America's Most Endangered Rivers - (Page 29) The Minnesota and Global Wa r m i n g In the near term, water withdrawals for the proposed coalfired power plant will compound evaporative losses resulting from higher temperatures, threatening the river’s water supply and recreation benefits. The plant also would intensify global warming impacts in the future. If built today, this plant will likely be in operation for 50 years. Five decades of greenhouse gas emissions will make it more difficult to avoid catastrophic climate change. Wind and biomass energy would be a safer choice for the Minnesota River and surrounding communities both now and in the future. plant would withdraw up to 3.2 billion gallons of water per year. South Dakota has granted permits for this water withdrawl without convening the Minnesota-South Dakota Boundary Waters Commission. The Commission is a two-state governing body that was established to settle such water use conflicts between the states when a nearby coalfired power plant known as Big Stone I (BSI) went into operation in 1975. Already, there is debate over whether BSII is needed. After a major utility backed out of the project last fall, questions have been raised about the remaining utilities’ need for the plant. Likewise, the Minnesota Department of Commerce believes three of the five involved utilities do not need additional power. Power that is needed could be met more cheaply through improved energy efficiency, conservation and cultivation of renewable energy sources. likely to rise. Together, the BSI and proposed BSII plants are permitted to emit 400 pounds of mercury per year for the first three years of BSII’s operation. Even if the involved utility companies follow through on their pledge to reduce emissions to 80-90 pounds per year thereafter, the plant will release more than 4,000 pounds of mercury over its 50-yearlifespan. In addition to spewing mercury, the BSII plant would release as much as 4.3 million tons of greenhouse gases every year — more than the output from half a million automobiles. This will negate efforts by Minnesotans to reduce carbon emissions and further contribute to global warming. Communities in the region can obtain power in cheaper and more environmentally friendly ways. The region has high wind potential and is home to vastly undeveloped biomass energy resources, both of which could be tapped instead of building a new coal-fired power plant. Improved energy efficiency and utilization of renewables would serve as an investment in the future, while construction of the outdated BSII plant would be a step backwards for Minnesotans. What Can Be Done The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will meet to decide whether or not to approve a Certificate of Need for the BSII plant this spring. The PUC must deny the Certificate on the grounds that energy could be more cheaply produced and the BSII plant poses too great a risk to the recreation, economic development, and ecology of the Minnesota River. If the PUC fails to protect this important public resource, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty should reconvene the Minnesota-South Dakota Boundary Waters Commission to address this water use issue. What’s At Stake BSII’s enormous water consumption would have serious implications for the Minnesota River. By lowering water levels BSII is likely to increase the potential for fish kills, concentrate nutrient pollution and create conditions that are harmful to the health of the river downstream. This will be exacerbated by forecasts of drought brought on by global warming. Coal-fired power plants are the largest emitters of mercury, a potent neurotoxin that can cause permanent brain damage, in the United States. The Minnesota River is already listed as an impaired fishery due to the presence of mercury. The smaller BSI plant is widely believed to be a major source, and if BSII is constructed, the level of mercury in the Minnesota River is CONTACT INFO Will Hewes, American Rivers, 202-347-7550 ext. 3054, whewes@AmericanRivers.org Scott Sparlin, Coalition for a Clean Minnesota River, 507-276-2280, yasure@lycos.com Patrick Moore, Clean Up our River Environment, 320-269-2984, cure-ed@info-link.net Lori Nelson, Friends of the Minnesota Valley, 952-881-9065, lnelson@friendsofmnvalley.org TO TA K E AC T I O N : W W W. AMERICANRIVERS.ORG/MINNESOTA IZAAC HOLT http://www.customervision.net/ccmr http://www.curemnriver.org http://www.friendsofmnvalley.org http://www.americanrivers.org/minnesota
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