Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians to receive $500,000 to clean up contamination at buildings in Dunseith, N.D.

News Releases from Region 08

EPA Brownfields grant will fund cleanup of asbestos, metals, PCBs and other contaminants in vacant San Haven complex

05/11/2021

Belcourt, N.D. -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indianswill receive a $500,000 Brownfields cleanup grant to eight buildings located on the 600-acre San Haven complex located at 98th Street NE San Haven Road in the City of Dunseith, North Dakota. 

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians is among 151 communities nationwide selected to receive 154 grant awards totaling $66.5 million in EPA Brownfields funding through the agency's Multipurpose, Assessment, and Cleanup Grant programs.This funding will support underserved and economically disadvantaged communities across the country in assessing and cleaning up contaminated and abandoned industrial and commercial properties. Approximately 50 percent of selected recipients will be receiving EPA Brownfields Grant funding for the first time and more than 85 percent are located in or serving small communities.

'The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians has beena great partner in using EPA Brownfields funds to address contamination concerns in communities across the Reservation,'said Mark A. Smith, EPA Region 8 director of the Land, Chemicals, and Redevelopment Division. 'This grant will help remove significant contamination so the Tribe can move forward with future plans to make theSan Haven propertyavailable for reuse.'

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians will use the EPA grant funds to clean up eight buildings in the San Haven complex, a 600-acre facility used totuberculosis patients from 1909 to 1970, and which operated as a state hospital from 1971 until 1987 andas a home for various business enterprises,such as sewing and clothing. Thenow-vacantbuildings pose significant health and safety risks for trespassers and are contaminated with lead, asbestos, PCBs and other metals, and organic and inorganic contaminants. The Tribe plans to redevelop the San Haven site asnew housing and an RV Park and Campground after the buildings have been cleaned upand safely demolished.

'We are grateful for this grant and the opportunity to finally clean up San Haven, one of our most difficult and costly brownfields properties,' said Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Vice Chairman Elmer Davis Jr.'We also look forward to using our CARES Act funding to support our cleanup and redevelopment goals at San Haven and other brownfields in the beautiful Turtle Mountains.'

The list of the fiscal year 2021 applicants selected for funding is available here: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy-2021-brownfields-multipurpose-assessment-and-cleanup-grants

EPA anticipates that it will award the grants once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied by the selected recipients.

Background

Since its inception in 1995, EPA's Brownfields Program has provided nearly $1.76 billion in grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return them to productive reuse. This has led to significant benefits for communities across the country. For example,

· To date, communities participating in the Brownfields Program have been able to attract more than $34.4 billionin cleanup and redevelopment funding after receiving Brownfields funds. This has led to over 175,500 jobsin cleanup, construction, and redevelopment.

· Based on grant recipient reporting, recipients leveraged on average $20.13for each EPA Brownfields dollar and 10.3 jobs per $100,000 of EPA Brownfield Grant funds expendedon assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund cooperative agreements.

· In addition, an academic peer-reviewed study has found that residential properties near brownfield sites increased in value by 5% to 15.2%as a result of cleanup activities.

· Finally, analyzing data near 48 brownfields, EPA found an estimated $29 million to $97 million in additional tax revenue for local governmentsin a single year after cleanup-2 to 7 times more than the $12.4 million EPA contributed to the cleanup of those brownfield sites.

For more on the Brownfields Grants: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-epa-brownfield-grant-funding

For more on EPA's Brownfields Program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields

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