MPCA Terminates Burner Air Permit Application

June 13, 2008, the MN Pollution Control Agency notified interested parties (petitioners, etcetera) that the air permit application for Midtown Eco-Energy has been officially withdrawn!


Click here to view the notification letter

BIG, BIG News: KDP Drops Burner in Phillips!

Kandiyohi Development Partners released a statement Friday indicating that they are giving up their fight to build the Midtown Burner! We are DELIGHTED with this news, but we're also concerned about the possibility of KDP relocating their power plant a mere 4 miles away!

Though the specific site has not yet been identified, the description in Steve Brandt's latest article sounds remarkably similar to the site of the proposed Hennepin County Transfer Station. The Hennepin County Transfer Station was to replace the existing Minneapolis Transfer Station -- the site of the proposed Midtown Burner. In other words, it appears that the developer has lobbied the city to swap out the two sites! As the article points out, KDP's new proposal would be located near (about 1.5 miles away, assuming they're swapping sites) from an already controversial proposed power plant at Rock-Tenn. Read Steve Brandt's article for further information.

http://www.startribune.com/local/19620124.html?location_refer=$sectionName

Vote on an EPA Arsenic Clean-up Proposal

Share your concerns about the Arsenic Clean-Up!

The EPA is seeking feedback from the public regarding clean up of the Arsenic Superfund site. Flyers describing the various options were mailed out to homes June 6th and a public hearing is scheduled for 6:30 PM Wednesday, June 9th at the Midtown YWCA. The public comment period is open July 1, 2008.

Here is a link to the EPA Arsenic web page, where you can download the Clean-Up Fact Sheet or get more information:
http://www.epa.gov/region5/sites/cmcheartland/

Come Celebrate & Discuss Where We Go From Here!

Join us in celebrating this HUGE, GIGANTIC milestone!

In 6 (short?!) months, we have accomplished what many had say was "impossible" and an already "done deal!" There are still many questions, but all of them boil down to "Where do we go from here?" Come meet all of us and let us meet all of you! We'll toast our success while we look toward the future.

Who: Any and everyone!

When: Anytime between 6:00 – 8ish Tuesday, June 10th
(the day after the land sale contract officially expires!

Where: The NEW Acadia Cafe
(Riverside & Cedar Avenues on the West Bank)

http://acadiacafe.com/index.php?contentID=87

THREE SIGNIFICANT VICTORIES!

Three major victories have been won during the last week:
(For further details on each victory click on link below)

• Xcel Energy ended talks with Kandiyohi Development Partners [KDP]

• Mayor Rybak withdrew support for extending the current land-sale contract with KDP

• The "Cumulative Impact" bill was signed into law by the Governor

These are tremendous victories - and your actions have all made a difference. But the fight is not over yet!!

Call your Councilperson and tell them:

NO MORE EXTENSIONS FOR KANDIYOHI!

Click here to read more:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3175620/Action-Alert-10

THANKS EVERYONE!!!

We're NOT done yet, but with our three recent victories it's a good time to say THANKS!

Thank you to those of you that lobbied faithfully with us, provided information, encouraged us when we felt we could not do this, wrote many letters and made many calls. This was a huge group effort! Thank you to:

• All the members of Mpls. Residents for Clean Air for their tireless commitment and action!
• State Representative Karen Clark
• State Senators Linda Berglin and Patricia Torres-Ray
• Minneapolis City Council Members Schiff, Lilligren and Gordon
• EPIC Board and members for your work
• Womens Environmental Institute
• Little Earth Staff and residents for your support
• Dr. Ian Greaves, Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
• Sisters of Holy Rosary, St. Paul's Lutheran Church and Holy Trinity for your letters and prayers
• Metro Urban Indian Directors
• Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center
• Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota
• The Hispanic Baseball League
• Midtown Phillips, Phillips West
• Ventura Village
• Seward Neighborhood Group
• Standish-Erickson Neighborhood Association
• St. Paul Neighbors Against the Burner
• Andy Driscoll, Truth to Tell, KFAI radio
• TC Daily Planet, Dan Cooke's blog (Midtown Minneapolis Incinerator Info)
• The Alley, Corcoran Neighborhood News, The Bridge, Southside Pride, The Longfellow Messenger, Star Tribune, Finance & Commerce, City Pages

and the many others who supported our effort too numerous to name and many whose names we don't know. Thanks, we couldn't have done this without everyone!

Latest Article from Finance and Commerce

Finance and Commerce, recognized as the source for official public notice, has written another article about the Midtown Burner:
"Xcel leaves developers powerless on ‘Midtown Burner’ project"

Click here to read the article
http://www.finance-commerce.com/article.cfm/2008/05/28/Xcel-leaves-developers-powerless-on-Midtown-Burner-project

Scroll down for other burner-related articles.

Read the Latest Star Tribune Article

Here's the most recent Star Tribune article related to the Midtown Burner:

http://www.startribune.com/local/19226914.html?location_refer=$sectionName

Scroll down for all burner related articles.

Xcel Terminates Negotiations with Kandiyohi!

According to Barbara Bridgeman, policy aide to Xcel Energy CEO and President David Sparby, "Northern States Power Company has ended negotiations with Midtown-Eco Energy, LLC, in connection with a proposed biomass plant in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis."

Click here to read the announcement:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3074006/Xcel-ends-negotiations-with-Kandiyohi

Phillips Maps: Poverty/Ethnicity/Asthma/Arsenic/Lead levels

A series of 16 maps overlaying demographic and health information in the Phillips community. (Due to the number of pages, the link may take longer to load.)

Click here to view:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2932496/Hennepin-CountyPhillips-maps

Who we are:

Listen and call in to KFAI at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, May 7!

MIDTOWN MELTDOWN: PART II!

KFAI Radio, 90.3 Minneapolis /106.7 St. Paul / Streamed@ KFAI.org
Studio Phone: 612-341-0980

How much is too much? We continue our discussion of the volatile Midtown Eco-Energy Project, this week concentrating on air emissions - their composition and their cumulative impact on Minneapolis' Phillips and surrounding neighborhoods. Also, has Mayor Rybak begun to distance himself from this project? We'll continue to examine the politics behind the opposition most of the area's elected officials are turning into policy.
Is this an innovative biomass energy generator in the making? Or yet another polluting facility among many in the city's already suffering core neighborhoods? Might this idea be better considered for another venue? Or is burning any material a danger to populated areas?
What impact does such a heavy financial stake have on Midtown's owners' lives and future security if this goes down? Does it really matter on balance?

TTT’s Andy Driscoll and Lynnell Mickelsen continue to discuss all sides of the issues with key players and the reporter covering them.
GUESTS:

• SCOTT BENSON, Minneapolis City Councilmember, Chair, Energy & Environment Committee
• KIM HAVEY, Partner, Midtown Eco-Energy Project/Kandiyohi Development Partners
• CAROL PASS, President, EPIC (East Phillips Improvement Coalition)
• JULLONNE GLAD, Minneapolis Residents for Clean Air
• DAVID MORRIS, Executive VP, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
GUESTS: INVITED TO RETURN:
• STEVE BRANDT, Star Tribune Reporter/Analyst
• REP. KAREN CLARK, House District 61A, where the project lives - Chair Housing Policy and Finance and Public Health Finance Division Committee.

http://www.kfai.org/node/682

Phillips Environmental Justice Feast & Forum Friday, May 9th

The Phillips EJ Feast & Forum will explore issues of environmental justice in the Phillips community. EVERYONE is invited! Topics will include:

• Air quality


• Environmental Health


• What we can do to make our environment safer, cut costs, create truly "green" jobs for residents and address environmental justice issues.

There will be FOOD, music, guest speakers and a panel discussion. The Feast & Forum begins at 5 PM and goes until 9 PM. The Feast & Forum will be held at Plaza Verde (Lake Street & Bloomington Avenue) in suite 301.

Come for all or part of this community gathering! What's important is for all of us to work together and demand environmental justice for Phillips.

Click below for the invitation:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2892531/Feast-Forum-pdf

Eco-Burner vs. 24 Cars added to Phillips -- NOT equal

Here’s a really salient burner document just created by one of our group members. It’s long, but worth the skim. Dave Bicking researched one of Kandiyohi’s favorite arguments: Adding the burner to Phillips is akin to adding 24 passenger cars to the neighborhood. Dave pick’s apart this argument with the precision of a surgeon and while also including some delightful commentary.

Click here to read:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/2740262/Ecoburner-vs-cars-comparison-v2

Get Active: The Mayor's office claims this project WILL go through.

Contrary to popular belief, the Midtown Burner is NOT dead yet! Last week, Mayor Rybak's office stated that the burner was STILL going to happen AND that there wasn't enough public outrage to sway the Mayor to oppose the project! Action Alert #7 has the latest information on how you can demonstrate your opposition to the burner and let the Mayor and his office know that this is not a "done deal":

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2932374/7-Midtown-Burner-still-alive-Betsys-41808

Majora Carter: Greening the Ghetto

A compelling, passionate and persuassive leader speaks about true sustainable development. Majora's principles are:

• A people-first agenda

• Triple bottom-line return

• Working not just to hold back the polluters who target politically vulnerable communities, but to bring back the green and make it profitable for the community

Click here to watch this amazing woman speak about her work to GREEN the Bronx! http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/53

MAJORA CARTER Environmentalist, Founder and Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx 2005 MacArthur Fellow Named one of the 25 Most Influential People in 2007 by Essence Magazine

Star Tribune articles about the Burner:

These articles are arranged by date:

4/9/2008, Minneapolis wood-burning power plant suffers double blow
http://www.startribune.com/local/17389439.html

3/27/2008, "Midtown burner project hits snag with city"
http://www.startribune.com/local/17036416.html

3/25/2008, Small step forward for wood-burning plant
http://www.startribune.com/local/16970711.html

3/21/2008, "Wood-burning plant embroiled in politics"
http://www.startribune.com/local/16880891.html

3/21/2008, "Kandiyohi's comment"
http://www.startribune.com/local/16880691.html

3/19/2008, "Developer wants more time to buy site for burner"
http://www.startribune.com/local/16799751.html

12/25/2007, "Goodman's actions on burner questioned"
http://www.startribune.com/local/12806672.html

12/20/2007, "Project isn't catching fire with neighbors"
http://www.startribune.com/local/12647401.html

Pending legislation on the Midtown Burner

Please contact your legislators about these two bills. Use MN Senate & House Rep. District Finder link to locate your legislators' contact information.

State Representative Karen Clark and State Senator Linda Berglin are working hard to preserve the language of a bill (HF3293 and SF3393) they co-sponsored, which takes into account the cummulative effects of pollution when deciding MPCA permits. Some members of the legislature are trying to modify the bill so that it fails to protect communities already over-burdened with pollution (Phillips, Northside, etc.). Unfortunately, the Senate version has already been ammended to the point of ineffectiveness. Please contact your legislators and let them know that vulnerable and over-burdened communities need their protection. The MPCA must consider how new toxins may interact with existing pollutants, especially where a disproportionate number of vulnerable residents (children, the elderly and those with impaired immune systems) live.

House bill #HF3293
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=House&f=HF3293&ssn=0&y=2007

Senator Scott Dibble introduced a property tax exemption bill, SF 3617, that extends a deadline for Kandiyohi's Midtown burner. This legislation passed with NO discussion! There is a companion bill in the house, HF 3149 , which also extends the Midtown burner tax credit statute. Jim Davnie (Mpls) is on the House Tax Committee and covers areas that would be hit hard by the Midtown burner. Call him TODAY at 651-296-0173 and tell him to vote no on HF 3149 -- or that part of HF 3149 that gives Midtown the tax break. The senate version has already passed. If the house version passes, this is one more action that supports Kandiyohi's Midtown burner project. However, by defeating this bill we communicate that the community, and the city as a whole, does not support subsidies to private companies at the expense of community health and well-being.

Contact info for the rest of the House Tax Committee is available here:
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/committeemembers.asp?comm=3000

House Bill #HF 3149 https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=House&f=HF3149&ssn=0&y=2008

Senate bill #SF 3617
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=S3617.0.html&session=ls85

Finance and Commerce Article

3/28/07, Minneapolis 'Midtown burner' plan could go up in smoke
http://www.finance-commerce.com/article.cfm/2008/03/28/Minneapolis-Midtown-burner-plan-could-go-up-in-smoke-92-million-proposal-may-be-dead-as-the-develope

TC Daily Planet coverage of Mid-Town Eco Energy

9/9/2007, Green fuel or greenwashing?
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/6363#

12/14/2007, Neighbors blast proposed Phillips biomass plant at public hearing
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/8555#

1/10/2008, March meltdown ahead for Midtown Eco-Energy?
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/8883#

3/21/2008, Burner opponents turn out for city council meeting
http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/10185#

City Pages article on the Midtown Burner

9/5/2007, A Kinder, Gentler Smokestack
http://articles.citypages.com/2007-09-05/news/a-kinder-gentler-smokestack/

EPA Arsenic Superfund Informaton

Many people have asked for more information about the existing EPA arsenic superfund designation. If built with existing the MPCA air permit technical specifications (see link at right), the Midtown Burner can add up to 0.035 tons (65 pounds) of arsenic per year to existing contamination levels. To get more information about the existing EPA arsenic superfund, contact:

Tim Prendiville

Remedial Project Manager

U.S. EPA (SR-6J)

77 West Jackson Boulevard

Chicago, IL 60604

(312) 886-5122

City of Minneapolis Arsenic Superfund map
http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/inspections/docs/ArsenicZoneMap.pdf