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Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet
Minneapolis, MN
EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.
ASSESSMENT GRANTS
$200,000 for hazardous substances
$200,000 for petroleum
EPA has selected the City of Minneapolis for two brownfields assessment grants. Hazardous substances grant funds will be used to perform from five to six Phase I and two to five Phase II environmental site assessments in three project areas: Bassett Creek Valley/Heritage Park, North Washington Industrial Park, and Franklin Street LRT Station. Grant funds also will be used to support community outreach activities. Petroleum grant funds will be used to conduct the same tasks at sites with potential petroleum contamination.
COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION
The City of Minneapolis was selected to receive two brownfields assessment grants. Located in southeastern Minnesota, Minneapolis (population 382,618) is focusing its brownfields efforts on three project areas that are within federally designated Empowerment Zones: Bassett Creek Valley/Heritage Park, North Washington Industrial Park, and Franklin Street LRT Station. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul region's overall strong economy is not evenly distributed throughout the city. Neighborhoods in the three project areas are among the poorest in the Twin Cities region, with poverty rates from 34 to 38 percent and unemployment rates from 13 to 16.6 percent. In contrast, Hennepin County as a whole has a poverty rate of 3.9 percent and an unemployment rate of 2.3 percent. In the project neighborhoods, 66 percent of residents are minorities. Former industries in these neighborhoods include metal platers, scrap metal recyclers, and used oil and solvent recyclers. Brownfields assessments are expected to promote brownfields reuse that is consistent with the Master Plans for these communities.
CONTACTS
For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site.
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
312-886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site
Grant Recipient: City of Minneapolis, MN
612-673-5181
The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.