United States
                       Environmental
                       Protection Agency
                       Washington, D.C. 20460
 Solid Waste
 and Emergency
 Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-97-077
May 1997

                       Regional   Brownfields
                       Assessment  Pilot
                                               State of Minnesota
  Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
                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. Between 1995 and 1996, EPA funded 76 National and Regional Brownfields
Assessment Pilots, at up to $200,000 each, to support creative two-year explorations and demonstrations of brownfields
solutions. EPAis funding morethan 27 Pilots in 1997. The Pilots 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 Region 5 selected the State of Minnesota for a
Regional Brownfields Pilot. The Minnesota Pollu-
tion Control Agency (MPCA) has an effort in place
to expand the State's Voluntary Investigation and
Cleanup Program. In 1994, MPCA invited the own-
ers of 54 sites listed in EPA's Comprehensive Envi-
ronmental Response,  Compensation and Liability
Information System (CERCLIS) database to partici-
pate in the project, to which 32 responded favorably.

Approximately half of the 32 sites are located in the
greater metropolitan area surrounding Minneapolis
and St. Paul; the remainder are located in more rural
areas of the State.  The sites were used predominately
as coal gasification facilities and municipal landfills,
but also comprise wood-treating, electroplating, and
manufacturing operations. Future uses of the sites
will vary; former landfills  located  in the greater
metropolitan area may become composting facilities,
while some coal gasification sites may continue  in
their previous uses.  Construction of a city hall  is
proposed for one site. Most sites are not currently
suited for industrial purposes.
 PILOT SNAPSHOT
                    Date of Award:
                    September 1995

                    Amount: $200,000

                    Site Profile: The Pilot
                    targeted more than 50
                    CERCLIS properties for
                    participation in the State's
                    voluntary cleanup
                    program.
  State of Minnesota
Contacts:

Joe Otte
Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency
(612)296-8411
Deb Deluca
Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency
(612)296-0892
Joe Dufficy
U.S. EPA-Region 5
(312)886-1960
dufficy.joe@epamail.epa.gov
                                                       Visit the EPA Brownfields Website at:
                                                       http://www.epa.gov/brownfields

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OBJECTIVES

The objective of MPCA's brownfields project was
twofold. First, the Pilot sought to encourage owners
of contaminated sites to engage in voluntary cleanup
and avoid official enforcement action.  Then, the
Pilot, as part of the State's successful Voluntary
Investigation and Cleanup Program, tested the pro-
gram as a potential vehicle for eliminating sites from
the CERCLIS backlog.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND ACTIVITIES

The Pilot has:

• Sought participation in Pilot activities from owners
 of more than 50 CERCLIS properties;

• Identified candidate sites and selected priority sites
 with redevelopment potential;

• Assessed thirty-two sites;

• Conducted meetings and workshops  with
 municipalities and other property owners to educate,
 obtain feedback, and resolve problems;

• Provided  guidance  to  site owners  relating to
 assessment, remediation, and development financing
 programs offered by states and other entities; and

• Encouraged participation in the State's voluntary
 cleanup program (only two of 32 sites dropped out
 of the program).

* Funding for this Pilot was made possible  and was
 supported by combining funds with other Superfund
 resources.

LEVERAGING OTHER ACTIVITIES

Experience with the State of Minnesota Pilot has
been a catalyst  for related activities including the
following.

• MPCA has engaged in cost recovery actions for the
 resources expended in review and oversight of the
 voluntary cleanup  programs.  MPCA anticipates
 that the recovered funds will enable it to  continue
 overseeing and reviewing cleanup to completion at
 all sites.
Remediation at 13 sites was initiated and/or com-
pleted.

Seven 'No Further Action Letters' were issued by
MPCA.

Three sites are currently under State enforcement
action.

Planned and ongoing oversight of remediation ac-
tivities at the brownfields sites by MPCA even
though funding ended in fiscal year 1996.
 Regional Brownfields Assessment Pilot
 May 1997
                              State of Minnesota
                             EPA 500-F-97-077

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