Sierra Club Stands by Endorsement of Garbage Burning Lead Champion Karla Bigham

Letter to our environmentalist friends:

Dear environmentalist friends from across the state who have fought tirelessly against the State's obsession with dealing with municipal waste by burning it,

The Sierra Club has responded (below) that they stand by their endorsement of the garbage burning lead

Garbage Burning Lead Champion, Karla Bigham at facility
that receives and burns garbage with photo of Red Wing
Facility that burns our garbage with EPA data.

champion in the east metro, Karla Bigham. They responded that they are going to overlook the fact she was instrumental in convincing both Ramsey and Washington county to spend $170 million dollars to purchase and expand a facility that sorts garbage to burn in her district. 

see Pioneer Press article by Bob Shaw from 2017:
Ramsey, Washington counties to burn all garbage — and prices going up

This plant sends 460,000 tons/yr of it to be burned in Red Wing and Mankato. Go back to 2015 in her social media and you'll see her wearing a hard hat and touring garbage burners all over the state like in places like Hennepin County, Mankato, Red Wing, and taking a pivotal role in seeing it get done here in Washington County. She helped convince the rest of the board and got the deal done in October 2015 see: From Hero to Zero on the Environment: Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham.

Please help our friends at the Sierra Club understand that Karla Bigham's work is unforgivable as now over 460,000 tons of garbage a year is now burned and put into our skies while at the same time costing millions more do so.

If you think that I'm just saying this because I want the republican to win, that's not true see: Fourteen Years of Broken Promises. No Problem. Denny McNamara Wins Republican Endorsement  

Thank you for your time and for your support of the environment.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joshua Davis
Date: Sat, Jan 27, 2018 at 5:00 AM
Subject: Sierra Club Bigham endorsement

Hi,
Thank you for your email, and for your advocacy work. I am a Sierra Club volunteer with the Sierra Club's Minnesota political committee and Sierra Club staff forwarded your email to me.
You are correct - the Sierra Club - both nationally and in Minnesota - is opposed to waste incineration. That position remains unchanged and we have been honored to work with you and other allies on issues such as opposing the HERC incinerator expansion.
The Sierra Club chapter's Political Committee evaluates a candidate's overall performance on all environment issues we work on when considering endorsements, as well as how that candidate can help move policy forward in the legislature. This is based on guidelines provided by our national organization along with many years of past practice in Minnesota. Few of our endorsed candidate's agree with our policy principles 100%, especially in swing districts. 
In Karla's case, we see an exemplary voting record during her previous two terms in the Minnesota House and a positive working relationship with our organization. The endorsement also gives us a foot in the door to discuss issues like those our zero waste committee volunteers work on.
We recognize that our endorsement decisions sometimes disappoint allies or members. But we stand behind our endorsement decision as the best choice for the environment.
We appreciate you taking the time to connect with us. We look forward to working with you again in the future.
For the environment,

Joshua Davis

Sierra Club North Star Chapter Political Committee

Date: Wed, Jan 24, 2018
Subject: Sierra Club. Bigham who you just endorsed championed the garbage burner here!
To: mary.blitzer@sierraclub.org
Cc: alexis.boxer@sierraclub.org, devon.cupery@sierraclub.org, natalie.cook@sierraclub.org, heather.cusick@sierraclub.org, scott.elkins@sierraclub.org, justin.fay@sierraclub.org, joshua.houdek@sierraclub.org, margaret.levin@sierraclub.org, karen.monahan@sierraclub.org, rick.morris@sierraclub.org, vicki.munson@sierraclub.org, jessica.tritsch@sierraclub.org, north.star.chapter@sierraclub.org

Hi,

Thank you members of the Sierra Club for advocating for the environment in MN. I email you because a candidate named Karla Bigham who's running for State Senate in SD54 said on facebook that you endorsed her in a post she made on the 22nd and I think this is a huge mistake. 

I'm shocked by this because you've stood along side myself and my friend Alan Muller, Anne from no-burn.org, those at Eureka Reclycling, MNNOC, Neighbors against the burner (NAB), and more against garbage incinerators. Dozens of articles are out with your position on this subject ie:
http://midwestenergynews.com/2016/04/26/in-minnesota-waste-to-energy-debate-firing-up-once-again/

I email you because Bigham helped champion the County spending $170 million dollars to purchase and expand a facility that sorts garbage to burn in her district. This plant sends 460,000 tons/yr of it to be burned in Red Wing and Mankato. Go back to 2015 in her social media and you'll see her wearing a hard hat and touring garbage burners all over the state like in Hennepin County and taking a pivotal role in seeing it get done here in Washington County. She helped convince the rest of the board and got the deal done in October 2015 see: From Hero to Zero on the Environment: Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham.

Please retract your support of Washington County Champion for garbage burning Karla Bigham. Her record doesn't lie regarding the irreversible damage she has done to the air in MN by having 400,000 tons of garbage a year from our county burned and put into the atmosphere of MN.  It's unforgivable no matter what BS she feeds you. And if you think that I'm just saying this because I want the republican to win that's not true see: Fourteen Years of Broken Promises. No Problem. Denny McNamara Wins Republican Endorsement  

Thank you for your time and for your support of the environment.

Please respond on your actions regarding this endorsement of a key player in Washington County burning garbage for decades to come.

From Hero to Zero on the Environment: Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham

Update 10-2015: Bigham voted in favor of garbage burning plan supported  by forced mandates on haulers to deliver to only the now government owned facility in Newport. See approval of 9-22-15 County board minutes at the October 20th board meeting.

Update: Bigham voted yes on August 27th decision below.

Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham, has gone from hero to zero on the environment it appears. In 2009 when she was a State legislator she co-authored HF690 a clean air bill that in part was: "requiring decreased emission of criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gas pollution from new motor vehicles; requiring adoption of low emission standards for motor vehicles" yet in the papers of late and on the May 28th vote to proceed she is seemingly doing everything she can to support buying a currently privately owned facility (RRT) that feeds hundreds of thousands of tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) to incinerators in Red Wing and Mankato. A 1980s practice of waste disposal that does not increase recycling or "zero waste." Rather, the waste RRT sends out to be burned puts tons of greenhouse gas emissions into Minnesota air. (read more at end of article links)

Other environmental legislation Bigham wrote when she served a short while as a legislator:
-A bill to end incinerating at 3M (yet now is supporting the practice through the coming vote on August 27th to purchase RRT). 

-Co-authored a bill supporting plastic bag recycling (HF576)

-Co-authored a bill putting in plans for the State to include "green" infrastructure (HF5).

Bigham used to be a champion for the environment as a legislator and now it appears is the champion of failing her former principles.

Please contact commissioner Bigham today (8-26) and tell her to vote no on tomorrow's $170,000,000 vote that includes $24.4 million for a facility to prep garbage for incineration.

Tell the following members to at least postpone the vote until a side by side recycling or zero waste plan is put next to the RRT buyout that is currently the only option on the table for the August 27th vote.  

Ramsey County District 1 <blake.huffman@co.ramsey.mn.us>
Ramsey County District 2 <MaryJo.McGuire@co.ramsey.mn.us>
Ramsey County District 3 <janice.rettman@co.ramsey.mn.us>
Ramsey County District 4 <Toni.Carter@co.ramsey.mn.us>
Ramsey County District 5 <Rafael.E.Ortega@co.ramsey.mn.us>
Ramsey County District 6 <Jim.McDonough@co.ramsey.mn.us>
Ramsey County District 7 <Victoria.Reinhardt@co.ramsey.mn.us>
(phone for all: 651-266-8350)

Washington County District 1 <fran.miron@co.washington.mn.us>, 651-430-6211
Washington County District 2 <ted.bearth@co.washington.mn.us>, 651-738-2425
Washington County District 3 <gary.kriesel@co.washington.mn.us>, 651-430-6213
Washington County District 4 <karla.bigham@co.washington.mn.us>, 651-430-6214
Washington County District 5 <lisa.weik@co.washington.mn.us>, 651-430-6215

Part 1: 7 to 2 vote, Washington/Ramsey County to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing

Part 2: The $170 Million Dollar Washington/Ramsey County Plan to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing
Part 3: Project Board Chair Fran Miron Responds to Concerns Regarding Trash Processing Facility Buyout
and

Article by local Environmentalist Alan Muller and Nancy Hone with Neighbors Against the Burner: “Zero Waste” or more polluting, carbon-belching incineration??

The $170 Million Dollar Washington/Ramsey County Plan to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing

3-8-16: Washington/Ramsey County Garbage Processing Plant, 6 Months In; Failing? Counties Refuse to Answer.

9-22-15 update: The County board passed the plan to begin organizing "waste designation" which is a county ordinance to force trash haulers to deliver to only the county run processing plant  p.272 of 9/22/15 board meeting (yes commissioner Kriesel voted in favor of it and the rest of the purchase package at the 9/22 board meeting. Just going to show his vote on 8-30 over cost concern was purely political pandering. See approval of 9-22-15 County board minutes at the October 20th board meeting.)

Even environmentalist are being ignored and lectured to. Check out Alan Muller: 

Arrogance at work: Ramsey and Washington county boards, and mainstream media, deny public a voice on garbage burning

Here's where garbage is burned from Washington County:
In Red Wing and in Mankato. Local environmentalist and writer Alan Muller did the math and found over 3 million tons of the most harmful pollutants are put into the air every year from this according to the MPCA. No wonder why this harmful practice is being phased out everywhere... except here. The County weighed no other option and jumped in both feet with this:
http://www.alanmuller.com/update-on-washingtonramsey-county-garbage-grinderincineration-scam/














8-30 update: The board passed the plan with the buyout of Newport plant for a slightly reduced price of $24.4 million instead of the supposedly "binding" $26.4 million from the two year long arbitration battle in court. RRT and their financier Merced Capital have not responded to state how this was possible. The vote passed 6-1 with Washington County Commissioner Gary Kriesel being the only no vote. Aside from his vote here and on May 28th he's never voted against the plan before ie: funding the over $1.8 million (latest figure) to pay for planning the buyout. Kriesel is up for election in 2016 and always campaigns that he's a fiscally responsible with tax dollars. Also note County Debt has Tripled under Commissioner Kriesel's term with not a word, let alone a plan to do anything but apparently kick the can down the road. So be cautious to interpret these votes as anything more than political pandering. Kriesel has not responded to to inquiry regarding these votes for us.

Also don't forget the real cost of the facility has many strings attached: ie:
***Upfront cost: before anything can begin the RRF needs immediate facility improvements ($6.65 million) to replacing aging equipment and pay for basic renovations. (Under the RRPB document Titled Achieving the Scope through Public or Private Ownership under "Financial Analysis of Options" p. 31 of adobe file)***  (posted this in The $170 Million Dollar Washington/Ramsey County Plan to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In June you were informed about the May 28th 7 to 2 vote of the Washington/Ramsey County Resource Recovery Project Board (RRPB) decision to proceed with the take over of garbage processing. That Part 1, article explained a brief history on the Newport Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) that is likely being bought out for $26.4 million tax dollars and the Counties plan to invest in this declining 80s technology. They believe a rebound in trash incineration will occur if they end hauler rebates and replace with a County hauler mandate to deliver garbage to it. 

This plan relies on ignoring the constitutional right of haulers to deliver to Wisconsin to avoid this new costly plan. Yet the Counties plan to watch it all play out as another wonderful Government program. This part 2 piece will elaborate on this plan and explain it's true $170 million dollar price tag.

Picking up where we left off, the Counties have a bold $170 million dollar three phase plan called "the Scope". It all hinges on a presumption it can succeed where the private sector has failed for the last 28 years despite the multiple owners the facility has had over the years. 

***Upfront cost: before anything can begin the RRF needs immediate facility improvements ($6.65 million) to replacing aging equipment and pay for basic renovations. (Under the RRPB document Titled Achieving the Scope through Public or Private Ownership under "Financial Analysis of Options" p. 31 of adobe file)***

The Timeline:

1.) The base plan 2016 (Scope cost not included): to make the Newport facility not only self sustainable (never been done), but also pay for it's own $26.4 million dollar facility in addition to the $21.6 million dollar yearly running costs (p.20 of the May 2015 Newport Facility Operating Costs Estimate)

2.) The base plan 2018 (Scope cost not included): Not only pay for the Newport facility ($26.4 million), running costs ($21.6 million/yr), but also do it all without subsidizing haulers with rebates as it has always had to motivate delivery of trash (last year $8.4 million/yr). "Hauler rebates are needed in the first two years of public ownership until designation takes effect, and then are no longer needed." (Under the document Titled Achieving the Scope through Public or Private Ownership under "Financial Analysis of Options" p. 32 of adobe file)

3.) The Scope 2016 and beyond (pictured): The complete $170 million dollar plan to massively expand the "waste to energy" facility through the "Scope for Resource Management" (previously adopted 9-2014, see source below*). (The $170 million dollar total was calculated by Eureka Recycling in their article titled "Say No to Newport")

 "Phase 1" is immediate and implements "Source Separation" This increases the annual operating expenses by $3.3 million at the Newport facility (p. 18 of Life Cycle Financial Analysis).  With a massive capital start up cost of $47.1 million tax dollars to pay the 20,000 businesses and the assumed 30% of residents who will set up the system. Total annual running cost for promotion and management is $6.1 million! *(p.6-7).

 "Phase 2" is in 2016 implementing Mixed Waste Processing (MWP) with the construction of a processing facility ($12.7 to $19.7 million) able to add sorting ability to the Newport Facility by 2018. Running cost is $5 to $7 million/yr. Predicted decrease in incinerated waste by at most 5.9% *(p.8-9)

 "Phase 3" is  in 2018 for "Gasification" which has an unknown cost because no public facility in the United States is operating (if that doesn't tell you all you need to know). They also were unsuccessful to find a publicly funded Gasification facility efficient enough to source worldwide. They reached out to eight companies in America that possess the ability to build us a Gasification system to turn waste into bio-fuel and only one responded to the question stating they're not interested (p. 17 of Summary of Responses to Request for Expression of Interest) For any cost estimates the Counties conveniently assume a private company is going to pay for and build a Gasification plant at their cost and risk and then pay $3.7 million a year to the Counties for processed garbage (see Alternate 1 - Procesing and Gasification - Summary). 



6-23 clarification: Yes, only one company responded to the "question" in the September 2014 
Request for Expression of Interest for:

"The RFEI was sent to eight (8) potential providers of MSW gasification technologies. Foth followed up with the potential vendors to determine their interest, one of which (Fulcrum BioEnergy) indicated that the Project Board’s opportunity was too small for them to consider and did not fit their business plan. " [emphasis added]

Experimental small scale technology is what the Counties are banking everything on to phase out incinerating trash. 

*These approved steps were adopted by RRPB on 9-25-14 from the Joint Staff Committee meeting from 9-18-14

Assuming all the stars align for this approved three phase plan the price tag skyrockets from the publicized $26 million dollar cost to over $170 million dollars when you account for capital costs and interest. ie: the $26 million for the Newport facility actually costs tax payers $40 million dollars when taking till 2030 to pay off the loan (see Procesing Only (Base Case) - Summary)

As explained in Part 1, the haulers delivering waste to the Newport facility lose their rebate match incentive and are assumed willing to absorb the cost by force of a mandate.  Also reviewed is the problem with this plan being haulers have the constitutional right of interstate commerce to haul to Wisconsin to avoid the oppressive increased cost. Currently 36,000 tons of the 400,000 tons of MSW produced in the Counties is sent out to Wisconsin according to a September 17, 2014 letter to the Counties from their lawyers. This waste is only recorded from Advanced Disposal delivering to their landfill in Eau Claire Wisconsin. 

It's plausible to think other major waste haulers like Waste Management will also transfer MSW out of State to compete with Advanced who's tipping costs are around the current market average of $50/ton. The Newport Facility currently charges $86 a ton.  

It will be an obvious choice for the thousands of residents and dozens and dozens of housing associations in the Counties who will cost compare on what company to use. 

That is: 

A.) Advanced Disposal who is able 
to keep their rates flat being unaffected 
by the sudden 50%+ increase in 
tipping fees caused by the mandate to 
use the Newport facility. Doing this by 
hauling to their Wisconsin landfill.

or

B.)Their current hauler who chooses 
to comply with the mandate and pass 
the 50%+ increased tipping fee cost 
on to their customers.

The Counties are aware of this massive $30+/ton difference in tipping fee so they came up with a wildly low number of just $65/ton to process waste. They reported this to haulers to soften the difference to avoid haulers from justifying transferring waste out of state for a tipping fee of about $50/ton. 

One massive problem with this wild $65/ton claim: None of the 5 remaining public owned facilities in the State have been able to run at such wildly low tipping fee without taking on hundreds of thousands a year in losses:

Minnesota 2013 Public Facilities Tipping Fees: *(according to the RRPB Feasibility report)

*Olmsted Waste to Energy Facility (OWEF).............  $83/ton (losing a $1 million/yr)

*Perham Renewable Resource Facility..................... $100/ton

*Pope-Douglas Resource Recovery Facility............ $ 82/ton

*(closed in 2014) Red Wing Solid Waste Management ..... $72/ton (was losing $500,000/yr)

Polk County Resource Recovery Plant .............. $83.64/ton in 2014 (p.46 of Todd Co report)

*Hennepin Energy Resource Co. (HERC).......... $60/ton (loses $1.8 million/yr)    

So either the haulers are going to get slammed with increase tipping fees just like the other government run RRFs or the Counties are refusing to realize their scheme will not only be unable to pay for itself, it'll run massive debt. Leaving tax payers to not only pay for the yearly losses of the Newport facility; but also be stuck paying the $170 million dollar debt. 

The Ramsey/Washington County Resource Recovery Project Board appears to be: 

-Down playing the true cost of the buyout 

-Over playing the ability to operate and pay off debt at just $65/ton revenue  

-Completely disregarding the hauler's right to deliver out of state. 

-All while claiming this 80s technology of incinerating trash is what's best for the environment despite clear evidence of the contrary.

Part 1: 7 to 2 vote, Washington/Ramsey County to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing

Part 2: The $170 Million Dollar Washington/Ramsey County Plan to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing
Part 3: Project Board Chair Fran Miron Responds to Concerns Regarding Trash Processing Facility Buyout
and

Articles by local Environmentalist Alan Muller and Nancy Hone with Neighbors Against the Burner: 

“Zero Waste” or more polluting, carbon-belching incineration??

and

Arrogance at work: Ramsey and Washington county boards, and mainstream media, deny public a voice on garbage burning

Contact your legislators: 

http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/

Ramsey County Commissioners:

blake.huffman@co.ramsey.mn.us   651-266-8362

MaryJo.McGuire@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8356

Janice.Rettman@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8360

Toni.Carter@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8364

 Rafael.E.Ortega@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8361

Jim.McDonough@co.ramsey.mn.us 651 266-8365

 Victoria.Reinhardt@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8363

Washington County Commissioners:

fran.miron@co.washington.mn.us 651-430-6211 

ted.bearth@co.washington.mn.us 651-738-2425 

gary.kriesel@co.washington.mn.us 651-430-6213 

lisa.weik@co.washington.mn.us 651-430-6215 

karla.bigham@co.washington.mn.us 651-430-6214

7 to 2 vote, Washington/Ramsey County to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing

3-8-16: Washington/Ramsey County Garbage Processing Plant, 6 Months In; Failing? Counties Refuse to Answer.

8-30-15 update: The board passed the plan with the buyout of Newport plant for a slightly reduced price of $24.4 million instead of the supposedly "binding" $26.4 million from the two year long arbitration battle in court. RRT and their financier Merced Capital have not responded to state how this was possible. The vote passed 6-1 with Washington County Commissioner Gary Kriesel being the only no vote. Aside from his vote here and on May 28th he's never voted against the plan before ie: funding the over $1.8 million (latest figure) to pay for planning the buyout. Kriesel is up for election in 2016 and always campaigns that he's a fiscally responsible with tax dollars. Also note County Debt has Tripled under Commissioner Kriesel's term with not a word, let alone a plan to do anything but apparently kick the can down the road. So be cautious to interpret these votes as anything more than political pandering. Kriesel has not responded to to inquiry regarding these votes for us.

Also don't forget the real cost of the facility has many strings attached: ie:
***Upfront cost: before anything can begin the RRF needs immediate facility improvements ($6.65 million) to replacing aging equipment and pay for basic renovations. (Under the RRPB document Titled Achieving the Scope through Public or Private Ownership under "Financial Analysis of Options" p. 31 of adobe file)***  (posted this in The $170 Million Dollar Washington/Ramsey County Plan to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evolution of the industry in Washington County:

In the 80s burning garbage in mass burn incinerators was viewed a cure all solution to combat the problem of what was open pit landfill use at the time. The dangers of both practices were not well understood back then. Landfills used little if any liners and water tables were polluted as a result. 

Today the industry has completely reformed. The Minnesota Polution Control Agency ranks Resource Recovery which is really incinerating garbage down to number 3 (MPCA 2010-2030 policy plan). Recycling is promoted and today's safe landfills (picture below) with methane gas recovery are preferred over incinerators by dedicated environmental groups like the Serra Club. The groups fight to stop the dangerous 30 year old technology of trash incinerators. And they've been successful as no new incinerators have been built since 1997 according the their EPA sourced site! According to BioCycle Magazine in 1991 there were 171 incinerators, in 2002 there were 107, and in 2004 there were only 89.

In the 80s the $28/ton cost to sort municipal waste for our relatively small population at the time was considered worth the cost. Especially considering the perceived benefit of generating electricity by burning the sorted garbage (RDF) over putting the waste into landfills. Turns out it's not cost effective and it's not safe. Since day one the Newport facility has promised to become self sustaining according to former WC Commissioner Autumn Lehrke at a 9-20-2012 Cottage Grove City meeting. (we source her whole quote in the article we wrote last year on this issue.)

Local environmentalist are rising up in great number behind advocacy groups like Eureka Recycling ($12 million/yr budget) who addressed this cause specifically in April this year in their two page article and Youtube video titled "Say no to Newport!" 

This Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Article  explains in great detail the local failure of this industry and sums it up best: "...the legal and economic realities of solid waste shifted in a matter of years, and the dream quickly dissolved. Today, incineration is a legacy technology and a financial burden on the municipalities that bought into it"

No Public involvement, no problem:

This take over is happening with little notice to the public and most especially without a public vote. According to the May 2015 Ramsey/Washington County Resource Recovery Board meeting they appeared to intentionally roll this out silently as possible admitting "we didn't get large media attention for the open houses"... Solution: proceed with the takeover anyway.

The rush to approve the buy out so fast was underestimated... we heard mention of the option for years and even wrote about it in a February 2014 article. In November 2014 we were the only ones to report that the Counties spent $850,000 tax dollars  on lawyers to fast track the process smooth as possible. The Cost has now doubled to $1.5 million for these consultants:

Add insult to injury the June 25th and July 23rd meeting have been canceled as covered in the Part 2 article.

County monopoly on the way with hauler mandate:

Included with the $26 million dollar purchase will be a previously unconstitutional "flow control" mandate that all municipal solid waste (MSW) must be delivered to the government owned processing plant. This became legal after a 2007 Supreme Court Decision (United Haulers Ass’n v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority) ruled the government can force the private sector waste haulers to deliver only to a Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) just as long as they own it.

Hauler rebates will end:

Currently the private sector MSW handlers charge about $50 a ton at the many convenient local transfer stations in the area where waste is diverted to the nearest safe landfill with methane gas recovery and 1,000+ year liners. Yet if haulers choose to travel down to Newport they are charged $86 a ton and receive a rebate to cover the costly difference  according to the board's May 2015 meeting.  As seen on the Counties graph the cost is expected to soon go to $100 a ton. This cost will transfer to haulers, when the rebate is promised to be discontinued. Who will then pass the cost on to you. 

An independent hauler, who wishes not to be identified, states they were promised the rebate wouldn't end and is found in the material they were given. Which is in conflict with what is being planned as the flow control mandate (aka "waste designation") is their "ultimate implementation" plan that would take at least two years to implement according to the April 23rd meeting on the subject (see p. 8). So that leaves just two years before "all costs could eventually be included in

the tipping fee" in other words... passed on to haulers and their customers.

The massive hole in the Counties mandate scheme:

Consider $100 tipping fee per ton along with the extra fuel and driver costs of hauling all the Ramsey and WC truck loads of waste to the South Washington County Newport facility ONLY. You are looking at a situation even Waste Management  (WM)  called "impossible".  WM is defending themselves in ongoing appeals from a law suit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) who is attempting to enforce a 1985 law that suggests prioritization of delivering all MSW to Resource Recovery Facilities. A task that is truly impossible as many of these plants that existed in the 80s have closed (4rth paragraph). This leaves local haulers having to travel across the entire county to unload or having their transfer stations truck the waste there... clearly not the intent the legislators had in the 80s. At the time they no doubt thought these things would be as revolutionary as the personal computer or cellphone. Also in the 80s, safe 1,000+yr landfill liners and methane gas recovery didn't exist. 

This inconvenience highlights the greatest problem to this oppressive plan: The fact haulers will simply exercise their constitutional right of interstate commerce by delivering to nearby Wisconsin landfills. Which ironically all of them do not have methane gas recovery where as all but one small rural safe landfill that serves the twin cities does. So at the end of the day the Counties are harming the environment more not only by continuing the practice of incineration, but also by keeping waste that would have been contained and harvested for energy out of MN. They acknowledged this obvious certainty in the May 2015 meeting with clear reluctance: 

"-Likely will not capture waste currently leaving State

-Could cause more waste to leave the East Metro"  [umm... yeah!]

The only comment we could obtain was from Zack Hansen the Ramsey County Environmental Health Director who stated waste haulers were "willing to work with the plan." Yes, they are willing to work right past the County over to Wisconsin! 

The great (false) buck pass: "The State forced us to buy it/ subsidize it"

This of course is not true. In February 2014 Ramsey-Washington County Resource Recovery Project Board paid a law firm to write a full report on the laws surrounding RRFs in MN. No where in  the report was a sourced law that requires the RRF use.

On the May 12th County Board agenda on item 12 they source Mn Statute 473 as evidence they are required to do this; however the law is only about having a waste management master plan. The only state law we could find appears to be MN State Statute 473.848 from 1985 to prioritize Resource Recovery Facility use above other options as mentioned in the MPCA law suit in the last segment. At this point the law is not able to be enforced until the case is resolved (thank you constitution).

State Representative Bob Dettmer confirmed: no State Law

we contacted my State Representative, Bob Dettmer, in November 2014 and he was able to use the MN House of Representative's "Research Team".  They responded on December 4th of 2014 that there was and is no MN State Law that mandates the use or subsidizing of Resource Recovery Facilities (RRFs) or the Incinerators they fuel. 

Minnesota Polution Control Agency (MPCA) confirmed: no State Law and on January 5th, 2015 they replied. They also confirmed there is no law mandating RRFs. The contact was Sigurd Scheurle of the State Planning Director of the MPCA Sustainable materials Management Unit. 

Prepare for massive losses:

In every case we are aware of in MN, costs significantly increase for haulers and tax payers when Government operates Resource Recovery Facilities or  Incinerators. The city of Red Wing's plant was losing $500,000 a year until it closed in 2014 according to a postbulletin.com article. Olmsted County's plant in MN has been losing $1,000,000 a year, also according to a post bulletin article. The Hennepin County plant in MN has been losing $1.8 million a year according to a South Side Pride article. We can go down the line of the remaining waste to energy facilities that are still open in MN (for now) and report the massive yearly losses too. These losses are always attempted to be offset by passing the cost on to haulers. The Newport plant is no exception, they have promised to lower their tipping fees to market levels every contract negotiation and have failed every time since they opened in 1987 reported by Bob Shaw of the Pioneer Press in the article "Time to junk trash-to-energy programs like one in Newport?". 

Their plan in brief review:

Buy a failed and declining 80s technology now considered dangerous; end hauler rebates (to create illusion of cost savings); attempt to force the market on to it; ignore the constitutional right to deliver to Wisconsin to avoid new oppressive system; and watch it play out as another wonderful Government program.

Link to the November post

Part 2 of this article is posted discussing the massive cost concerns related to this failed industry and why it is important for you to attend the June 25th meeting July 23rd, August 27th [the meetings were canceled] speak up before the decision is all but decided at the August 27th meeting. A couple great articles to read in the interim are Bob Shaw of the Pioneer Press: "Time to junk trash-to-energy programs like one in Newport?" and "Say no to Newport" by Eureka Recycling.

Part 1: 7 to 2 vote, Washington/Ramsey County to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing

Part 2: The $170 Million Dollar Washington/Ramsey County Plan to Take Over Private Sector Garbage Processing
Part 3: Project Board Chair Fran Miron Responds to Concerns Regarding Trash Processing Facility Buyout 

Articles by local Environmentalist Alan Muller and Nancy Hone with Neighbors Against the Burner: 

“Zero Waste” or more polluting, carbon-belching incineration??

and

Arrogance at work: Ramsey and Washington county boards, and mainstream media, deny public a voice on garbage burning

Dismal Recycling investment over last 20+ years compared to the $227 million towards incinerating garbage "for energy" despite the MPCA hierarchy and advice to meet the 75% recycling goal.

Contact your legislators: 

http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/

Ramsey County Commissioners:

blake.huffman@co.ramsey.mn.us   651-266-8362

MaryJo.McGuire@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8356

Janice.Rettman@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8360

Toni.Carter@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8364

 Rafael.E.Ortega@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8361

Jim.McDonough@co.ramsey.mn.us 651 266-8365

 Victoria.Reinhardt@co.ramsey.mn.us 651-266-8363

Washington County Commissioners:

fran.miron@co.washington.mn.us 651-430-6211 

ted.bearth@co.washington.mn.us 651-738-2425 

gary.kriesel@co.washington.mn.us 651-430-6213 

lisa.weik@co.washington.mn.us 651-430-6215 

karla.bigham@co.washington.mn.us 651-430-6214