MPCA resulted in the cleanup of seven formerly contaminated properties.
• The city of Mankato was selected to receive a $300,000 grant to focus its redevelopment efforts in the Sibley Park, Tourtellotte Park, Washington Park, Lincoln Park, and Germania Park neighborhoods.

Studies have shown that residential property values near brownfields sites that are cleaned up increased between 5 and 15 percent and can increase property values in a 1.24-mile radius of that site. A study analyzing data near 48 brownfields sites shows an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional tax revenue was generated for local governments in a single year after cleanup. This is two to seven times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to those brownfields.

As of May 2017, more than 124,759 jobs and $24 billion of public and private funding have been leveraged as a result of assessment grants and other EPA brownfields grants. On average, $16.11 was leveraged for each EPA brownfields dollar and 8.5 jobs leveraged per $100,000 of EPA brownfields funds expended on assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements.

List of the FY 2017 Applicants Selected for Funding: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-list-fy17-grants-selected-funding

About EPA’s brownfields program: https://epa.gov/brownfields.

Successful brownfields stories: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-success-stories.