Agenda - Environmental Policy Board - 08/19/2019

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MINNESOTA BRIGHTFIELDS BACKGROUND INFORMATION Overview of the Problem & Parties Identified According to a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA) study, its Closed Landfill Program sites' methane and other greenhouse gas emissions constitute 18% of all State agencies' collective emissions of greenhouse gases. CLP sites are often sited near low income and environmental justice communities, whom bear disproportionate exposure rates. Developing an agency -led framework to develop renewable energy on Closed Landfill Program sites in Minnesota to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions is desired by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency generally but is complicated and essentially halted by the lack of staff, resources, data, and directives to properly assess Closed Landfill Program site suitability for solar development. This is compounded by lack of directives at both PCA and the Minnesota Management and Budget office to analyze and streamline the approval process to encourage this effort. The "Minnesota Brightfields" effort is a work in progress involving numerous state and federal agencies, Minnesota organizations and stakeholders. Leadership for this cause comes from Metropolitan Council, Great Plains Institute, Clean Energy Resource Teams, Minnesota Brownfields, Department of Commerce, US Environmental Protection Agency, and Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association, along with several cities and other stakeholders. This effort depends directly on agencies like PCA and MMB. Other agencies that may be involved directly include Department of Commerce, Department of Administration, Metropolitan Council and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The Brightfields team intends to forge a path for renewable development on landfills. This "framework development" would be housed in a legislatively -funded EQB effort that encircles both PCA's response action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from its closed landfill program sites and its purpose to protect human health & the environment. Barriers to Developing Renewable Enery on MN Landfills and Mitiatin GHG Emissions 1. To date, there is no clear and uniformly identified "brightfield" development pathway for either (a) all sites in the closed landfill program, or (b) for each individual site in the closed landfill program. This lack of clarity inhibits greenhouse gas emission progress and business certainty for would-be markets to develop in the state. Investment risks are high for industry participants that try to develop brightfields on a case -by -case basis 2. PCA's mission and purpose to protect human health & the environment align directly with solar development on their closed landfill program sites, as they have stated publicly, but they are unable to investigate this opportunity further without more resources 3. Similarly, MMB is hesitant to untangle the complexities of approval for solar projects on CLP sites with General Obligation bonding restrictions -- by developing a "best practices" or streamlined approval process -- without further staff, funding and a directive to do so 3