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Minnesota Brownfields Blog


Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash

The Brightfields Initiative: Legislative Update

April 19, 2019/in Blog Posts /by Anna Cich

Nationwide, support for solar generation is growing, particularly as states begin to develop solar arrays on closed landfills and contaminated, abandoned properties. Brightfields – contaminated sites with potential for solar energy generation – have seen particular success on the East Coast, where states like Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island have implemented solar photovoltaic installations on […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/american-public-power-association-430841-unsplash.jpg 1500 2100 Anna Cich https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Anna Cich2019-04-19 11:20:202019-10-15 12:54:45The Brightfields Initiative: Legislative Update

Emerging Contaminants: Focus on PFAS Forum Update

February 27, 2019/in Blog Posts /by Anna Cich

After a successful forum last month, we are taking a moment to reflect on the wonderful network of professionals we have the opportunity to connect with at events like our Emerging Contaminants: Focus on PFAS Forum. The day was brimming with speakers and perspectives from across the region. The range of industry experience in the […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/IMG_7586.jpg 1456 2048 Anna Cich https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Anna Cich2019-02-27 17:45:482019-02-27 17:45:48Emerging Contaminants: Focus on PFAS Forum Update

Minnesota Brownfields Goes to Washington: Recapping the National Brownfields Leadership Summit

October 5, 2018/in Blog Posts /by Joe Mahowald

Minnesota Brownfields Goes to Washington: Recapping the National Brownfields Leadership Summit by Martha Faust, Minnesota Brownfields Executive Director Last week, brownfield experts and advocates from across the country convened in Washington, D.C. for the inaugural National Brownfields Leadership Summit. Organized by the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR or “see clear”), the National Brownfields Leadership […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg 0 0 Joe Mahowald https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Joe Mahowald2018-10-05 12:15:042018-10-05 14:57:35Minnesota Brownfields Goes to Washington: Recapping the National Brownfields Leadership Summit

Land Reuse for Urban Agriculture

May 24, 2018/in Blog Posts /by Joe Mahowald

Hava Blair – Minnesota Brownfields, Program Coordinator: My first job after college was transforming a golf course into an urban farm. I graduated with a degree in geology and a passion for food and community service, and I jumped at the opportunity to participate in the growing urban agriculture movement. Although the term “brownfield” was […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg 0 0 Joe Mahowald https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Joe Mahowald2018-05-24 09:31:582018-05-24 09:38:16Land Reuse for Urban Agriculture

Leveraging Brownfields to Drive Climate Smart Growth

April 13, 2018/in Blog Posts /by Joe Mahowald

Issac Evans – Research and Policy Intern: Each April we celebrate both Earth Day and Arbor Day, two holidays focused on improving our relationship to the planet. In other words, it’s the ideal time of year to highlight the role that brownfield redevelopment can play in advancing climate friendly development here in Minnesota. But why […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg 0 0 Joe Mahowald https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Joe Mahowald2018-04-13 12:32:422018-05-24 09:35:53Leveraging Brownfields to Drive Climate Smart Growth

Funding a Brownfield Project – Putting the Puzzle Together

March 15, 2018/in Blog Posts /by Joe Mahowald

Properties and infill sites that are contaminated or environmentally damaged may be the most puzzling for developers. These sites, referred to as “brownfields”, exhibit added redevelopment complexities. Minnesota is fortunate to have an abundance of public resources available that help to make these redevelopments possible. Here is a rundown of the programs offered in Minnesota. […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/4-Plymouth-Building_After_Building-Exterior-courtesy-of-Taggart-Sorenson.jpg 1017 1113 Joe Mahowald https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Joe Mahowald2018-03-15 12:02:502018-04-25 10:23:03Funding a Brownfield Project - Putting the Puzzle Together

Dig It: Rethinking how we Manage Soil at Redevelopment Sites

February 21, 2018/in Blog Posts /by Joe Mahowald

Martha Faust and Sarah Sieloff (Center for Creative Land Recycling): When is soil just “dirt”, when is it a waste, and when is it a resource? The answer may be in the eye of the beholder. Given the length of time it takes to create 1 cm3 of topsoil (estimated at 200-400 years), the current approach to […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Soil-Reuse-Pic-for-Blog-Post.jpg 360 810 Joe Mahowald https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Joe Mahowald2018-02-21 13:40:162018-05-24 09:36:42Dig It: Rethinking how we Manage Soil at Redevelopment Sites

2017 U.S. EPA National Brownfields Training Conference Recap

December 15, 2017/in Blog Posts /by Joe Mahowald

The 2017 EPA National Brownfields Training Conference is officially in the books. From December 4 through December 7, Minnesota Brownfields staff were in Pittsburgh at the EPA’s flagship conference for brownfields professionals. The bi-annual get together served as a tremendous opportunity to share best practices and new ideas. A major theme that resonated throughout the […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/downtown-Pittsburgh.jpg 0 0 Joe Mahowald https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Joe Mahowald2017-12-15 14:12:582018-04-25 10:23:462017 U.S. EPA National Brownfields Training Conference Recap

The Future is Bright for Solar Energy on Capped Landfills

August 4, 2017/in Blog Posts /by Joe Mahowald

Solar energy production has taken off in Minnesota over the past few years, and especially in the last handful of months. In 2017, according to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the solar energy capacity has tripled in the state during the first quarter of the year. Currently, the energy capacity for solar in Minnesota is twelve times […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Hickory-Ridge-Landfill.jpg 519 780 Joe Mahowald https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Joe Mahowald2017-08-04 13:30:242018-08-27 18:29:31The Future is Bright for Solar Energy on Capped Landfills

Brownfield Health Indicator Tool Gives Blighted Sites Across the State a Healthy Second Chance

June 13, 2017/in Blog Posts /by Natalie Brown

A new tool brings hope to some of Minnesota’s more than 10,000 former industrial or commercial sites that are underused or abandoned due to concerns about hazardous contaminants. Revitalizing these sites – called brownfields – can bring people and jobs back to areas, improve neighborhoods, help the environment and promote public health. The City of […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/rsz_img_20160928_172001.jpg 484 895 Natalie Brown https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Natalie Brown2017-06-13 09:11:082019-02-19 09:18:01Brownfield Health Indicator Tool Gives Blighted Sites Across the State a Healthy Second Chance

Can You Dig it? Minnesota Looks at Potential for Greater Reuse of Regulated Fill Soils

May 3, 2017/in Blog Posts /by Natalie Brown

States around the U.S. have different regulations governing how regulated (contaminated) fill soils at redevelopment sites are managed, and whether they can be reused. The most common practice is what’s called “dig and dump”, or excavating soils with contaminant concentrations in exceedance of permitted levels, then hauling those soils to an area landfill to use […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg 0 0 Natalie Brown https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Natalie Brown2017-05-03 14:29:452018-04-25 10:26:32Can You Dig it? Minnesota Looks at Potential for Greater Reuse of Regulated Fill Soils

2015 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Brownfields Training Conference Preview

January 26, 2015/in Blog Posts /by Martha Faust

About 60 redevelopment professionals gathered in Washington, DC last week to review abstracts for the 2015 EPA Brownfields Conference.  I joined a small group in the Creating More Sustainable Communities track. Our group was impressed by excellent proposals from around the country spanning topics ranging from climate change, to green infrastructure, renewable energy, public benefit reuse, urban […]

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https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2015-01-24-12.59.271-e1422300202624.jpg 422 750 Martha Faust https://mnbrownfields.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PageImage-515847-4657363-BlockSkyline350x149.jpg Martha Faust2015-01-26 13:41:382018-04-25 10:28:072015 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Brownfields Training Conference Preview

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