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EPA, DOE to Study Potential for Renewable Energy Possibilities on West Haymarket Brownfield Site in Lincoln, Neb.

Release Date: 11/04/2011
Contact Information: Ben Washburn, (913) 551-7364, washburn.ben@epa.gov

Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Kansas City, Kan., Nov. 4, 2011) - EPA and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory are collaborating on a project to evaluate the feasibility of siting renewable energy production on the West Haymarket Brownfield Site, in Lincoln, Neb.

The study, valued up to $35,000, will evaluate the technical and economic opportunities and challenges at the site, and explore the potential for wind power generation at the site.

The Union Pacific Railroad fueled trains and conducted other maintenance activities at the 32-acre West Haymarket site beginning in the late 1800s. In May 2010, voters approved a bond measure to revitalize the site with a focus on sustainability.

The West Haymarket Renewable Energy Project seeks to transform the current brownfield site into a site to generate renewable wind energy. Wind energy could be used to power the large-scale redevelopment’s planned 16,000-seat arena, outdoor festival area, and other civic, commercial, and retail projects. The renewable energy project would help make the proposed $340 million redevelopment project more sustainable, reduce ongoing power costs, and reduce the project’s carbon footprint.

“Renewable energy is a vital part of America’s energy future. By using wind, solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources, we reduce our dependence on fossil fuels while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions from other sources of energy production,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks.

EPA’s RE-powering America’s Land Initiative encourages renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated land and mine sites when it is aligned with the community’s vision for the site. The collaboration pairs EPA’s expertise on contaminated sites with DOE’s expertise in renewable energy.

As part of the RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative, EPA is investing approximately $1 million for projects across the United States aiming to decrease the amount of green space used for development while continuing to ensure the protection of people's health, the environment and provide economic benefits to local communities, including job creation. EPA Region 7, which is comprised of Iowa, Kansas Missouri, Nebraska, and nine tribal nations, is one of only three regions to have four sites selected, with one in each state of the region.