EPA, NREL Partner to Develop Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Sites Clean energy project aims to benefit local economies and create jobs
Release date: 02/23/2010 Contact Information: Latisha Petteway, petteway.latisha@epa.gov,
202-564-3191, 202-564-4355
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy
production on Superfund, brownfields, and former landfill or mining
sites. Superfund sites are the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned
hazardous waste sites identified by EPA for cleanup due to the risk they
pose to human health or the environment. Brownfields are properties at
which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the
presence of contaminants. EPA is investing more than $650,000 for the
project that pairs EPA’s expertise on contaminated sites with the
renewable energy expertise of NREL. The project is part of the
RE-Powering America’s Land initiative, which aims to decrease the amount
of green space used for development, reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
and provide health and economic benefits to local communities, including
job creation.
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