June 2026
Inside the Newsletter:
2026 Interns | PFAS | Food Processors | Events | Funding Opportunities
2026 MnTAP Intern Program to Wrap Up with Symposium
Here at MnTAP, members of our 2026 MnTAP Intern Cohort are hard at work on their summer projects. MnTAP staff are grateful that in collaboration with our sponsors, host companies, and interns, we are able to carry out safe, high-impact projects for pollution prevention, energy efficiency, and water efficiency through the 2026 MnTAP Intern Program. Help us celebrate the accomplishments of these interns by joining us in August at the 2026 MnTAP Intern Symposium.
This year’s event will feature 16 projects spanning a variety of industries. With an emphasis on minimizing environmental impacts through cost and process-efficient solutions, key focus areas for MnTAP Intern projects include water conservation, waste and pollution prevention, and energy efficiency. This summer, MnTAP interns are mapping facility water and chemical use and identifying opportunities for reuse and conservation. They are also targeting a variety of sources of waste and pollutants, such as reducing process waste, minimizing wastewater loading pollutants, and finding ways to optimize or minimize the use of chemicals. Finally, interns are analyzing facility energy use for efficiency opportunities. They are studying compressed air systems for maintenance improvement opportunities, learning where equipment modifications can lead to efficiencies, as well as investigating ways to optimize heating and cooling systems.
These projects will result in an array of solutions and best practices that bring savings to Minnesota businesses, organizations, and communities. Please see below for a list of projects that will be featured at the 2026 MnTAP Intern Symposium:
- Agropur – Le Sueur, Minnesota
- Allina Health / Institute on the Environment UMN – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Anchor Glass – Shakopee, Minnesota
- Bio-Techne – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Como Park Zoo & Conservatory – St. Paul, Minnesota
- International Paper – Fridley, Minnesota
- Kandiyohi County Landfill – New London, Minnesota
- Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- MN Department of Administration – St. Paul, Minnesota
- Owens Corning – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Polaris Industries – Roseau, Minnesota
- Renewal by Andersen – Cottage Grove, Minnesota
- Resonetics – Hutchinson, Minnesota
- Seneca Foods – Glencoe, Minnesota
- St. Cloud Nutrient Energy and Water Recovery Facility – St. Cloud, Minnesota
- WPS Fresh – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Don’t miss out! The 2026 MnTAP Intern Symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, August 19, 2026 from 12:00 – 5:00 pm CDT at the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota. If you have other commitments during this time, consider joining us for just a portion of the event! If you are unable to make it in person, the event will stream live from the Symposium venue, as well. Register now and get this fun, informative event on your calendar!
Contact
Matt Domski – Intern Program Manager
mdomski@umn.edu
612-624-5119
Lessons Learned in Identifying PFAS Use in Industry
MnTAP started conducting informational interviews at the beginning of its first PFAS pollution prevention project in 2023. These interviews were intended to inform technical assistance and gather information about the industrial sources of PFAS and strategies for reduction in the three target industries: metal fabrication and manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing and processing, and chemical manufacturing.
After beginning the interview process, MnTAP learned how widely varied PFAS use scenarios were across the target industries. The breadth of the PFAS class is also much larger than other chemical classes. To account for the wide variety of PFAS and PFAS uses, MnTAP determined that the typical technical assistance strategy required slight alteration to better understand the specific PFAS needs of each organization.
For background, MnTAP’s technical assistance strategy typically consists of conducting an in-person site assessment, then following up with a technical assistance letter that includes recommendations to the facility based on staff observations to reduce water, energy, and/or chemical use. In many cases, a site visit is sufficient to identify sources of different chemicals at a facility. However, PFAS use is much more complex, and the team determined that traditional site visits did not provide the visibility into the companies’ operations to effectively identify PFAS. To help gain deeper understanding of operations and improve technical assistance, the MnTAP PFAS team pivoted to incorporating informational interviews into the technical assistance structure to ensure that recommendations were both informed and specific enough to the identified PFAS use.
Following the integration of informational interviews into the technical assistance process, another barrier to technical assistance became apparent. Lack of clarity in the supply chain and varied regulatory definitions of PFAS made it difficult for facilities to determine if their raw materials contained intentionally added PFAS. In response to this knowledge gap, MnTAP expanded the scope of the original informational interview targets to include the suppliers to the target industries; these interviews helped determine why it was so difficult for facilities to get answers about the presence of intentionally added PFAS to products they were purchasing.
In response to these data gaps, the barriers encountered in the technical assistance process, and the lessons learned through informational interviews, MnTAP has developed resources to assist facilities with PFAS source identification and reduction efforts. MnTAP’s PFAS webpage includes PFAS source identification tools for industrial users and wastewater treatment plants. MnTAP has also created assessment guides for each of the target industries that include information on how to assess potential PFAS presence in industrial operations and a list of potential PFAS sources.
If you are interested in receiving assistance with PFAS source identification and/or reduction, please contact Claire Hartwig Alberg (hartw080@umn.com) to learn more.
Contact
Claire Hartwig Alberg – Engineer
hartw080@umn.edu
612-626-9813
State Funding Available for Food Systems and Manufacturers
Are you a food manufacturer, distributor, or warehouse? Funding is available through the MPCA for various food systems projects under the Climate-Smart Food Systems program, and MnTAP staff are ready to support you with your application and project planning. Summaries of some of these competitive grant opportunities are listed below:
- Industrial innovation in food systems: Separate grants are available for 1) identifying and evaluating energy efficiency or decarbonization projects, and 2) implementing capital expenditures related to energy efficiency or decarbonization. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis between now and 2028.
- Cleaner refrigerants: Refrigerant replacement may be eligible for funding, depending on the type of new refrigerant. This opportunity is designed to replace existing systems with equipment that uses natural refrigerants such as carbon dioxide, propane, or ammonia. Funding is also available for switching existing refrigeration systems to lower-GWP (global warming potential) refrigerants. This grant is expected to begin receiving applications later in 2026.
- Prevention of waste food and organics management: Grants will be available to divert food scraps for use as livestock feed and to expand infrastructure programming for organics management. Additional information and details will be available when the grant opens later in 2026.
More details, including additional grant opportunities in the agriculture sector, are available on the Minnesota Climate-Smart Food Systems webpage (MPCA) or by reaching out to anyone at MnTAP for support.
Contact
Kevin Philpy – Senior Engineer
kphilpy@umn.edu
612-624-4678
Events
Summer Webinar Series: Safer Alternatives Updates
Department of Ecology, State of Washington
Virtual, No-Cost
Join us for the last webinar in a series sharing updates on current safer alternatives research. To help you get the most out of each session, they recommend watching the following two short videos in advance.
Can’t attend? All webinars will be recorded and available after the event on their YouTube channel. Register to attend the July 15 webinar.
Webinar: MnTAP’s Lessons in PFAS Pollution Prevention Identification Tools and Resources
East Carolina University Events
July 22, 2026 at 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM (CT)
Virtual, No-Cost
This presentation will cover the information that the Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) has learned while working on PFAS pollution prevention as well as the tools and resources that MnTAP has developed to help businesses navigate PFAS source identification and reduction. Topics covered during the webinar will include: PFAS regulations and definitions, PFAS use in industry, MnTAP’s PFAS screening tools, and PFAS data requests. Claire Hartwig Alberg from the MnTAP team will be presenting. To learn more and register at this website.
Funding Opportunities
- CSFS: Industrial innovation in food systems – implementation (MPCA): Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with the final deadline being 5:00 PM (CT) on April 1, 2028. The MPCA is soliciting proposals to distribute $40 million in grant funding to support industrial food and beverage manufacturers and food system organic waste processors across Minnesota. Funding is intended to execute capital expenditure (capex) projects at facilities that will improve operational efficiency, reduce operating costs, and lessen environmental impacts by reducing greenhouse emissions, criteria air pollutants, hazardous air pollutants, and/or waste. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed quarterly. Eligible applications received by 5 p.m. Central Time on the quarterly deadline (July 1, October 1, January 1, and April 1 of each year) will be reviewed and evaluated. This will continue until funds are fully encumbered, or April 1, 2028, whichever occurs first.
- CSFS: Natural refrigerants in retail food refrigeration and cold storage (MPCA): Applications are awarded on a first-come, first served basis within each refrigeration sector with the final deadline being May 27, 2027. The MPCA is accepting applications for grants to reduce refrigerant emissions in retail food refrigeration, cold storage, and food assistance programs in Minnesota. Refrigeration projects must include replacing existing equipment to use a natural refrigerant such as, but not limited to, carbon dioxide (R-744), ammonia (R-717), and propane (R-290). Eligible applicants include for-profit businesses with up to 150 retail food refrigeration facilities company-wide; government entities, Tribes, non-profits, or non-profit education institution; non-profits; and for-profit businesses with 500 full-time employees or fewer with cold storage. The RFP will remain open, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all dedicated funds have been dispersed or until 4 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, May 27, 2027, whichever occurs first.
- CSFS: Industrial innovation in food systems- technical assistance and planning (TAP): Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with the final deadline being 5:00 PM (CT) on June 21, 2028. The MPCA is soliciting proposals to distribute $7.2 million in grant funding for technical assistance and planning services to food and beverage manufacturers and organic waste processors across Minnesota. Funding is designed to identify and evaluate facility-specific efficiency projects and decarbonization efforts that will, if implemented, enable the grantee to improve operational efficiency and reduce operating costs while lessening environmental impacts through reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, criteria air pollutants, hazardous air pollutants, and/or waste. Eligible applicants include food and beverage manufacturing facilities and food system organic waste processors. Eligible applications received by 5 p.m. on the 21st of each month will be reviewed and evaluated. This will continue until funds are fully encumbered, or June 21, 2028, whichever occurs first.
- CSFS: Native-led organizations Tribal food sovereignty grant (MPCA): The MPCA has approximately $4 million available for projects related to Tribal food sovereignty that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These grants will be awarded to Native-led organizations that work with Native populations not on reservation lands. Projects must reduce greenhouse gas emissions while centering Native and Indigenous knowledge, strengthening resiliency, advancing economic opportunity, and supporting health in communities disproportionately impacted by climate change.
- Solid Waste Processing Facilities Capital Assistance Program (MPCA): CAP provides financial and technical assistance to local governments to encourage investment in the proper management of solid waste. Eligible applicants are Minnesota cities, counties, solid waste management districts, and sanitary districts. Eligible projects are facilities that advance efforts to reduce waste, reuse materials, and recover resources.
- Environmental assistance loans for capital costs associated with environmental processes and technologies (MPCA & private financial institutions)
- Small business environmental improvement loans [0% interest for capital equipment purchases] (MPCA)
- Funding for brownfield investigation (MPCA)
- Clean Water Partnership loans (MPCA): Second-tier loans allow local entities to make loans to landowners and other stakeholders.
- Pollution Prevention Grant [Up to $50,000 or up to 75% of project costs] (BizRecycling and formerly Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy and MN Chamber of Commerce Waste Wise): Consider this opportunity if your business uses or produces any of the following chemicals with volatile organic compounds (VOCs); perchloroethylene (PERC); trichloroethylene (TCE); ground level ozone; fine particulate matter (PM2.5); or hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).
- Waste Reduction & Innovation Grants (BizRecycling): Up to $50,000 for eligible businesses, schools, and colleges to reduce waste through reuse, technology enhancements, or production redesign.
- Food Waste Prevention + Recovery Grants (BizRecycling): Up to $20,000 for eligible food businesses, food shelves, and farmers markets to recover surplus edible food to distribute to people in need.
- Recycling Grants (BizRecycling): Up to $10,000 for eligible businesses and up to $20,000 for eligible apartment buildings to improve recycling and food waste collection.
- Bin-Only Grants (BizRecycling): Helps small businesses kickstart or improve recycling and organics collection with up to $2,500 in trash, recycling, and organics bins and equipment.
- Safety Grant Program [Up to $10,000] (MNOSHA WSC): For projects designed to reduce the risk of illness or injury to their employees. Applications are reviewed over two-month intervals.