]    Brownfields  2011  Cleanup Grant Fact Sheet
    ~          Duluth Economic Development Authority, 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. In 2002,
the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields
Revitalization Act was passed to help states and
communities around the country cleanup and revitalize
brownfields sites. 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.

Community Description

The Duluth Economic Development Authority was
selected to receive a brownfields cleanup grant. Duluth
(population 84,415) is located along the St. Louis River
and Lake Superior shoreline. From the late 1800s, the
western  half of the city was used for industrial purposes
because  of its access to the Great Lakes shipping routes.
The target site, a cement-producing plant, is located at the
junction of the Gary, New Duluth, and Morgan Park
neighborhoods in West Duluth. The history of these
neighborhoods is directly linked to the rise and fall of the
U.S. steel industry. From 1915 to 1979, the cement plant
was a major part of the city's landscape and its largest
employer. When the steel industry declined and plants
closed, jobs were lost. From 2005 to 2009, the number of
jobs in the area of the target site declined by 12.3 percent.
Cleanup of the target site will remove blight, reduce
health and safety risks to area residents, and help make
large tracts of land available for redevelopment.
                     Cleanup Grant

                     $200,000 for hazardous substances

                     EPA has selected the Duluth Economic
                     Development Authority for a brownfields cleanup
                     grant. Hazardous substances grant funds will be
                     used to clean up 51 acres of the Atlas Industrial
                     Park site at 2402 Commonwealth Avenue. The
                     site was developed in 1915 and, for nearly 60
                     years, operated as a steel manufacturer's
                     cement-producing plant. Site soil is contaminated
                     with metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons,
                     and  other contaminants. Grant funds also will be
                     used to conduct community involvement activities.
                     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
                     (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).

                     EPA Region 5 Brownfields Team
                     (312)886-7576
                     EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
                     (http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)

                     Grant Recipient: Duluth Economic Development
                     Authority,MN
                     (218) 730-5324

                     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.
  United States
  Environmental
  Protection Agency
  Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
E PA 560-F-128-088
       May 2011

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