Eco-Fashion: Sol Inspirations, a Minnesota-based nonprofit, has launched a new labeling campaign for sustainable clothing. The campaign is designed to create a comprehensive high standard of sustainability to allow conscientious consumers to support ethical designers. Certification requires designers and shops to demonstrate that 95 percent or more of their materials or organic or recycled or that the piece meets the fair-trade criteria set forth by the Sol Inspiration board of apparel industry experts and environmental scientists.
Corn Harvest: The corn farmers of Minnesota managed to avoid the worst of the drought this year, and are now set to harvest the best corn crop of any major grain-producing state. Although the drought did significant damage to this year's crops, the toll in Minnesota was less severe than elsewhere thanks in part to heavier rains early in the spring and a brief reprieve from the drought in mid-summer. The decision by many farmers to harvest early also proved important. Worries remain, however, regarding the possibility that the fungus aspergillus could taint part of the corn crop. Corn in dry conditions is less able to fight off the fungus, which produces aflatoxin that can poison livestock and cause cancer in humans. Farmers are encouraged to have their grain tested before sale.
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environment. Show all posts
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wolf Hunt Challenged by Lawsuit
Minneapolis- Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to stop the state from opening its first wolf hunting and trapping this fall, on the grounds that the DNR failed to provide adequate opportunity for public review.
The lawsuit, filed by Howling for Wolves and the Center for Biological Diversity with the Minnesota Court of Appeals, seeks a preliminary injunction blocking the hunt's planned Nov 3rd opening, until a formal ruling can be made on the group's complaints.
The wolf hunt was approved by the Minnesota Legislature in its most recent session, shortly after the Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan wolf populations were removed from the federal endangered species list in January.
According to the management plan as it was written in 2001, no hunting would be done for five years following delisting. This restriction, however, was waived in a rider attached to a budget bill passed by the state legislature shortly after the delisting of the wolves.
Six thousand licenses will be issued for the hunt, according to DNR plans, though the hunt will be closed once the quota of 400 animals have been killed. Over 23,000 people have applied for a permit, with applications from 33 states, though the majority have been from Minnesota.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Howling for Wolves argue that the 30-day online survey by DNR this summer did not give the public a fair chance to try to shape the regulations, in part because many rural residents lack reliable internet access. The complaint by the groups claims that while the expedited emergency review process the DNR used is legal for some situations, it is not appropriate for the wolf hunt decision.
"There's nothing in the Minnesota law that says an online survey can substitute for formal notice and comment on rulemaking by the agency," said Collette Adkins Giese, an attorney for the center. “Especially considering the tremendous controversy around hunting and trapping of Minnesota’s wolves, state officials should have followed the law carefully to make sure they fully understood how the public felt about their decision.”
Of the 7,351 people who did respond to the online survey offered by the DNR, over 75 percent opposed the wolf hunt, with only 1,542 responses in support.
The groups say that the DNR could have waited until fall 2013 or later to open a wolf hunt, so that the public would have more time to weigh in. They further argue that the hunt would deprive citizens the opportunity to see and hear the wolves, and would disrupt ecosystems by reducing the presence of top predators. They say that their members are distressed by the thought of wolves being killed or injured, and by the possibility that they might witness dead or suffering wolves.
The DNR has not yet had time to review the lawsuit, said DNR spokesperson Chris Niskanen. The agency has no official comment yet.
The Minnesota wolf population received no protections until 1973, when it was placed on the federal endangered species list. By that point, a few hundred individuals in the northern forests were the only remnant of the species in the lower forty-eight states, all of which were once inhabited by the wolf.
After the wolf was given protections, the hunting and trapping of wolves was banned, with the exception of operations to to remove wolves which were believed to be killing livestock.
Under federal protection, the Minnesota wolf population expanded, filling a large part of the state's northern conifer forests. Minnesota currently has the largest wolf population of the lower 48 states, at an estimated 3,000 animals.
The wolf was delisted in 2011, after the DNR petitioned the federal government in 2010 to hand over responsibility for the wolves. The change of management was further supported by petitions by the US Sportsmen's Alliance, Safari Club International, the National Rifle Association.
The DNR's population plan calls for the state to maintain a winter population of no fewer than 1,600 wolves, and mandates corrective action if the population falls below this. The plan splits the state into two management zones- the norther-eastern third, dominated by coniferous forests, is the wolf's core range, and they enjoy stricter protection in this area. In the rest of the state, dominated by deciduous forests, prairies, and urban landscapes, the wolves are granted less extensive protection.
“The DNR recognizes there is a wide range of opinions toward wolf hunting and trapping, but all Minnesotans should know the DNR’s primary wolf management goal is to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf. The DNR’s conservative approach to this first season is based on sound conservation science and principles.” said DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr.
Wolf advocates remain unconvinced. “Wolves already die at high rates from many causes, including human intolerance and persecution,” said Howling for Wolves president and founder Maureen Hacket, “Minnesotans benefit economically, culturally and ecologically by having wolves in the wild. As a state, we have so much to gain by keeping wolves undisturbed.”
Image Sources: Center for Biological Diversity, MPR, Wolves of the World
Update: October 3- The state has officially requested that the court not block the hunt, saying that the case lacks legal merit.
 |
| Minnesota's wolves were delisted in January |
The wolf hunt was approved by the Minnesota Legislature in its most recent session, shortly after the Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan wolf populations were removed from the federal endangered species list in January.
According to the management plan as it was written in 2001, no hunting would be done for five years following delisting. This restriction, however, was waived in a rider attached to a budget bill passed by the state legislature shortly after the delisting of the wolves.
Six thousand licenses will be issued for the hunt, according to DNR plans, though the hunt will be closed once the quota of 400 animals have been killed. Over 23,000 people have applied for a permit, with applications from 33 states, though the majority have been from Minnesota.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Howling for Wolves argue that the 30-day online survey by DNR this summer did not give the public a fair chance to try to shape the regulations, in part because many rural residents lack reliable internet access. The complaint by the groups claims that while the expedited emergency review process the DNR used is legal for some situations, it is not appropriate for the wolf hunt decision.
"There's nothing in the Minnesota law that says an online survey can substitute for formal notice and comment on rulemaking by the agency," said Collette Adkins Giese, an attorney for the center. “Especially considering the tremendous controversy around hunting and trapping of Minnesota’s wolves, state officials should have followed the law carefully to make sure they fully understood how the public felt about their decision.”
Of the 7,351 people who did respond to the online survey offered by the DNR, over 75 percent opposed the wolf hunt, with only 1,542 responses in support.
The groups say that the DNR could have waited until fall 2013 or later to open a wolf hunt, so that the public would have more time to weigh in. They further argue that the hunt would deprive citizens the opportunity to see and hear the wolves, and would disrupt ecosystems by reducing the presence of top predators. They say that their members are distressed by the thought of wolves being killed or injured, and by the possibility that they might witness dead or suffering wolves.
The DNR has not yet had time to review the lawsuit, said DNR spokesperson Chris Niskanen. The agency has no official comment yet.
 |
| Expansion of wolf range |
The Minnesota wolf population received no protections until 1973, when it was placed on the federal endangered species list. By that point, a few hundred individuals in the northern forests were the only remnant of the species in the lower forty-eight states, all of which were once inhabited by the wolf.
After the wolf was given protections, the hunting and trapping of wolves was banned, with the exception of operations to to remove wolves which were believed to be killing livestock.
Under federal protection, the Minnesota wolf population expanded, filling a large part of the state's northern conifer forests. Minnesota currently has the largest wolf population of the lower 48 states, at an estimated 3,000 animals.
The wolf was delisted in 2011, after the DNR petitioned the federal government in 2010 to hand over responsibility for the wolves. The change of management was further supported by petitions by the US Sportsmen's Alliance, Safari Club International, the National Rifle Association.
 |
| The two management zones |
“The DNR recognizes there is a wide range of opinions toward wolf hunting and trapping, but all Minnesotans should know the DNR’s primary wolf management goal is to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf. The DNR’s conservative approach to this first season is based on sound conservation science and principles.” said DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr.
Wolf advocates remain unconvinced. “Wolves already die at high rates from many causes, including human intolerance and persecution,” said Howling for Wolves president and founder Maureen Hacket, “Minnesotans benefit economically, culturally and ecologically by having wolves in the wild. As a state, we have so much to gain by keeping wolves undisturbed.”
Image Sources: Center for Biological Diversity, MPR, Wolves of the World
Update: October 3- The state has officially requested that the court not block the hunt, saying that the case lacks legal merit.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Boundary Waters Land Swap Passes U.S. House
Though wildfires continue in the north woods, it is legislation, not flames, that may most extensively remake the landscape of northern Minnesota this year.
The U.S. House passed a bill on Wednesday to trade 86,000 acres of state-owned land in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to the federal government, in exchange for an equivalent value of federal land outside of the BWCAW. The deal, which involves some $100 million of real estate, would open land currently under federal protection to economic uses as part of the state's school trust fund. Much of that land is in the southern portion of the Superior National Forest.
When the 1.1 million acre BWCAW was formed in 1978, a patch of land belonging to the state education trust fund was included in the protected area. This cut it off from extractive industry uses such as mining or logging. With the trade, however, the federal government would officially take the patch, while handing over a part of the nearby federal lands to the state for use in the trust fund. Forests held by the school trust fund fund, which at around $27 per student per year generates less than one percent of the state's education budget, are traditionally managed intensively for revenue.
"They can choose to sell the land, they can choose to mine the land, they can choose to lease the land," said Rep. Chip Cravaak, R-North Branch, the bill's sponsor. "Whatever they choose to do will be up to the state and how they want to create revenue. But one thing is for certain, it must create revenue."
The vote was 225-189, split primarily along party lines. Twin Cities Democratic Representatives Keith Ellison (Minneapolis) and Betty McCollum (St. Paul) led the effort in the House against the act. Ellison proposed an amendment which would have forbidden the Forest Service from trading the land if fishing, hunting, or recreational uses were lost, but this amendment was defeated.
The swap is generally supported by northern Minnesota's politicians, mining and timber interests, and the state government. The Minnesota Legislature authorized the deal in April, and Governor Dayton signed the legislation shortly thereafter. Cravaak, whose re-election platform includes bringing more mining jobs to his northern Minnesota district, said the bill was important for boosting the economy and funding education.
"In my school district, there are 40 kids in a classroom. Our school district is down to four days a week," Cravaack said.
Environmental groups, however, oppose the the swap, as do the Fon du Lac band of Ojibwe. Opponents say that the bill is an effort to hand over greater land to mining and timber with less regulatory oversight. In addition, they have criticized the clause in the bill exempting the traded land from the National Environmental Policy Act, and the loss of protections such as the Weeks Act that would come with moving the land to state hands.
"The bill threatens to open the door
for mining companies to conduct dangerous sulfide mining near the
Boundary Waters and inside the Superior National Forest," said Samantha
Chadwick of Environment Minnesota.
In addition, concerns have been raised over the effects of logging and mining on the businesses that support and furnish the recreational use of the area. "This bill puts recreation at risk and the industry that supports it," Ellison said, accusing the trade of placing multinational mining firms above local businesses.
A compromise agreement was proposed last winter, negotiated by the Minnesota DNR, environmental groups, and Superior National Forest. Such a compromise would allow 40 percent of the state land in the BWCAW to be traded, and the other 60 percent to be purchased by the federal government. The revenue of the sale could go the School Trust Fund. The compromise was rejected by lawmakers, however, who opted for a full trade. Representative McCollum criticized the legislature's decision, saying that further negotiation between industry, government, residents, and environmental advocates is necessary.
"There is a stakeholders group in Minnesota that is working to determine if the land proposal is fair and transparent," McCollum said. "They're not at the table, folks."
It is not yet clear if the U.S. Senate will address the issue this year, or whether the executive branch will sign such legislation. Minnesota senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, both Democrats, say that they support the trade and are working on a companion bill to Cravaak's.
Image Sources: Wikimedia, Go Wilderness Journey, and Ecowatch
 |
| A moose surfaces in the Superior National Forest |
When the 1.1 million acre BWCAW was formed in 1978, a patch of land belonging to the state education trust fund was included in the protected area. This cut it off from extractive industry uses such as mining or logging. With the trade, however, the federal government would officially take the patch, while handing over a part of the nearby federal lands to the state for use in the trust fund. Forests held by the school trust fund fund, which at around $27 per student per year generates less than one percent of the state's education budget, are traditionally managed intensively for revenue.
"They can choose to sell the land, they can choose to mine the land, they can choose to lease the land," said Rep. Chip Cravaak, R-North Branch, the bill's sponsor. "Whatever they choose to do will be up to the state and how they want to create revenue. But one thing is for certain, it must create revenue."
 |
| BWCAW and Superior National Forest |
The swap is generally supported by northern Minnesota's politicians, mining and timber interests, and the state government. The Minnesota Legislature authorized the deal in April, and Governor Dayton signed the legislation shortly thereafter. Cravaak, whose re-election platform includes bringing more mining jobs to his northern Minnesota district, said the bill was important for boosting the economy and funding education.
"In my school district, there are 40 kids in a classroom. Our school district is down to four days a week," Cravaack said.
Environmental groups, however, oppose the the swap, as do the Fon du Lac band of Ojibwe. Opponents say that the bill is an effort to hand over greater land to mining and timber with less regulatory oversight. In addition, they have criticized the clause in the bill exempting the traded land from the National Environmental Policy Act, and the loss of protections such as the Weeks Act that would come with moving the land to state hands.
 |
| Advocates have concerns over sulfide mining |
In addition, concerns have been raised over the effects of logging and mining on the businesses that support and furnish the recreational use of the area. "This bill puts recreation at risk and the industry that supports it," Ellison said, accusing the trade of placing multinational mining firms above local businesses.
A compromise agreement was proposed last winter, negotiated by the Minnesota DNR, environmental groups, and Superior National Forest. Such a compromise would allow 40 percent of the state land in the BWCAW to be traded, and the other 60 percent to be purchased by the federal government. The revenue of the sale could go the School Trust Fund. The compromise was rejected by lawmakers, however, who opted for a full trade. Representative McCollum criticized the legislature's decision, saying that further negotiation between industry, government, residents, and environmental advocates is necessary.
"There is a stakeholders group in Minnesota that is working to determine if the land proposal is fair and transparent," McCollum said. "They're not at the table, folks."
It is not yet clear if the U.S. Senate will address the issue this year, or whether the executive branch will sign such legislation. Minnesota senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar, both Democrats, say that they support the trade and are working on a companion bill to Cravaak's.
Image Sources: Wikimedia, Go Wilderness Journey, and Ecowatch
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
DNR Restricts Water Withdrawal.
It's getting dry in the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes- so dry that the Minnesota DNR is taking measures to restrict water usage.
As water levels in rivers and lakes have declined in the face of the long drought, a number of recreational and industrial facilities have been required to suspend pumping from waterways. Although the facilities hold permits that allow them to extract water, these same permits include clauses requiring that such pumping be cut back if water levels fall too low.
"Last week we sent out 16 letters.
And there was one in Hubbard County, Blue Earth, one in Martin, several
in Polk, to surface water users. And they were told then to stop pumping
water as of last Thursday midnight," said Julie Ekman, DNR water
regulations unit supervisor.
While most of the cutbacks are for recreational facilities such as golf courses, industrial water users including Southern Minnesota Construction, Minnesota Pipeline Company, and American Crystal Sugar have been affected as well.
Over half of the state is now in drought, with the south and the northwest being hit particularly hard. DNR climatologist Greg Spoden says that a little rain will not be enough.
“This will take multiple, ample autumn rains for us to replenish our soil moisture reserves,” he said.
More water permits are likely to be suspended if the drought does not relent, said Ekman.
Image Source: MPR
As water levels in rivers and lakes have declined in the face of the long drought, a number of recreational and industrial facilities have been required to suspend pumping from waterways. Although the facilities hold permits that allow them to extract water, these same permits include clauses requiring that such pumping be cut back if water levels fall too low.
 |
| American Crystal Sugar, in Moorhead, is affected by the shortage |
While most of the cutbacks are for recreational facilities such as golf courses, industrial water users including Southern Minnesota Construction, Minnesota Pipeline Company, and American Crystal Sugar have been affected as well.
Over half of the state is now in drought, with the south and the northwest being hit particularly hard. DNR climatologist Greg Spoden says that a little rain will not be enough.
“This will take multiple, ample autumn rains for us to replenish our soil moisture reserves,” he said.
More water permits are likely to be suspended if the drought does not relent, said Ekman.
Image Source: MPR
Monday, September 3, 2012
Boundary Waters Ablaze
There's smoke on the water up north, as dry conditions fuel fire in the Boundary Water Canoe Area.
While the Boundary Waters remain open, officials do not recommend camping near the fire area.
Image Source: KSTP and The Star Tribune
 |
| Crews battled the fire through the day Monday |
The blaze, called the Cummings Lake Fire, started at a camp site between Cummings and Otter Lake on Sunday afternoon, some twelve miles from Ely. It spread rapidly, scorching over 30 acres of pine and spruce forest by Monday afternoon. A team of fourteen firefighters and a helicopter fought through the day to contain the blaze. A control line was completed Monday on the eastern flank of the fire, while aerial suppression held the west until ground crews were able to build another control line there. Crews are working to contain the head of the fire on its northern flank.
The response was immediate, as the Forest Service, already stretched by fires in the western states, fears the blaze may spread out of control given the extremely dry conditions of the wilderness following this long, arid summer.
 |
| The fire has burned over 30 acres |
Thirteen months of drought conditions in the north woods have produced challenging conditions, with fires spreading quickly through green and cured grasses. Even the peat and organic soils are igniting rapidly and burning deep into the ground, said the DNR.
The number of campers in the area is unknown. According to Superior National Forest official Becca Manlove, no structures are immediately threatened by the blaze.
Last year, the BWCA was hit by the Pagami Creek fire, which burned 145 square miles of the north woods after growing out of control. The Forest Service had initial allowed it to burn, believing that the wet conditions at the time would keep it under control as a natural fire. Such natural fires are a normal part of the north woods ecosystem, and help to prevent greater fires by using up fuel and temporarily depleting areas of trees. Sixty to seventy fires affect the Superior National Forest annually. However, the Pagami Creek fire exceeded expectations, becoming Minnesota's largest fire in 93 years.
 |
| A view from Cummings Lake |
A second, smaller fire has been spotted in Quetico Provincial Park, across the border in Ontario. It has burned some 20 acres and is moving north, away from the Boundary Waters. Another small fire was put out near Duluth.
Image Source: KSTP and The Star Tribune
Quick Hits: Green Unionism, Solar Panels, and Malaria Cure
Green Unionism
Today is Labor Day, and any environmental blog would be in deriliction of duty if it did not take the occasion to examine the relationship of the Earth to those who work it. One compelling labor-environmental concept is Green Unionism, a form of community unionism that seeks to link the demands of labor with the environmental concerns of their communities, seeking industrial practices that avoid harm to the planet and environmental policies that avoid harm to the working class. In this way, workers demand not only better conditions on the job, but better conditions in their community, and work in the green movement towards environmental justice. As I wrote for the IWW:
"The needs of the people of Appalachia do not factor into the mining company’s decisions, nor do the needs of the people of Manchuria factor into the decisions of the manufacturing bosses or the State’s party bosses- so the absentee bosses can shift the ecological burden to the working classes, and ignore the costs of production, making a false efficiency from willfully blind industrialism. To the people who live and work in Appalachia or Manchuria, however, the pollution of their air and water, the loss of habitat and wildlife, the losses to public health, are all pressing concerns."
Solar Panels
IBM has developed a new model of high-efficiency thin-film solar panels made with abundant metals. The CZTS panels, made of copper, zinc, and tin, are able to achieve conversion rates of 11.1 percent, a new record in CZTS panel efficiency. The most common thin-film solar panels, CIGS, require 'hitchhiker metals'- indium, gallium, and selenium- that are in limited supply because they are only produced as a byproduct of other mining operations. The CZTS cells, relying on more abundant material, can benefit from mass production and economies of scale more easily. In addition, the metal itself is cheaper, and the production technique itself is simpler than the etching required for silicon cells. With these advantages and further projected increases in efficiency, CZTS cells may pave the way to cheaper solar energy in the future.
Malaria Cure
Researchers in South Africa have found a cure to malaria, in the form of a single pill. While malaria parasites have developed resistance to current multi-drug treatments, this new drug kills the parasite instantly. Says researcher Kelly Chibale, "This is the first ever clinical molecule that’s been discovered out of Africa, by Africans, from a modern pharmaceutical industry drug discovery programme." The World Health Organization estimates that malaria, caused 708,000 - 1,003,000 deaths in 2008. The disease is responsible for 24 percent of child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
Today is Labor Day, and any environmental blog would be in deriliction of duty if it did not take the occasion to examine the relationship of the Earth to those who work it. One compelling labor-environmental concept is Green Unionism, a form of community unionism that seeks to link the demands of labor with the environmental concerns of their communities, seeking industrial practices that avoid harm to the planet and environmental policies that avoid harm to the working class. In this way, workers demand not only better conditions on the job, but better conditions in their community, and work in the green movement towards environmental justice. As I wrote for the IWW:"The needs of the people of Appalachia do not factor into the mining company’s decisions, nor do the needs of the people of Manchuria factor into the decisions of the manufacturing bosses or the State’s party bosses- so the absentee bosses can shift the ecological burden to the working classes, and ignore the costs of production, making a false efficiency from willfully blind industrialism. To the people who live and work in Appalachia or Manchuria, however, the pollution of their air and water, the loss of habitat and wildlife, the losses to public health, are all pressing concerns."
Solar Panels
IBM has developed a new model of high-efficiency thin-film solar panels made with abundant metals. The CZTS panels, made of copper, zinc, and tin, are able to achieve conversion rates of 11.1 percent, a new record in CZTS panel efficiency. The most common thin-film solar panels, CIGS, require 'hitchhiker metals'- indium, gallium, and selenium- that are in limited supply because they are only produced as a byproduct of other mining operations. The CZTS cells, relying on more abundant material, can benefit from mass production and economies of scale more easily. In addition, the metal itself is cheaper, and the production technique itself is simpler than the etching required for silicon cells. With these advantages and further projected increases in efficiency, CZTS cells may pave the way to cheaper solar energy in the future.
Malaria Cure
Researchers in South Africa have found a cure to malaria, in the form of a single pill. While malaria parasites have developed resistance to current multi-drug treatments, this new drug kills the parasite instantly. Says researcher Kelly Chibale, "This is the first ever clinical molecule that’s been discovered out of Africa, by Africans, from a modern pharmaceutical industry drug discovery programme." The World Health Organization estimates that malaria, caused 708,000 - 1,003,000 deaths in 2008. The disease is responsible for 24 percent of child mortality in sub-Saharan Africa.
Cell Phone Tower To Be Built Near Boundary Waters
The sunrise over the Boundary Waters will soon have a companion on the horizon- the blinking light of a cell phone tower. Construction of the tower was effectively approved in August as the Minnesota Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal by environmental advocates to block its construction, ending a long legal struggle over the wilderness area's skyline.
A tower over the wilderness
The tower site lies on a high ridge in Ely, just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. From atop the ridge, the top of the tower will reach 600 feet above the waters of Pipestone Bay, making it visible from ten nearby lakes. Because of federal aviation rules, such a tall tower requires blinking lights attached, to warn planes.
The BWCAW, established in 1964, covers over a million acres and contains more than 1,000 lakes, with hundreds of miles of streams and rivers. It lies in the heart of the Superior National Forest, on the border with Canada. It is the most heavily visited wilderness area in the country, attracting visitors with what the Minnesota legislature calls its “surpassing scenic beauty and solitude, free from substantially all commercial activities and artificial development.”
AT&T officials say that the tower is vital for public safety, improving emergency phone service for campers and canoers in the wilderness, as well as to under-served local residents. They say that a tall tower on the ridge is necessary for the needed coverage given the hilly topography of the region. In addition, court findings state that the ten lakes from which the tower would be visible constitute less than one percent of the BWCAW’s 1,175 lakes.
"We believe the limited impact of the tower is greatly outweighed by the benefits -- including health and safety benefits -- of the improved service it will provide residents and visitors," AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said.
Opponents such as Friends of the Boundary Waters counter that the tower will spoil the scenic value of the Boundary Waters, and that a shorter tower could provide adequate services while preserving the area's skyline.
"We understand the need and would like the tower builders to examine alternative methods to providing service without affecting the BWCAW.", said the environmental organization.
According to District Court findings a pair of unlit 199 foot tall towers could provide more coverage than a single, lit, 450 foot tower, and the increased coverage between a single short tower.
Analysis by AT&T, cited in the findings, found that while the taller tower could be profitable within 38 months, the shorter one would take 63 months to cover costs- three months longer than the company's guidelines for the project.
A long legal battle
The Lake County Board approved the tower in February 2010, in hopes of improving the wilderness's cell phone coverage. The decision of the County Board was made without analysis to the view impacts, and on the basis of statements by AT&T-later found to be false- that the taller tower would deliver 16 times the coverage.
In June of 2010, Friends of the Boundary Waters filed a lawsuit, heard by Hennepin County District Judge Philip Bush, who ruled on the side of the activists, limiting the tower's height to 199 feet and forbidding it from bearing lights. The rationale for that ruling was that a taller tower would violate the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, which allows citizens to sue for legal action to protect natural resources, including scenic areas. Judge Bush ruled that the area's scenic value would be deteriorated and that a taller tower would pose a risk to birds.
That decision was overturned, however, in June of 2012, when the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled in favor of AT&T. While the appeals court did not dispute any of the facts of the the District Court decision, it did reframe them. Citing precedent from Schaller v. Blue Earth County the court judged the case based on five factors:
"(1) The quality and severity of any adverse effects of the proposed action on the natural resources affected; (2) Whether the natural resources affected are rare, unique, endangered, or have historical significance; (3) Whether the proposed action will have long-term adverse effects on natural resources, including whether the affected resources are easily replaceable (for example, by replanting trees or restocking fish); (4) Whether the proposed action will have significant consequential effects on other natural resources (for example, whether wildlife will be lost if its habitat is impaired or destroyed); and (5) Whether the affected natural resources are significantly increasing or decreasing in number, considering the direct and consequential impact of the proposed action."
With these criteria, the appeals court faulted the district court for not addressing the first criteria. It further found fault with the district court's conclusions on the third, fourth, and fifth factors. On the third, regarding permanence, the court noted that removing the tower would remove the damage to the view, and thus the damage was not permanent. Regarding the fourth, effects on wildlife, the court concluded that the number and species of the birds that would be killed by the tower was unknown. Finally, regarding the fifth, the court said that scenic Boundary Water views “are limited and finite resources” that “are not increasing and unless protected they will decrease over time,” but faulted the district court for failing to weight whether this was "significant".
The appeals court ruled that while the second factor, the rareness of the resources affected, was compelling, it alone was not enough to bar the tower's construction, and the 450 foot tower's impacts were therefore insufficient to have "a materially adverse effect on the environment".
Commenting on the decision, environmental advocate and former Friends of the Boundary Waters director Ron Meador said, "By narrowing its review to this single aspect, the appeals court spared itself the trouble of considering such pesky questions as whether one or two shorter towers wouldn’t serve AT&T and its customers just as well as a 450-footer, without any impact on the BWCA."
Although Friends of the Boundary Waters appealed the case to the Minnesota Supreme Court, their request for a hearing was denied, allowing the June 2012 decision to stand.
"We're glad the matter is resolved," said Alex Carey, head of corporate communications for AT&T in Minnesota. "We have believed all along that the larger tower will provide an overall improvements for the residents and visitors of the Boundary Waters."
Friends of the Boundary Waters director Paul Danicic disagrees. "The Supreme Court's decision not to review this case is a disappointment and loss for all of Minnesota's protected natural resources," he said. "This tower is contrary to Minnesota's values of environmental stewardship."
The environmental organization says that they are examining options for next steps.
Image Sources: Capture Minnesota, 123RF, and Quiet Journey,
 |
| A sunrise on Pipestone Bay |
The tower site lies on a high ridge in Ely, just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. From atop the ridge, the top of the tower will reach 600 feet above the waters of Pipestone Bay, making it visible from ten nearby lakes. Because of federal aviation rules, such a tall tower requires blinking lights attached, to warn planes.
The BWCAW, established in 1964, covers over a million acres and contains more than 1,000 lakes, with hundreds of miles of streams and rivers. It lies in the heart of the Superior National Forest, on the border with Canada. It is the most heavily visited wilderness area in the country, attracting visitors with what the Minnesota legislature calls its “surpassing scenic beauty and solitude, free from substantially all commercial activities and artificial development.”
AT&T officials say that the tower is vital for public safety, improving emergency phone service for campers and canoers in the wilderness, as well as to under-served local residents. They say that a tall tower on the ridge is necessary for the needed coverage given the hilly topography of the region. In addition, court findings state that the ten lakes from which the tower would be visible constitute less than one percent of the BWCAW’s 1,175 lakes.
"We believe the limited impact of the tower is greatly outweighed by the benefits -- including health and safety benefits -- of the improved service it will provide residents and visitors," AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said.
Opponents such as Friends of the Boundary Waters counter that the tower will spoil the scenic value of the Boundary Waters, and that a shorter tower could provide adequate services while preserving the area's skyline.
"We understand the need and would like the tower builders to examine alternative methods to providing service without affecting the BWCAW.", said the environmental organization.
According to District Court findings a pair of unlit 199 foot tall towers could provide more coverage than a single, lit, 450 foot tower, and the increased coverage between a single short tower.
Analysis by AT&T, cited in the findings, found that while the taller tower could be profitable within 38 months, the shorter one would take 63 months to cover costs- three months longer than the company's guidelines for the project.
A long legal battle
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| Certain campers enjoy cell phone coverage |
In June of 2010, Friends of the Boundary Waters filed a lawsuit, heard by Hennepin County District Judge Philip Bush, who ruled on the side of the activists, limiting the tower's height to 199 feet and forbidding it from bearing lights. The rationale for that ruling was that a taller tower would violate the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, which allows citizens to sue for legal action to protect natural resources, including scenic areas. Judge Bush ruled that the area's scenic value would be deteriorated and that a taller tower would pose a risk to birds.
That decision was overturned, however, in June of 2012, when the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled in favor of AT&T. While the appeals court did not dispute any of the facts of the the District Court decision, it did reframe them. Citing precedent from Schaller v. Blue Earth County the court judged the case based on five factors:
"(1) The quality and severity of any adverse effects of the proposed action on the natural resources affected; (2) Whether the natural resources affected are rare, unique, endangered, or have historical significance; (3) Whether the proposed action will have long-term adverse effects on natural resources, including whether the affected resources are easily replaceable (for example, by replanting trees or restocking fish); (4) Whether the proposed action will have significant consequential effects on other natural resources (for example, whether wildlife will be lost if its habitat is impaired or destroyed); and (5) Whether the affected natural resources are significantly increasing or decreasing in number, considering the direct and consequential impact of the proposed action."
With these criteria, the appeals court faulted the district court for not addressing the first criteria. It further found fault with the district court's conclusions on the third, fourth, and fifth factors. On the third, regarding permanence, the court noted that removing the tower would remove the damage to the view, and thus the damage was not permanent. Regarding the fourth, effects on wildlife, the court concluded that the number and species of the birds that would be killed by the tower was unknown. Finally, regarding the fifth, the court said that scenic Boundary Water views “are limited and finite resources” that “are not increasing and unless protected they will decrease over time,” but faulted the district court for failing to weight whether this was "significant".
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| The Boundary Waters contains over 1,000 lakes |
The appeals court ruled that while the second factor, the rareness of the resources affected, was compelling, it alone was not enough to bar the tower's construction, and the 450 foot tower's impacts were therefore insufficient to have "a materially adverse effect on the environment".
Commenting on the decision, environmental advocate and former Friends of the Boundary Waters director Ron Meador said, "By narrowing its review to this single aspect, the appeals court spared itself the trouble of considering such pesky questions as whether one or two shorter towers wouldn’t serve AT&T and its customers just as well as a 450-footer, without any impact on the BWCA."
Although Friends of the Boundary Waters appealed the case to the Minnesota Supreme Court, their request for a hearing was denied, allowing the June 2012 decision to stand.
"We're glad the matter is resolved," said Alex Carey, head of corporate communications for AT&T in Minnesota. "We have believed all along that the larger tower will provide an overall improvements for the residents and visitors of the Boundary Waters."
Friends of the Boundary Waters director Paul Danicic disagrees. "The Supreme Court's decision not to review this case is a disappointment and loss for all of Minnesota's protected natural resources," he said. "This tower is contrary to Minnesota's values of environmental stewardship."
The environmental organization says that they are examining options for next steps.
Image Sources: Capture Minnesota, 123RF, and Quiet Journey,
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Quick Hits: Polluters, Plants That Changed MN, California Cap and Trade
California Cap and Trade
California is set to implement a new carbon cap and trade system this November, as part of the state's plan to cut emissions 80 percent by 2050. Unlike carbon emissions trading systems in place in the northeast through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which covers only power plants, the California carbon market will extend to all sectors of the state's economy, including everything from paper mills to universities in the climate struggle. The plan includes measures to use revenues to help industries adopt cleaner technologies. Once the plan is implemented, California will be the second largest carbon market on Earth.
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| Bushmills Ethanol, Inc paid $800,000 for water quality violations |
Polluters
Seven of Minnesota's 72 businesses and individuals who received Pollution Control Agency citations in the first half of 2012 have been profiled by the Star Tribune. These top seven violator, each of whom paid over $10,000 in fines, include air-polluting mines and manufacturers, colleges that improperly disposed of pharmaceutical wastes, and a man who burned down farm buildings containing asbestos, among others.
Plants That Changed Minnesota
A series of lectures on 'The Ten Plants That Changed Minnesota' will be held through mid September to mid November at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (at the University of Minnesota). Expert speakers will discuss plants such as the white pine, wild rice, American elm, and maize. Admission to all lectures is $65 for members and $77 for non-members.
California Cap and Trade
California is set to implement a new carbon cap and trade system this November, as part of the state's plan to cut emissions 80 percent by 2050. Unlike carbon emissions trading systems in place in the northeast through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which covers only power plants, the California carbon market will extend to all sectors of the state's economy, including everything from paper mills to universities in the climate struggle. The plan includes measures to use revenues to help industries adopt cleaner technologies. Once the plan is implemented, California will be the second largest carbon market on Earth.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Ikea Installs Largest Solar Installation in Minnesota
The Ikea store in Bloomington now plays host not only to chairs and tables, but also to Minnesota's largest solar installation.
The installation, which covers an area of 142,000 square feet, was designed and installed by SoCare Energy, a commercial photovoltaic developer based in Chicago. With 4,316 PV modules, it is expected to produce, annually, approximately 1,161,328 kWh.
The panels are Ikea's 31st solar project in the US. Around 70 percent of the company's US stores use rooftop PV systems for their energy. That figure will jump to 89 percent when the eight solar projects the company is currently building are completed. Those eight installations will raise Ikea's solar capacity to 38MW in the US. Ikea has allocated €590 million towards renewable energy investments for the next three years, and has to date installed over 250,000 PV modules globally.
Solar energy is one part of Ikea's efforts to go green, which have included recycling over 80 percent of waste generated in stores, ensuring that over 70 percent of products are recyclable, made of recycled products, or both, seeking to set strict company-wide emissions standards, and setting minimum environmental and labor standards for suppliers.
Image Source: Clean Technica
The installation, which covers an area of 142,000 square feet, was designed and installed by SoCare Energy, a commercial photovoltaic developer based in Chicago. With 4,316 PV modules, it is expected to produce, annually, approximately 1,161,328 kWh.Solar energy is one part of Ikea's efforts to go green, which have included recycling over 80 percent of waste generated in stores, ensuring that over 70 percent of products are recyclable, made of recycled products, or both, seeking to set strict company-wide emissions standards, and setting minimum environmental and labor standards for suppliers.
Image Source: Clean Technica
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
EPA to Intervene in Minnesota Haze Management
Minnesota's national parks may be breathing easier soon, as the Environmental Protection Agency moves to enforce stricter regulations on air quality, targeting the haze formed largely by the emissions of taconite facilities and coal-fired power plants.
The EPA is required, under the 1977 amendments to the Clean Air Act, to work with states to maintain certain standards of air quality in national parks and other wilderness areas. However, the three areas in and around Minnesota that warrant this special protection- the Boundary Waters, Isle Royale, and Voyageurs- suffer from haze driven by emissions from Minnesota and other states in the region.
The pollutants in the haze, primarily sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, reduce visibility in the scenic parks. They also, at certain levels, contribute to athsma attacks, bronchitis, respiratory illness, and heart attacks.
A clear day (left) and hazy day (right) at Voyageurs National Park
Minnesota's regulations on the haze producers, written after over three decades of failing to comply with federal mandates, are built on the conclusion that the 'best available retrofit technology' (BART) for the taconite industry is too expensive to be feasible. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's 2003 report on the issue, written by Barr Engineering, concludes that the "The affordability of BART must be analyzed on a site-specific basis. Given the current economics of the industry, a significant cost burden associated with BART could impact the future viability of the industry." Instead of retrofitting the plants, the MPCA require them to use 'good combustion practices' with existing technology at six taconite firms- in other words, to run technology that is not the cleanest available, in as clean a way as possible. At five coal-fired power plants, the state requires no action. Minnesota's plan also includes participation in an emissions trading program, which allows firms to buy pollution allowances. The MPCA's approach has been derided by critics as "requiring Xcel and the taconite people to do-essentially- nothing". The proposed rules also sustained criticism by the National Park Service and Forest Service. The two agencies made a statement last March, asking the state to reconsider its rules and stating that the "The methodology used by the MPCA results in emissions limits that are too high".
The state's plan, and its long-standing failure to fulfill the requirements of the Clean Air Act, sparked legal action by a coalition of environmental organizations earlier this month, asking that the federal government step in and mandate compliance with the Clean Air Act's technology-based regulations.
Now, the EPA is invoking the right to impose a Federal Implementation Plan, a rarely used override of state regulatory agencies who fail to carry out the law. The EPA plan, which the government must approve by November 15th, requires the plants upgrade their technology to cleaner alternatives, on a rolling deadline of up to five years. Such technologies include scrubbers to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, and the low-NOx burner, which can cut nitrogen oxide emissions from a furnace by up to 70 percent. The regulations would target the taconite faciltiies and coal fired power plants responsible for most of Minnesota's haze-causing emissions.
Cliffs Natural Resources, one of the state's taconite firms, has spoken in opposition to the EPA's regulations. Their attorney, Douglas McWilliams, says that it will take months to design a burner system that can work for the furnaces, and even longer to determine costs and likely emissions reductions. The says tghat their engineers are unsure if the furnaces can be retrofitted with the burners at all. McWilliams suggested that the EPA use the state's less strict plans instead.
"These two states, Michigan and Minnesota, have decades of direct experience regulating taconite mines and their pelletizing furnaces that EPA cannot hope to replicate.", he said. "Minnesota and Michigan are in a better position to assess the time and resources that it will take to evaluate the next generation of emission controls for this industry."
Hibbing Taconite Co, operated by CNR.
Environmental advocate Alan Muller, in a recent op ed in the TC Daily Planet, agrees, saying that "This is an inexpensive approach: The cost per ton is a few hundred dollars against EPA criteria of a few thousand dollars."
Environmental attorney Kevin Reuther, who represents the National Parks Conservation Association, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, and other environmental organizations, says that the EPA's rules are necessary because the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is unable to deal with the haze problem.
"With this particular industry, it's really hard for the MPCA to get it right. EPA had to come in and say look, this is not the best available retrofit technology, you haven't identified any technology, the state plan didn't require them to do anything," Reuther said. "That's why the EPA has this backstop role when the states don't act according to law. And that's what happened here."
Public comment will be taken until September 28, 2012. Comments can be sent to aburano.douglas@epa.gov.
Image Sources: MinnPost and Star Tribune
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Energy Solutions Home on Display at State Fair
Builders, environmentalists, and anybody who pays for electricity will have a new exhibition to look forward to at this year's state fair- a home sized demonstration of energy efficiency.
The Energy Solutions Home, part of the Eco Experience exhibit, is a partnership of public agencies, contractors, retailers, utilities, advocacy groups, and other parties, presented by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. will show a range of energy-saving technologies. There will be a Green Materials and Efficient Appliances Display, a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Condition Display, and a Sustainability Stage for demonstrations. Miniature gardens displaying rain barrels and drip irrigation take the efficiency not only to electricity, but to water as well.
Visitors can even assess their home's performance and look at possible upgrades, including advice on how to finance such upgrades, and a hands-on display that allows fair-goers to tell if their home has good solar potential.
Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman says, "This exhibit is specifically designed to help Minnesota homeowners discover cost-effective ways to improve your home's efficiency and save money."
The Energy Solutions Home will be open August 23-September 3. Daily schedules of fair exhibits, including sustainability exhibits, can be found at this link on the State Fair website, while daily themes for the exhibit can be found here.
Image Source: Windustry
The Energy Solutions Home, part of the Eco Experience exhibit, is a partnership of public agencies, contractors, retailers, utilities, advocacy groups, and other parties, presented by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. will show a range of energy-saving technologies. There will be a Green Materials and Efficient Appliances Display, a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Condition Display, and a Sustainability Stage for demonstrations. Miniature gardens displaying rain barrels and drip irrigation take the efficiency not only to electricity, but to water as well. Visitors can even assess their home's performance and look at possible upgrades, including advice on how to finance such upgrades, and a hands-on display that allows fair-goers to tell if their home has good solar potential.
Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman says, "This exhibit is specifically designed to help Minnesota homeowners discover cost-effective ways to improve your home's efficiency and save money."
The Energy Solutions Home will be open August 23-September 3. Daily schedules of fair exhibits, including sustainability exhibits, can be found at this link on the State Fair website, while daily themes for the exhibit can be found here.
Image Source: Windustry
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Quick Hits- Frogs, Student Hunger, and Wind
Frogs
Research at North Dakota State University is finding a correlation between habitat availability and gene pool size in northern leopard frogs. Gene pool size is important because a large, diverse gene pool creates a more resilient population that can overcome stresses and adversity more easily. This research may prove valuable as frogs experience habitat loss from the conversion of marshes and prairies into crop production (driven by high food prices), and dry conditions strangle wetlands.
Student Hunger
With youth unemployment high, college debt a crushing burden, and a degree not quite worth what it used to be, college graduates have become a small but growing demographic of the recipients of the Supplemental Assistance Food Program, more commonly known as food stamps. The program is currently at a record high of over 46 million recipients. Although these students are a small minority of those in the program, their participation is growing at a rate faster than that of people their same age with less education (and less debt).
Wind
The Twin Ports (Duluth-Superior) are experiencing a boost in shipping as wind farm projects across the country rush to finish construction before a federal tax incentive ends. The incentive, which provides a break of 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour, is to expire at the end of the year. While the wind industry has seen significant growth in recent years, roughly doubling its capacity between 2008 and 2011, the end of the tax credit could spell hardship for the industry.
Image Source: National Park Service
Research at North Dakota State University is finding a correlation between habitat availability and gene pool size in northern leopard frogs. Gene pool size is important because a large, diverse gene pool creates a more resilient population that can overcome stresses and adversity more easily. This research may prove valuable as frogs experience habitat loss from the conversion of marshes and prairies into crop production (driven by high food prices), and dry conditions strangle wetlands.Student Hunger
With youth unemployment high, college debt a crushing burden, and a degree not quite worth what it used to be, college graduates have become a small but growing demographic of the recipients of the Supplemental Assistance Food Program, more commonly known as food stamps. The program is currently at a record high of over 46 million recipients. Although these students are a small minority of those in the program, their participation is growing at a rate faster than that of people their same age with less education (and less debt).
Wind
The Twin Ports (Duluth-Superior) are experiencing a boost in shipping as wind farm projects across the country rush to finish construction before a federal tax incentive ends. The incentive, which provides a break of 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour, is to expire at the end of the year. While the wind industry has seen significant growth in recent years, roughly doubling its capacity between 2008 and 2011, the end of the tax credit could spell hardship for the industry.
Image Source: National Park Service
Ash Borers Found at Fort Snelling Golf Course
Emerald ash borers have made their way to yet another victim- the Fort Snelling Golf Club.
The infestation, reported by a forestry employee of the Minnesota Parks and Recreation Board, is the first new infestation of the year, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The damage is extensive- officials believe they will have to cut down over 100 trees in the area- the course could lose over a fourth of its trees. In the words of Ralph Sievert, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board's Director of Forestry, “We haven’t had any tree look this bad in the areas where we’ve been dealing it with so far.”
Hennepin County, where the infestation was found, is one of four counties already under quarantine, with exports of firewood and ash tree limbs forbidden. However, because the infested trees are close to the border of Dakota County, the Department of Agriculture will conduct a survey to determine if the infestation has spread there, as well. The Department has determined that the infestation at the golf club started some five years ago.
“It is something we’re going to continue to find in new places,”
says Mark Abrahamson, an entomologist. “We’re not going to get rid of this
bug. If we can slow it down and so that it can spread slower, it will do
us a lot of good.”
The emerald ash borer arrived in the United States through Detroit in the 1990s and has since spread to fifteen states and two Canadian provinces. North America's ash trees have no resistance to the pest, and millions of trees have already succumbed. In the Minneapolis and Saint Paul together, over 5,000 infested trees have already been culled. Hoping to avoid a repeat of the devastation from previous tree epidemics such as Dutch elm disease, the state has explored avenues ranging from bug-detecting dogs to predatory wasps.
Information on recognizing an infestation can be found at the DNR website. Anyone who suspects their trees are infested is asked to contact the Department of Agriculture. The email address is arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us
Image Source: NYS DEC and Emerald Ash Borer Info
The infestation, reported by a forestry employee of the Minnesota Parks and Recreation Board, is the first new infestation of the year, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The damage is extensive- officials believe they will have to cut down over 100 trees in the area- the course could lose over a fourth of its trees. In the words of Ralph Sievert, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board's Director of Forestry, “We haven’t had any tree look this bad in the areas where we’ve been dealing it with so far.”Hennepin County, where the infestation was found, is one of four counties already under quarantine, with exports of firewood and ash tree limbs forbidden. However, because the infested trees are close to the border of Dakota County, the Department of Agriculture will conduct a survey to determine if the infestation has spread there, as well. The Department has determined that the infestation at the golf club started some five years ago.
The emerald ash borer arrived in the United States through Detroit in the 1990s and has since spread to fifteen states and two Canadian provinces. North America's ash trees have no resistance to the pest, and millions of trees have already succumbed. In the Minneapolis and Saint Paul together, over 5,000 infested trees have already been culled. Hoping to avoid a repeat of the devastation from previous tree epidemics such as Dutch elm disease, the state has explored avenues ranging from bug-detecting dogs to predatory wasps.
Information on recognizing an infestation can be found at the DNR website. Anyone who suspects their trees are infested is asked to contact the Department of Agriculture. The email address is arrest.the.pest@state.mn.us
Image Source: NYS DEC and Emerald Ash Borer Info
Monday, August 20, 2012
XCel Ending Key Solar Support Program
XCel Energy's 'Solar Rewards' program, which has offered a boon to Minnesota's renewable energy producers and installers, may soon come to an end.
According to the Solar Minnesota Coalition, the state's solar potential is comparable to that of Florida and greater than that of Germany, the world's leading producer of solar power, but most of this potential is untapped. The Solar Rewards program gives businesses and homeowners rebates, upfront, for installing panels. This is designed to make the panels more affordable, nurturing the growing industry. It also provides XCel, who buys the energy, with a solar supply.
However, XCel now says that the program, which has cost $5 million annually, has been successful in meeting its goals. The company will be rolling back the rebates, ending them entirely by 2014. Though Minnesota's Department of Commerce will hold a hearing preliminary ruling later this month and a final decision in October, XCel says that the company has no obligation to continue its voluntary subsidy.
The rollback has Gary Shaver, president Silicon Energy, worried. The company, based in Washington state, has a manufacturing facility in Mountain Iron, a small town in the Iron Range. "For us, that will be damaging to where we consider whether or not it makes sense to manufacture in Minnesota", he says, citing worries that the demand will drop without the subsidy keeping prices low."We have an innovative product, but still, we're a small manufacturer. So, to pull that out right now is to really destroy a business plan where you're talking about working at a local level to innovate toward the future." Silicon Energy has already downsized their Mountain Iron factory from 15 to 11 workers in anticipation of the lower demand.
Part of the problem, Shaver says, is the competition American solar panel companies face from cheap imports from places like China. China's cheap solar manufacturing, which has captured over half of the world demand for solar, has also caused problems for domestic producers in Germany, and reduced European and North American solar R&D spending. The Chinese solar industry enjoys considerable subsidies, and eschews many environmental regulations that US firms follow, bringing cheap solar at the cost of intense water and air pollution in China's cities, and devastating villages near the mines where the rare earth metals essential to solar are extracted. In a very real sense, the current Chinese cheap solar, like cheap fossil fuels, is given the 'subsidy' of ignoring its social and environmental externalities.
In response to cheap Chinese imports, the US government has placed a controversial tariff of over 30% on Chinese panels, accusing the Chinese companies of price dumping to deliberately drive competitors out of business. The tariff could harm the growth of solar power, the price of which has fallen by half in the last five years, becoming in some cases competitive with fossil fuels. On the other hand, the long-term effects of allowing the stagnation of American an European solar development and production could themselves be harmful both to the technological advancement of renewable energy and to the popular goal of energy independence. Shaver fears that ending XCel's program could further disadvantage American solar.
Not all solar manufacturers share Shaver's concerns regarding the end of the program. Joel Cannon, CEO of Minneapolis-based firm tenKsolar, says of the rollback, "It's definitely not what's keeping me up at night." However, his company keeps their costs low in part by using Chinese labor for the company's lower-skilled tasks, leaving the skilled jobs to their Minneapolis factory. They also focus on out-of-state markets with strong incentive programs, such as Tennessee, California, Massachusetts, Romania, and Japan.
XCel, for its part, acknowledges that the end of the program will likely stagnate Minnesota's solar growth. Regional company VP Laura McCarten suggests that the state will have to make changes to promote the industry:"From a public policy standpoint, it really needs to be looked at with a fresh eye the regulatory framework, the incentive mechanism, and then how does this work and who should really pay for it."
While the program remains in place, information on it can be found at XCel's website.
Image Sources: Clean Energy Resource Teams, Made In USA News, and CSB/SJU
According to the Solar Minnesota Coalition, the state's solar potential is comparable to that of Florida and greater than that of Germany, the world's leading producer of solar power, but most of this potential is untapped. The Solar Rewards program gives businesses and homeowners rebates, upfront, for installing panels. This is designed to make the panels more affordable, nurturing the growing industry. It also provides XCel, who buys the energy, with a solar supply.
Solar capacity has been installed at St. John's University
However, XCel now says that the program, which has cost $5 million annually, has been successful in meeting its goals. The company will be rolling back the rebates, ending them entirely by 2014. Though Minnesota's Department of Commerce will hold a hearing preliminary ruling later this month and a final decision in October, XCel says that the company has no obligation to continue its voluntary subsidy.
The rollback has Gary Shaver, president Silicon Energy, worried. The company, based in Washington state, has a manufacturing facility in Mountain Iron, a small town in the Iron Range. "For us, that will be damaging to where we consider whether or not it makes sense to manufacture in Minnesota", he says, citing worries that the demand will drop without the subsidy keeping prices low."We have an innovative product, but still, we're a small manufacturer. So, to pull that out right now is to really destroy a business plan where you're talking about working at a local level to innovate toward the future." Silicon Energy has already downsized their Mountain Iron factory from 15 to 11 workers in anticipation of the lower demand.
Silicon Energy workers in Mountain Iron
Part of the problem, Shaver says, is the competition American solar panel companies face from cheap imports from places like China. China's cheap solar manufacturing, which has captured over half of the world demand for solar, has also caused problems for domestic producers in Germany, and reduced European and North American solar R&D spending. The Chinese solar industry enjoys considerable subsidies, and eschews many environmental regulations that US firms follow, bringing cheap solar at the cost of intense water and air pollution in China's cities, and devastating villages near the mines where the rare earth metals essential to solar are extracted. In a very real sense, the current Chinese cheap solar, like cheap fossil fuels, is given the 'subsidy' of ignoring its social and environmental externalities.
In response to cheap Chinese imports, the US government has placed a controversial tariff of over 30% on Chinese panels, accusing the Chinese companies of price dumping to deliberately drive competitors out of business. The tariff could harm the growth of solar power, the price of which has fallen by half in the last five years, becoming in some cases competitive with fossil fuels. On the other hand, the long-term effects of allowing the stagnation of American an European solar development and production could themselves be harmful both to the technological advancement of renewable energy and to the popular goal of energy independence. Shaver fears that ending XCel's program could further disadvantage American solar.
Workers construct panels in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province
Not all solar manufacturers share Shaver's concerns regarding the end of the program. Joel Cannon, CEO of Minneapolis-based firm tenKsolar, says of the rollback, "It's definitely not what's keeping me up at night." However, his company keeps their costs low in part by using Chinese labor for the company's lower-skilled tasks, leaving the skilled jobs to their Minneapolis factory. They also focus on out-of-state markets with strong incentive programs, such as Tennessee, California, Massachusetts, Romania, and Japan.
XCel, for its part, acknowledges that the end of the program will likely stagnate Minnesota's solar growth. Regional company VP Laura McCarten suggests that the state will have to make changes to promote the industry:"From a public policy standpoint, it really needs to be looked at with a fresh eye the regulatory framework, the incentive mechanism, and then how does this work and who should really pay for it."
While the program remains in place, information on it can be found at XCel's website.
Image Sources: Clean Energy Resource Teams, Made In USA News, and CSB/SJU
Friday, August 17, 2012
State Asked to Conduct Frac Sand Study
The Environmental Quality Board has been asked to conduct a study on the frac sand mining. Such a study would delve into the environmental, socioeconomic, and health impacts of the growing extractive industry.
Fine silica sand, which is found in the southeast corner of Minnesota as well as across Wisconsin and parts of Iowa, has long been used to make glass and abrasives. More recently, however, it has found expanded demand as a part of the controversial natural gas extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
Silica sand mine in Chippewa County, Wisconsin
Fracking is a process in which a mixture of silica sand, water, and fracking fluid (which contains hundreds of compounds, many of which are proprietary and thus not disclosed to the public), is pumped into holes deep drilled into the ground. There it creates high pressure, fracturing the rock and releasing pockets of natural gas.
The method has drawn fire from environmental advocacy groups for its environmental impact. This includes effects on air quality, the contamination of groundwater, the status of natural gas as a greenhouse-gas-emitting fossil fuel, and even for causing earthquakes in some locations. Proponents of natural gas, however, insist that it is a transition fuel, noting that burning natural gas releases half the carbon dioxide of burning oil, and that it is a cheap energy source of which the US has significant reserves. Some officials even credit natural gas with the recent decline of US emissions to a 20 year low as new gas exploration has cut the price per unit by more than half over the last four years.
Miner preparing holes for blasting
While proponents and opponents of fracking debate, however, Minnesota and Wisconsin have become the center of a frac sand boom, with mines opening across the silica sand region to fuel the booming fracking industry. In response, some counties in Minnesota have already imposed moratoriums. In the words of Kristin Eide-Tollefson of the planning commission of Goodhue County's Florence Townships, "These permits just start flooding these communities once the doors are open". She says that local governments need more information. Concerns have been raised over the sand mines, not only for their role in the fracking industry, but also for their effects on surrounding communities, such as increased truck traffic, respiratory illness such as silicosis, and the loss of ecosystem services from the sand hills' water filtering. Although the mines must follow the rules protecting navigable waterways, accidental spills have also raised concerns. In addition, concerns have been raised over the mine's effect on the habitat of the endangered Karner blue butterfly.
The sand mining industry, though, says that the existing rules already do a good job of protecting the environment, and that regulations could affect investment and jobs. Rich Budinger of the Wisconsin Industrial Sand Company, regarding the moratoriums that some countries have imposed, says, "Resources at that point are sometimes redirected into areas where counties and townships understand non-metallic mining and industrial sand mining, and understand that regulations are in place to pretty much protect the safety and the environment of the region". He claims that a study like the one being proposed would take time and have an effect similar to the moratoriums.
Image Sources: FracSandFrisbee and MPR
Haze Reduction Plan Subject to Lawsuit
A new plan for reducing haze in Minnesota's wilderness areas and national parks is prompting legal action from environmental groups who claim it is not strict enough.
The lawsuit was filed in the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals by a coalition of several environmental organizations, such as the National Parks Conservation Association. The heart of the controversy lies in the difference between federal haze rules, which use the 'command-and-control' technique of mandating that plants install the best available control technology, and the cross-state air pollution rule, a different program which allows more flexibility through trading of pollution credits.
Under federal environmental laws, Minnesota is required to make progress on reducing haze in certain national parks, such as the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs NP, which have suffered from vision-obscuring air pollution from industry and vehicles. According to the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, this haze is also a public health hazard, being linked to asthma and heart problems.
To comply with the federal mandates, Minnesota has submitted a Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) to the EPA. The plan centers around the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, a system for trading of certain types of emissions.
Trading of pollution permits, commonly known as 'cap and trade', is controversial in part because it allows some firms to buy 'permission to pollute' from other firms that have not used all of their own permits. According to some critics, this creates a tendency for pollution 'hot spots' in certain areas (though a recent study at Indiana University disputed this claim). However, cap and trade also allows reductions in overall smog to take place where it is cheapest- if one plant can reduce emissions for a lower price than another, it can do so and sell its permits to the other plant.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
Image Sources: Earthjustice
The lawsuit was filed in the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals by a coalition of several environmental organizations, such as the National Parks Conservation Association. The heart of the controversy lies in the difference between federal haze rules, which use the 'command-and-control' technique of mandating that plants install the best available control technology, and the cross-state air pollution rule, a different program which allows more flexibility through trading of pollution credits.
Clear day and hazy day at Voyageurs National Park
Under federal environmental laws, Minnesota is required to make progress on reducing haze in certain national parks, such as the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs NP, which have suffered from vision-obscuring air pollution from industry and vehicles. According to the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, this haze is also a public health hazard, being linked to asthma and heart problems.
To comply with the federal mandates, Minnesota has submitted a Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) to the EPA. The plan centers around the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, a system for trading of certain types of emissions.
Trading of pollution permits, commonly known as 'cap and trade', is controversial in part because it allows some firms to buy 'permission to pollute' from other firms that have not used all of their own permits. According to some critics, this creates a tendency for pollution 'hot spots' in certain areas (though a recent study at Indiana University disputed this claim). However, cap and trade also allows reductions in overall smog to take place where it is cheapest- if one plant can reduce emissions for a lower price than another, it can do so and sell its permits to the other plant.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
Image Sources: Earthjustice
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Brainerd's Energy Innovation- Sewer Power
The city of Brainerd has been flushing money down the drain- or so say those advocating an overlooked resource to heat and cool the city's buildings through Minnesota's bitter winters and increasingly hot summers. That resource is the sewers.
Scott Sjolund is technology supervisor Brainerd Public Utilities, which has already been using heat from waste water to heat its buildings and clear sidewalks of ice. He explains: "Everybody heats water up ... and all that gets drained down the sewer, and that's potential energy that could be extracted. That's part of the equation." The other part is harnessing it most effectively.
Hidden Fuels, a company based in the city, has an idea. The company, which received a $45,000 grant from the federal government and formed a partnership with the city and school district in 2009, has already used a series of sensors to map out the flow of heat in the sewers and find the hot spots. Peter Nelson of Hidden Fuels says, "It shows that there's a significant amount of energy — literally enough to heat hundreds of homes — within the streets of the city of Brainerd". There's enough heart in one pipe to heat the entire high school, according to Earl Wollert, the Brainerd School district director of buildings and grounds.
Hidden Fuels intends to use the energy by running water through a heat pump, running a turbine that generates the electricity that will heat or cool the building. It is similar to the use of geothermal energy, but with a bonus- the Brainerd sewer water, at 42-66 degrees Fahrenheit, is already generally in the temperature range. According to John Lund of the Oregon Institute of Technology, using the sewer water could cut costs in half compared to regular geothermal.
There remain some drawbacks, however. One is the use of dirty water. Prior to now, geothermal systems have generally used clean water. In the words of Nelson, "We're dealing with contaminated fluids. And so that's really the challenge ... to be able to operate efficiently in that contaminated environment." The company intends to extract the energy in a closed system with a clean glycol process, reducing odor concerns.
Another possible problem is that with natural gas prices as low as they are, even the reduced-cost sewer power may be more costly than natural gas. Even though heating the school alone could save around $18,000 annually, it could still take years to break even compared to the cost of natural gas- though such calculations neglect the significant environmental costs of natural gas and the controversial fracking method by which it is gathered.
Regardless, with the price of fossil fuels in the future uncertain, the project is slated to be a long-term investment. Hidden Fuels plans to have the police station heated by the end of the year, with the school also on the agenda. In the Brainerd of tomorrow, the streets may not be paved with gold, but gold may certainly flow under them.
Image Sources: The Gilbert Lodge Blog, MPR
Scott Sjolund is technology supervisor Brainerd Public Utilities, which has already been using heat from waste water to heat its buildings and clear sidewalks of ice. He explains: "Everybody heats water up ... and all that gets drained down the sewer, and that's potential energy that could be extracted. That's part of the equation." The other part is harnessing it most effectively.
Brainerd's signature water tower, known as 'Paul Bunyan's Cup'
Hidden Fuels, a company based in the city, has an idea. The company, which received a $45,000 grant from the federal government and formed a partnership with the city and school district in 2009, has already used a series of sensors to map out the flow of heat in the sewers and find the hot spots. Peter Nelson of Hidden Fuels says, "It shows that there's a significant amount of energy — literally enough to heat hundreds of homes — within the streets of the city of Brainerd". There's enough heart in one pipe to heat the entire high school, according to Earl Wollert, the Brainerd School district director of buildings and grounds.
Hidden Fuels intends to use the energy by running water through a heat pump, running a turbine that generates the electricity that will heat or cool the building. It is similar to the use of geothermal energy, but with a bonus- the Brainerd sewer water, at 42-66 degrees Fahrenheit, is already generally in the temperature range. According to John Lund of the Oregon Institute of Technology, using the sewer water could cut costs in half compared to regular geothermal.
Jeffry Aga, Alan Cibuzar, and Peter Nelson of Hidden Fuels
There remain some drawbacks, however. One is the use of dirty water. Prior to now, geothermal systems have generally used clean water. In the words of Nelson, "We're dealing with contaminated fluids. And so that's really the challenge ... to be able to operate efficiently in that contaminated environment." The company intends to extract the energy in a closed system with a clean glycol process, reducing odor concerns.
Another possible problem is that with natural gas prices as low as they are, even the reduced-cost sewer power may be more costly than natural gas. Even though heating the school alone could save around $18,000 annually, it could still take years to break even compared to the cost of natural gas- though such calculations neglect the significant environmental costs of natural gas and the controversial fracking method by which it is gathered.
Regardless, with the price of fossil fuels in the future uncertain, the project is slated to be a long-term investment. Hidden Fuels plans to have the police station heated by the end of the year, with the school also on the agenda. In the Brainerd of tomorrow, the streets may not be paved with gold, but gold may certainly flow under them.
Image Sources: The Gilbert Lodge Blog, MPR
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Amish Fight Back Against Frac Sand
Controversy brews in Winona as the local Amish community objects to plans to construct a new frac sand rail yard.
The 300-acre facility, run by Minnesota company Farm2Rail, is being planned to handle the washing and loading of the fine silica sand used in fracking. The fracking process works by injecting a mixture of frac sand, water, and a fracking fluid (a mixture of hundreds of different chemicals, many of which are proprietary) into the earth, breaking up the rock and releasing pockets of natural gas for extraction. The process has drawn criticism for its environmental effects, including air pollution, water contamination by leaking containment ponds, and the triggering of earthquakes by waste water disposal wells. The fracking industry itself has drawn scrutiny for the so-called Halliburton Loophole, an exemption from key protections in the Safe Drinking Water Act passed under the Bush administration.
Just ten miles away from where the immense new facility is to be built, sits a farming community of some 60 Amish families, a countryside the Winona Daily News describes as 'a place of horse drawn buggies and one-room school houses'. It is one of Minnesota's 13 Amish communities, an interdependent network clustered in Winona and Fillmore Counties- counties that are now becoming home to a 'sand rush' to feed the growing natural gas industry. The yard will service sand coming from the new mining operations that have sprung up across northwestern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, turning the region- home of environmental philosopher Aldo Leopold's Sand County- into a new leading source of frac material, bringing new jobs in a tough economy.
Those in neighboring communities, however, have reasons to be uneasy about their new industrial neighbors. The sand is known to cause respiratory illness such as silicosis. In addition, the cleaning process the sand will go through at the facility is highly water-intensive, raising concerns about the ongoing issue of water scarcity.
Amish scholar Lee Zook, a retired sociology professor from Luther College notes that the heavy traffic from the facility can disrupt communities that are dependent on one another, and contends that the facility "is going to be extremely disruptive in terms not only transportation, but also just noise levels". Local farmer Daniel Gingrich says that the biggest issue is safety- "They're talking a minimum of 400 to 800 trucks a day. Every minute or so, there'd be a truck going, and we have our school children on the road". The Amish are joined in their opposition by a group of residents who would share Cherokee Road with the facility if it were built, citing declining property values, traffic, and environmental risks.
Gingrich reports that not only has the company made plans to build the facility, but they have contacted the farmers with offers to buy rights to their lands, bringing the mining into the community itself.
As of June 27th, the St Charles Township Board of Supervisors voted against transferring the 300 acres of land for the facility to the city of St Charles. The project may continue if the city finds another way to procure the land, or if Farm2Rail receives a permit from the county. Until that decision is made, the future of the rail yard- and of St. Charles' Amish community- remains in limbo.
Image source: Minnesota Public Radio
The 300-acre facility, run by Minnesota company Farm2Rail, is being planned to handle the washing and loading of the fine silica sand used in fracking. The fracking process works by injecting a mixture of frac sand, water, and a fracking fluid (a mixture of hundreds of different chemicals, many of which are proprietary) into the earth, breaking up the rock and releasing pockets of natural gas for extraction. The process has drawn criticism for its environmental effects, including air pollution, water contamination by leaking containment ponds, and the triggering of earthquakes by waste water disposal wells. The fracking industry itself has drawn scrutiny for the so-called Halliburton Loophole, an exemption from key protections in the Safe Drinking Water Act passed under the Bush administration.
'Mount frac' in the nearby city of Winona
Just ten miles away from where the immense new facility is to be built, sits a farming community of some 60 Amish families, a countryside the Winona Daily News describes as 'a place of horse drawn buggies and one-room school houses'. It is one of Minnesota's 13 Amish communities, an interdependent network clustered in Winona and Fillmore Counties- counties that are now becoming home to a 'sand rush' to feed the growing natural gas industry. The yard will service sand coming from the new mining operations that have sprung up across northwestern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota, turning the region- home of environmental philosopher Aldo Leopold's Sand County- into a new leading source of frac material, bringing new jobs in a tough economy.
Those in neighboring communities, however, have reasons to be uneasy about their new industrial neighbors. The sand is known to cause respiratory illness such as silicosis. In addition, the cleaning process the sand will go through at the facility is highly water-intensive, raising concerns about the ongoing issue of water scarcity.
Amish scholar Lee Zook, a retired sociology professor from Luther College notes that the heavy traffic from the facility can disrupt communities that are dependent on one another, and contends that the facility "is going to be extremely disruptive in terms not only transportation, but also just noise levels". Local farmer Daniel Gingrich says that the biggest issue is safety- "They're talking a minimum of 400 to 800 trucks a day. Every minute or so, there'd be a truck going, and we have our school children on the road". The Amish are joined in their opposition by a group of residents who would share Cherokee Road with the facility if it were built, citing declining property values, traffic, and environmental risks.
Gingrich reports that not only has the company made plans to build the facility, but they have contacted the farmers with offers to buy rights to their lands, bringing the mining into the community itself.
As of June 27th, the St Charles Township Board of Supervisors voted against transferring the 300 acres of land for the facility to the city of St Charles. The project may continue if the city finds another way to procure the land, or if Farm2Rail receives a permit from the county. Until that decision is made, the future of the rail yard- and of St. Charles' Amish community- remains in limbo.
Image source: Minnesota Public Radio
Having
a large industrial installment next to this kind of typical, idyllic,
kind of farming community, is going to be extremely disruptive in terms
of not only transportation, but also just noise levels.
Source: Desmogblog (http://s.tt/1htDx)
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