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News release

July 19, 2022

Contact

Kevin Gaffney, 612-414-6139, kevin.gaffney@state.mn.us

MPCA announces $130,000 investment with Cloquet to prepare for extreme weather and climate change

City of Duluth also receives $100,000 from MPCA

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced today a $106,000 grant to the City of Cloquet to better understand how to prepare their infrastructure for extreme weather caused by climate change.

Cloquet will use the funds to update and expand their comprehensive stormwater master plan, which will include identifying infrastructure inadequacies, specific projects to address localized flooding, and funding needed for implementation. The City of Cloquet is matching the MPCA’s investment with a $26,000 contribution.

“We are excited to partner with Cloquet and Duluth to protect their thriving economies, environment, and way of life,“ said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler. “Communities cannot prepare for extreme weather events and climate change by themselves. Strong partnerships between government, businesses, and residents are required to protect our communities.”

“Over the last 10 years the extremes in our local weather patterns have been apparent with historic flooding in 2012 followed by extreme drought conditions 2021,” said Mayor Roger Maki. “As these extreme weather events increase in frequency, infrastructure resiliency, planning, and wise capital investment of public resources are critically important.”

In addition to the Cloquet grant, the MPCA announced a $100,000 grant for the City of Duluth to create a stormwater resiliency plan. The plan includes an in-depth study of the 32nd Ave. West Creek watershed district and an assessment to identify infrastructure vulnerabilities city-wide. The City of Duluth contributed $14,000 for plan and assessment development.

Communities across Minnesota are also recognizing the need to prepare for climate change. According to a recent MPCA survey, 87% of local governments reported recently experiencing the impact of at least one weather trend caused by climate change. Forty-two percent of Minnesota communities reported the need for additional funding for planning and infrastructure upgrades to address these impacts.

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