Settlement money from Minnesota’s 3M PFAS case is now poised to back two local projects.
The first would bring portions of a buried St. Paul creek back into the open, while the second would transform a former Cottage Grove golf course into public green space. The efforts together aim to make Minnesota neighborhoods healthier and easier for residents to use and enjoy.
What’s happening?
Using proceeds from the state’s 3M PFAS settlement, Minnesota is awarding $20 million to 26 east metro projects focused on habitat work and outdoor recreation, according to the Pioneer Press. The winners were chosen by the state’s Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency from a field of 56 applicants.
One of these grants will go to restore St. Paul’s Phalen Creek, which now runs mostly through underground tunnels instead of across the surface. Funding for Wakan Tipi will help restore some stretches of the creek above ground, per the Pioneer Press…