by Kim Havey

This is what the proposed Midtown Eco Energy burner would look like.

The Midtown Eco Energy project will make neighborhood renewable energy a reality in East Phillips. The project provides a unique opportunity to harness innovation and create a local, balanced solution for global climate change.

A recent commentary [see article by Susie Tatone in the April Nokomis edition at www.southsidepride.com] about the project suggested that there were serious concerns about its viability and environmental value. As the project’s director, I want to take this opportunity to address the questions raised in the commentary.

Beyond doubt, the East Phillips neighborhood faces significant pollution from multiple sources. But state agency officials agree that mobile source pollution, such as vehicle emissions, pose the greatest threat to environmental health in the community. We have taken every opportunity to reduce our emissions [from the burner] far lower than the state requires, adopting some of the most sophisticated controls in the country.

Our emissions systems will catch 99 percent of particulates and will result in extremely low emissions of other air pollutants. Our voluntary submissions to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) as part of the air permitting process demonstrate our investment in emissions controls and our commitment to minimizing any air quality impacts from the facility over time.

We are also working with the MPCA to encourage tougher standards on industrial emissions—including our own, because the pace of technology sometimes exceeds regulatory change. We are pursuing partner projects that will reduce Midtown Eco Energy’s emissions to zero-sum, such as bus exhaust filters and additional green projects in the neighborhood.

Midtown Eco Energy will require no bonding or additional public funding. The project did not apply for tax exempt status, as was misstated in the earlier commentary, but will instead provide a significant tax base for the City once online, which could effectively reduce property tax burdens on local homeowners.

This renovated facility will provide a significant local economic advantage in addition to the energy it produces, in the form of 20 permanent jobs with an average salary of $63,000 and 200 construction jobs. It will clean up a facility contaminated with asbestos, and create green roofs and rain gardens at the facility. Each year, Midtown Eco Energy can produce enough power for up to 18,000 homes, and district heating for key facilities in the neighborhood. Coupled with all the other steps Midtown is taking to reduce emissions, these benefits far outweigh the emissions impacts.

We have a unique opportunity to implement state-of-the-art technology, that sets an example for the world, and to make Minneapolis a major hub of the green economy for decades to come. That promise matches City and state goals for renewable energy, fitting well into a neighborhood already passionate about protecting the environment. As always, we are eager to talk with anyone who has further questions about Midtown Eco Energy.

Can this facility solve all of the neighborhood’s environmental issues? No. But we can work together to better understand the sources of current air quality issues and invest in improving the air quality over time.

Climate change can’t wait for a perfect solution, and this technology allows us to start turning the tide of climate change now. The cutting-edge technology we are employing at Midtown Eco Energy can be a step on the road to ending our dependence on fossil fuels and preserving our planet.

Kim Havey is the project director for the Midtown Eco Energy project, and serves as a principal for Kandiyohi Development Partners.