City Subscriptions

Duluth to get assistance from EPA for brownfields

The City of Duluth has been selected by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to receive assistance for assessment of brownfield sites. Duluth will receive $200,000 from the Petroleum Assessment grant program and another $100,000 worth of assessment services from the Targeted Brownfield Assessment program. The Petroleum Assessment grant will be used for petroleum contamination assessments along the St. Louis River/Lake Superior shoreline corridor and the second source will be used for the ongoing assessment of the Atlas Cement and Bayfront sites. This is the second Targeted Brownfield assessment award to the City within twelve months. 

“We appreciate the EPA’s support of redevelopment in Duluth. The grant helps us move in the right direction of preparing properties such as the Atlas Industrial Park for future tenants. Each step of the process is critical as we work to redevelop brownfield sites and neighborhoods,” said Mayor Don Ness. 

Earlier this year, the City received a $500,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development for infrastructure and utilities construction at the Atlas Industrial Park. Before this can take place, the City needs to conduct a soil assessment. The EPA grant is critical to ensuring the proper steps are taken to address environmental concerns before the infrastructure work begins. 

The EPA’s Small Business Liability and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, the source of this grant, helps states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfield sites. Brownfields are defined as real property which contains hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants. The 2002 Brownfields law also incorporated petroleum or petroleum products to the list of contaminants. Projects are selected based on their benefits to the environment and economy of local communities. 

The EPA’s Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) program is designed to help minimize the uncertainties of contamination often associated with brownfields – especially for those entities without EPA Brownfields Assessment grants. The TBA program is not a grant program, but a service provided through an EPA contract in which EPA directs a contractor to conduct environmental assessment activities to address the requestor’s needs.

For more information, please contact Heidi Timm-Bijold, City of Duluth Business Resources Manager, 730-5310 or Mick Hans, with the EPA at (312) 353-5050.