Michelle Rosier from the Sierra Club and Rose Thelen of Beyond Coal presented a folder to council members with information containing a fact sheet on the Sherco plant in Becker. The sheet included health costs and had a staff briefing paper including Xcel Energy’s study of the chart of outcomes, along with a case study of a plant in Washington where workers, the utility department and environmentalists worked together to provide a solution for everyone in the communities where a coal plant was being phased out.

 

Rosier told council they and the community have serious questions facing them in regards to Sherco’s future and she would be interested in talking to anyone about those concerns. She stated in the last 10 years, Minnesota has been going through a “clean energy” transition and she has seen these transitions occur in communities in every region of the state.

 

Thelen - a Clearwater Twp. resident - stressed she is representing the working class and is not in favor of Becker losing its economic viability or jobs, but would like to see the city consider ways to protect the economic viability through retraining and community development -  along with protecting the environment at the same time.

 

Council and the environmentalists discussed some of the “benefits” of closing or converting Sherco 1 and 2 furnished in the handout, along with the environmental and health benefits. The handouts also examined a way for communities to move away from being dependent on one industry for support.

 

Council pointed out to the environmentalists that the examples given in the report of plants being phased out or diversified were in communities much larger than Becker and already considered diversified.

 

The cities identified included Fergus Falls, Hoyt Lakes, Rochester, St. Paul and Burnsville.

 

Thelen and Rosier said in looking to the future, the Sierra Club would like to see a power grid that relies less on fossil fuels and more on cleaner, renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

 

When questioned about relying on solar and wind to power such a plant, it was noted building grids for transfer and storage possibilities are currently being researched. The environmentalists also identified Hydroelectric power as an alternative.

 

Rosier and Thelen were questioned about the theory behind global warming and the fact - some reports say  - the air is in fact cleaner now than in the past - Rosier suggested rather than arguing about beliefs to just look at the facts provided in the Xcel Energy report.

 

When asked to explain how to account for higher fuel costs to residents should Sherco convert to natural gas, Rosier suggested it is best to make the smartest investment today, so there aren’t more expensive investments in the future.