It appears all the hard work to secure jobs and keep Xcel Energy’s Sherco power plant operating well into the future is coming to a head this week as the Newberger/Mathews bill steamrolls through the House and Senate, targeting the desk of Gov. Mark Dayton.

 

The Governor has already issued a press release saying he’ll sign the bill once it makes it through the committees.

 

Most people are well aware of the efforts of Rep. Jim Newberger and Sen. Andrew Mathews because of its public nature. What most people don’t realize is the quiet, yet boisterous efforts of Becker’s city officials and city council to ensure that tomorrow’s energy remains in Becker for the near and distant future.

 

Mayor Tracy Bertram, Council Member Rick Hendrickson and City Administrator Greg Pruszinske have been working tirelessly over the last several weeks “piggybacking” the efforts of Newberger and Mathews to rescue and secure jobs at Sherco and keep Minnesota’s top power plant running from its Central Minnesota locale.

 

Feb. 2, Bertram and Hendrickson made a trip to the State Capitol to testify in front of the Senate Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy committee in favor of the Newberger/Mathews bill. Because of their efforts and the testimonies of others, the bill passed the committee by a 7-2 vote.

 

The bill went on to clear a major hurdle the following Thursday when it passed through the House of Representatives. 

 

Last Friday, Bertram and Hendrickson made another trip to St. Paul to meet with DEED Commissioner, Shawntera Hardy. Bertram and Hendrickson were heard and also discussed the situation with Policy Director Kim Babine and Becker’s local Representative, David Heyer.

 

In a separate meeting that same day, Becker’s one-two-punch of Bertram and Hendrickson also met with key members of the Governor’s staff including Assistant Chief of Staff, Joanna Dorfeld, Senior Policy Advisor (on energy), Stephanie Zawistowski, Senior Policy Advisor (on taxes), Brennan Furness and Senior Policy Advisor (on economic development), Allison Jones.

 

The meetings were deemed exceptionally productive and twofold, Pruszinske said.

 

“First, we wanted to make sure DEED and the Governor heard from Becker that we support a gas plant in Becker and ask for his support in signing the legislation,” he said. “We also wanted to discuss Becker's transition during the decommissioning of units 1 and 2 and the building of the gas plant.” 

 

Pruszinske said he, Bertram and Hendrickson shared what they've done so far and what they're going to do to help themselves during the transition. 

 

“We also shared Becker's desire to partner with DEED and the Governor's office during the transition,” Pruszinske said.

 

In Gov. Dayton’s press release, he said, “I have directed the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to study how the state can partner with the Becker area, as their local economy and job market absorb the impacts of the Sherco plant closures. Good jobs, healthy local economies, and cleaner energy should not be at odds in Minnesota.  My Administration will do all it can to assist Becker and other communities across the state undergoing similar transitions.”

 

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith also released a statement saying, “As Xcel Energy transitions to the next generation of energy production at its Becker facilities, I strongly support the Senate Bill, which allows construction of a natural gas plant to replace the old coal plants. The Senate proposal provides certainty for the Becker community and protects important, well-paying jobs. Converting from coal to natural gas will improve air quality and improve health, as well as reduce carbon emissions.”

 

Thursday, Mathews presented SF85 and HF113 to the Senate floor for approval. SF85 (HF113) is the authorization for Xcel Energy to build a natural gas combined cycle electric generation plant at Sherco.

 

After explaining the bill to the Senate chamber, DFL Sen. John Marty of Roseville asked to have the bill amended. His amendment would secure a promise from Xcel in their next resource plan to include a definite size (in megawatts) of the new plant so they would not have the power to make a choice on the matter capriciously.

 

The second part of the amendment would allow the PUC to select an individual evaluator to price the project that is not tied to Xcel Energy.

 

Mathews argued the point saying the ideas presented were already discussed at previous sessions and asked the senate to vote “no” on the amendment.

 

The “nayes” outnumbered the “yeas” and the amendment was not adopted.

 

Marty continued to explain his reasoning for being skeptical of the bill and was echoed in his thoughts by DFL Sen. Scott Dibble of Minneapolis.

 

Finally, R Sen. Bill Ingrebrigtsen of Alexandria stepped to the microphone and said he backed the bill as presented by Mathews and asked the floor to approve it.

 

 

The vote came out with 39 “yeas” to 25 “nayes” and was passed.

 

Mathews gave “thank yous” to constituents from his district, the City of Becker, workers he’d spoken to from Sherco and all the supporters from area townships, labor forces (IBEW), environmentalists, schools and the county. 

 

“This brings certainty to Becker’s future,” Mayor Bertram said this week.

 

“I commend the mayor and city administrator for all the time and effort they’ve put in to this project,” said Hendrickson. “Everybody’s had different roles and everybody’s contributed. Pruszinske, Bertram, Newberger, Mathews, myself, it’s been a team effort.”

 

Pruszinske humbly deflected the acclaim and directed it back to two of the city’s most ardent boosters for Sherco, Hendrickson and Bertram.

 

“Our city council has been doing their job they were elected to,” he said. “They have been proactive, engaged and dedicated their time to travel to St. Paul to represent the citizens of Becker. It makes me proud.”

 

Mathews said in an opinion article for the StarTribune the following:

“Nestled between Minneapolis and St. Cloud, just off Hwy. 10, the small town of Becker is home to 5,000 Minnesotans. In Becker, you either make your living working at Sherco (the coal-fired power plant in the city), or you know someone who does. Becker relies on the plant for 76 percent of its property tax revenue, meaning that Sherco not only provides the jobs, but also pays for the police, fire, roads, water, parks, and public schools. Every single resident benefits from Sherco’s economic impact.”

 

Most people who drive down Hwy. 10 don’t hardly pay notice to the two chimneys and the pillows of smoke hovering over the local area. But to those who live and work in the small town of Becker and have had to face an unsure future, those pillows have never felt softer.