A huge crowd of about 300 people filled the community center gymnasium in Becker Monday night to discus the future of the Xcel Energy Sherco Power Plant. 

 

Rep. Jim Newberger invited the Minnesota State Legislature’s Jobs and Energy Committee to the BCC for a 6 p.m. session and the main reason Newberger had the committee come to his hometown was because “Sherco is so important to  Central Minnesota and because of the jobs it provides and the energy it produces.”  

 

He went on to say, “we also chose Becker because it is the home of Sherco.  Closing our power plant is the highest priority of the extreme environmentalists in Minnesota.”

 

Almost half of Minnesota’s electricity comes from coal plants. But coal is a leading source of carbon dioxide emissions.

 

Even though Minnesota’s already cut carbon emissions by 20 percent, new federal pollution standards require the state to cut even more: 40 percent by 2030, well above the national average target of 32 percent.

 

The meeting started out with introductions of the two-dozen or so committee members and was chaired by Rep. Pat Garofolo of Farmington. The committee had just finished having dinner at Nix Bar & Grill following a tour of the Sherco Power Plant earlier in the day.

 

“This is a pretty moderate plant that provides affordable safe and very clean electricity for the region,” Garofolo said.

 

The main topic of Monday’s hearing was discussion of the new EPA emissions mandate for Minnesota and the Gov. Mark Dayton Next Generation Energy Act. Recently, the EPA released its Clean Power Plan, which would increase electricity rates by 18 percent and natural gas rates by 45 percent, according to a study by Energy Ventures Analysis. If fully implemented, the plan would shut down the Sherco plant, along with 1,000-plus jobs that go with it.

 

This is part of an ongoing effort by Democrats and environmentalists to put an end to coal with no regard for higher energy bills and job losses for families, Newberger said.

“These people are worried about their jobs, their communities,” said Newberger. “They are worried about their livelihoods.”

 

Newberger went on to say “analysts predict the EPA’s scheme will cost American consumers trillions of dollars in higher electric rates and destroy upwards of 125,000 jobs.”

 

Becker Mayor “Lefty” Kleis stands firmly behind Xcel Energy’s plant, saying “coal is one of our cheapest and most reliable ways to produce energy”.

 

Kleis says Sherco is also vital to the Becker economy.

 

“Without Sherco, I don’t know what the city of Becker would do, because they pay almost 77 percent of our tax collections a year.”

 

Those tax dollars fund better public schools, including teachers, facilities, equipment, technology and all the things needed to provide the area’s children with a high-quality education.

 

But those benefits are all under threat.

 

“We will see some form of a slow down or shut down in units one and two (at Sherco) if we do not change the current path Gov. Dayton and President Obama are leading us down,” Newberger said.

 

The Becker plant employs 350 people on a regular basis, another 800 during its peak cycle and generates 150 jobs at Liberty Paper, which utilizes excess steam from the Sherco facility. 

 

Kleis says the Sherco power plant produces enough electricity for over two-million homes in Minnesota.

 

“Sherco and Liberty Paper are important for the jobs but also for their involvement in our community,” Kleis said. “We have a great working relationship with Xcel and the city and we want to keep it going strong.”

 

Asst. Commissioner David Thornton from the MPCA testified about the Clean Power Plan and showed slides he put together including treatment of early action, a compliance timeline and rate versus mass comparables.

 

“Minnesota is being punished because we took this action without the federal government telling us,” Garofolo said. “So whatever that percentage is — and reasonable people can disagree about it — but why would we support a policy that punishes the state of Minnesota for acting on our own?”

 

Though the meeting was scheduled and advertised weeks before Monday’s date, several environmentalists appeared before the committee to voice their displeasure over the one-sidedness of the presentations.

 

“This has been a biased session,” said one anti-Sherco speaker. “I’d like to dispute some earlier testimony and remind you all that pollution kills. Emissions from that power plant harms us all.”

 

Several people wearing “Beyond Coal” shirts and buttons applauded.

 

Newberger disputed the claims saying “We announced this hearing with several weeks notice.  All they had to do was email the committee staff and request to be put on the testifier list.”  

 

Rick Evans of Sherco testified on behalf of his company and the jobs, hours of community service, property taxes and Xcel’s importance of being part of the Becker community. He stressed how Xcel has been diligently working with the state and the PUC to ensure a safe facility and has met all regulations.

 

“Our goal is to make sure no one here loses their job,” he said. “Thinking about the residual effects this company has in this area is never far from our minds.”

 

Others who appeared before the committee to testify were County Commissioners John Reibel and Felix Schmeising, Council Members Adam Oliver, Rick Hendrickson (Becker) and Dale Powers (Clear Lake). Nix Restaurant owner Shelly Mattson was asked to testify also and she gave a passionate account of how the shutdown of the plant would effect — not only those that work at the plant — but those businesses, schools and industries who rely on everything associated with Sherco.

 

“If Sherco goes, so will my business,” she said.

 

Also among the 300 or so people in attendance were Becker City Administrator Greg Pruszinske, Council Member Lori Keller, Clear Lake Mayor Tim Goenner, Becker Twp. Chairman Gary Hammer, Clear Lake Supervisor Bud Stimmler,  Larry Newell of Liberty Paper and several members of the Becker Police Dept.

 

Newberger pointed out that no one from the Governor’s administration attended the meeting Monday night, despite being invited formally by Garofolo.

 

“In closing, I want to simply say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who showed up in support of their community,” said Newberger.  “I know that every day they go to work, not knowing what the future holds.  Words cannot express how  proud I am of all of  you who work at Sherco.”

 

Newberger says he knows that “President Obama is working very hard to shut down affordable coal  power plants in our country and that Gov. Dayton is on board with this agenda.”

“I would like to remind the good people  of Becker that this could change  — overnight — in the next election.”