The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $202,222 Pollution Prevention Grants Program (CFDA 66.708) project grant to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to provide technical assistance, including information, training, and tools, to businesses in Minnesota's metal manufacturing and fabrication industries to help them develop and adopt source reduction practices.
Through a sub-award with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health's Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), the project will engage with metal finishing facilities to identify opportunities to reduce or eliminate the use and pollution of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). MnTAP will conduct site-specific assessments, implement safer alternatives, and document successful strategies to enable replication in other locations. This 3-year project aims to decrease PFAS-contaminated waste streams that impact water and soil, supporting businesses in protecting the environment, improving operational efficiency, and addressing the environmental and health impacts of PFAS.