Agenda - Council Work Session - 04/11/2023

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Beneficial reuse of brownfields A brownfield is any property that is abandoned or underused due to the known or likely presence of contamination. Reuse and revitalization of brownfields can include green space, residential, commercial, industrial, or mixed -use development. Brownfield reuse can benefit communities by growing the local tax base and jobs, reducing development pressure on higher value lands, using existing infrastructure, and increasing recreational space and habitat.11 A closed landfill is a unique type of brownfield that may not be suitable for construction of buildings, but offers a great opportunity to expand our reliance on renewable energy sources. Solar development on brownfield sites is a win -win for Minnesota because we can put low -value, contaminated land to use generating clean energy and revenue while maintaining the integrity of the sites to protect human health, safety, and the environment. Brownfields reused for solar energy are called "brightfields." Minnesota has one example of brightfield development on the waste footprint of a landfill in Hutchinson, where solar energy powers a wastewater treatment plant. Some other states, most notably Massachusetts, have successfully implemented solar on closed landfills. To date, Massachusetts has approved over 100 projects rated to generate over 220 MW.12 These projects can offer specific benefits to communities, such as electricity cost savings, and be implemented with diverse native plant communities to benefit pollinators. Initiatives at the state and federal levels are promoting and supporting renewable energy development on brownfields: • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's RE -Powering America's Lands encourages renewable energy development on current and formerly contaminated lands, landfills, and mine sites when such development is aligned with the community's vision for the site. The program tracks projects and their community benefits.13 Goals of the program are to: • Provide technical and programmatic assistance • Promote policies and best practices that encourage renewable energy on brownfields • Partner with stakeholders and leverage agency efforts • Minnesota Brightfields Initiative focuses on creating an environmentally, fiscally, and socially responsible development pathway for solar on Minnesota's closed landfills. The statewide partnership was formed in late 2017 to offer cost-free professional, technical, financial, and regulatory expertise and analysis to support local governments across Minnesota. The desired outcomes of the initiative are to: • Bring redevelopment potential to land that is otherwise undevelopable • Bring value -adding economic redevelopment to the local governments (townships, cities, counties) and their communities, which stand to benefit from such developments • Make Minnesota a national leader in solar on landfills, showcasing how projects can save money, create jobs, and decrease negative environmental impacts from landfills • Bring these savings and benefits to all of Minnesota • Guide national and state policies and incentives to support renewable energy redevelopment projects on landfills, brownfields, Superfund sites, other contaminated lands 11 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Overview of the EPA's Brownfields Program. Accessed October 28, 2020. 12 State of Massachusetts. Siting Clean Energy on Closed Landfills. Accessed October 28, 2020. 11 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. RE -Powering America's Lands Benefits Matrix. December 2019.