Need a little escapism from the intense political season, not to mention the economic situation scaring us all half to death?

If you’re like me, you can zone out on the EPA’s fascinating interactive mapping project in Google Earth that was produced to encourage the development of renewable energy projects on contaminated lands in the U.S.

 

The maps pair contaminated land, such as superfund and brownfield sites, with the type of renewable energy project that the EPA thinks would be a good fit for the site.

 

According to the EPA, there are 480,000 sites they track, with almost 15 million acres across the United States of potentially contaminated land. Of that, more than 850,000 acres have been cleaned up, and could be good sites for renewable energy projects.

 

Redevelopment of contaminated sites as renewable energy projects is a natural fit for a number of reasons. One, these lands have already been previously developed so would have fewer initial development costs. They’re also sites that often have low real estate potential due to clean-up costs, and may also be located in areas that could use jobs that were lost when the previous activity on the site was discontinued.

 

The maps are interactive if you use Google Earth. In addition to the maps, the agency has produced a set of fact sheets listing state incentives for both renewable energy projects and for reclamation of contaminated land.

 

In New Mexico, there’s a mix of tax incentives plus technical assistance for energy projects. For contaminated sites, the state offers technical assistance, low-interest loans, and limited-liability protection for purchasers of the properties. The maps have a fair number of sites in New Mexico. Have fun.

 

Thanks to Laura Paskus at Environmental News for New Mexicans for the tip.