United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-118
May 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
\>EPA Brownfields Assessment
Demonstration Pilot
Red Lake Band of Chippewa, MN
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the Red Lake Band of Chippewa
for a Brownfields Pilot. The tribe is part of the Red
Lake Nation, which is located in northwest Minnesota,
with the main reservation situated in Beltrami County.
Of the reservation's nearly 10,000 members, 48
percent of all families are below the poverty line, the
median income is $ 11,977, and unemployment stands
at 61 percent. The Red Lake Nation traditionally
depended on forestry and fishing to sustain its economy.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs operated a successful
sawmill and green mill in the village of Redby for
nearly lOOyears. However, with these twoindustries
in decline and years of mill operation resulting in
environmental harm, the Red Lake Nation faces
environmental and economic challenges.
OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Pilot is
to promote environmentally sensitive economic
development through the reclamation of brownfields
areas within the Red Lake Reservation. The Pilot
specifically targets the Redby Industrial Park, which
houses a sawmill, a seedling greenhouse, a custom
home plant, and the new Red Lake water bottling
company. The Pilot will enable the tribe to address
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Red Lake Band
of Chippewa, MN
Date of Announcement:
May 2000
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot focuses
on assessing environmental
contamination at the tribe-
owned Redby Industrial Park
and creating a site reuse
plan to redevelop it as an
Eco-lndustrial Park.
Contacts:
Red Lake Band of Chippewa
(218)679-3341
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 5
(312)353-3161
Visit the EPA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
For further information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brown fields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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environmental contamination at the Redby Industrial
Park and develop a comprehensive plan for site
redevelopment as an Eco-Industrial Park. The long-
range plan is to incorporate greenspace, alternative
energy sources, and energy-efficient building practices
at the Eco Park. In turn, this redevelopment will
promote economic development and foster
environmental stewardship throughoutthe reservation.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Identifying site histories, including oral histories and
tribal documents;
• Performing site assessments, including water and
soil samples, and independent laboratory analysis;
• Developing a site cleanup plan using a task force of
partners from Red Lake and Redby Villages and
outside technical assistance; and
• Developing site reuse plans through the task
force model.
The cooperative agreementforthis Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subjectto change.
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot Red Lake Band of Chippewa, MN
May2000 EPA 500-F-OO-118
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