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Gold Medal Park to Be Preserved for 50 Years
Letter to the Editor - Ideas for the Minneapolis Riverfront
Our understanding is that the $5.1 million RDF (Renewable Energy Development ) grant from Xcel is being paid by Xcel's customer's, the rate payer, is it true that this "grant" is coming straight out of our electric bill?
Why is Rep. David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake the ONLY Democrat co-sponsor of the Crown Hydro bill? I'd like to hear his reasoning.
By @NHalterJournals (Nick Halter) at The Journal:
DFLer Bill Hilty takes his name off of Crown Hydro bill. Only 1 Dem still author on Crown Hydro legislation ... David Dill from Crane Lake
Just 3.4 megawatts per hour of capacity.
The Crown Hydro facility is expected to function at 60% capacity, barely enough to power anywhere between 1500-2000 homes. This represents less than 1.5% of the occupied households in Minneapolis (based on 2000 census data), 0.4% of households in Hennepin County, and 0.1% of households in Minnesota. By contrast updating current hardware could yield 12 to 20 megawatts at both a lower cost and risk.
IMPORTANT ALERT - PLEASE ATTEND THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK BOARD MEETING TO VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE PROPOSED CROWN HYDRO PROJECT:
Wednesday, May 4
5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The meeting will be held in the boardroom at Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road, just north of Broadway Pizza.
5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME. Speakers need to sign up before 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
“It is simply outrageous that the Legislature would even attempt to override the decisions of local government, in this case the Park Board, and compel both the sale of public land and the planning approvals required for a private developer for their private development”
- City Council Member Lisa Goodman (7th Ward)
Visit the No Crown Hydro Fan Page on Facebook and give us a "Like" to show your support!
This project lacks the support of:
- The National Park Service
- The National Trust for Historic Preservation
- The Minnesota Historical Society
- The Land Use Committee of the Sierra Club
- The State Historic Preservation Office
- The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota
- The Minneapolis Park Board
- The Minneapolis City Council
- State Legislators representing Minneapolis
IMPORTANT ALERT - PLEASE ATTEND THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK BOARD MEETING TO VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE PROPOSED CROWN HYDRO PROJECT:
Wednesday, May 4
5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The meeting will be held in the boardroom at Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road, just north of Broadway Pizza.
5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME. Speakers need to sign up before 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
“It is simply outrageous that the Legislature would even attempt to override the decisions of local government, in this case the Park Board, and compel both the sale of public land and the planning approvals required for a private developer for their private development”
- City Council Member Lisa Goodman (7th Ward)
Visit the No Crown Hydro Fan Page on Facebook and give us a "Like" to show your support!
Man, not nature, will be in control of the aesthetics of the Falls. Supporting a duplicative project that diverts water from the Falls and risks drying up the Falls is not smart. Putting the Falls in the hands of Crown Hydro puts the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in control of the Falls for 100 years. FERC’s mission is the regulation of energy production—not preservation of our natural and historic resources.
IMPORTANT ALERT - PLEASE ATTEND THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK BOARD MEETING TO VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE PROPOSED CROWN HYDRO PROJECT:
Wednesday, May 4
5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The meeting will be held in the boardroom at Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road, just north of Broadway Pizza.
5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME. Speakers need to sign up before 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
“It is simply outrageous that the Legislature would even attempt to override the decisions of local government, in this case the Park Board, and compel both the sale of public land and the planning approvals required for a private developer for their private development”
- City Council Member Lisa Goodman (7th Ward)
Visit the No Crown Hydro Fan Page on Facebook and give us a "Like" to show your support!
There are better alternatives. Xcel Energy currently operates a 12-megawatt hydroelectric power plant on the east side of the river. Crown Hydro proposes construction of a 3.4-megawatt hydroelectric power plant across the river on Park Board land that would divert water from the falls. Updating the existing Xcel plant with current technoogy could produce more than 3.5-megawatts of additional power at a cheaper cost and without impacting the water flow.
IMPORTANT ALERT - PLEASE ATTEND THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK BOARD MEETING TO VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE PROPOSED CROWN HYDRO PROJECT:
Wednesday, May 4
5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The meeting will be held in the boardroom at Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road, just north of Broadway Pizza.
5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME. Speakers need to sign up before 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
“It is simply outrageous that the Legislature would even attempt to override the decisions of local government, in this case the Park Board, and compel both the sale of public land and the planning approvals required for a private developer for their private development”
- City Council Member Lisa Goodman (7th Ward)
Visit the No Crown Hydro Fan Page on Facebook and give us a "Like" to show your support!
The project is a 100-year risk, with little reward. Experts have concluded that Crown Hydro’s energy generation projections are overly optimistic and ignore the financial risks of a potential drought. We can’t afford to risk the Falls on a complex 100-year lease with a private developer, especially since, under existing law, any payments from Crown Hydro to the Park Board would be passed on to the State of MN since public funds were used to procure the land—minimizing any financial benefit to the Park Board.
IMPORTANT ALERT - PLEASE ATTEND THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK BOARD MEETING TO VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE PROPOSED CROWN HYDRO PROJECT:
Wednesday, May 4
5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The meeting will be held in the boardroom at Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road, just north of Broadway Pizza.
5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME. Speakers need to sign up before 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
“It is simply outrageous that the Legislature would even attempt to override the decisions of local government, in this case the Park Board, and compel both the sale of public land and the planning approvals required for a private developer for their private development”
- City Council Member Lisa Goodman (7th Ward)
Visit the No Crown Hydro Fan Page on Facebook and give us a "Like" to show your support!
From Minneapolis Park Watch:
The carrot for Crown Hydro is a $5.1 million subsidy from Minnesota's Renewable Development Fund (RDF). The RDF is funded by fees from Xcel Energy's customers' monthly utility bills.
Thus far, Crown Hydro has been paid $1.5 million from this fund. It will receive no more payments until its next milestones have been reached.
The next payment milestones for Crown Hydro are all construction related which means that Crown Hydro cannot proceed without site control.
Unfortunately for Crown Hydro, the historic St. Anthony Falls site that Crown Hydro wants is a site that is problematic for the Crown Hydro project.
IMPORTANT ALERT - PLEASE ATTEND THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK BOARD MEETING TO VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE PROPOSED CROWN HYDRO PROJECT:
Wednesday, May 4
5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The meeting will be held in the boardroom at Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road, just north of Broadway Pizza.
5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME. Speakers need to sign up before 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
“It is simply outrageous that the Legislature would even attempt to override the decisions of local government, in this case the Park Board, and compel both the sale of public land and the planning approvals required for a private developer for their private development”
- City Council Member Lisa Goodman (7th Ward)
Visit the No Crown Hydro Fan Page on Facebook and give us a "Like" to show your support!
The Minneapolis City Council voted today on an amendment to the City of Minneapolis 2011 State Legislative Agenda authored by Council Member Glidden in response to the State House bill to force the Minneapolis Park Board to approve the ill-conceived Crown Hydro Project. The amendment reads as follows:
Local Control:
Minneapolis opposes any legislation that usurps local authority or control and opposes any legislation that attempts to regulate a local issue or affect a local land use matter without the express consent of the city or an appropriate local approval clause.
Link to the Council Meeting Minutes...
We'd love to hear from anyone who'd like to help organize opposition to this taking of parkland.
IMPORTANT ALERT - PLEASE ATTEND THE MINNEAPOLIS PARK BOARD MEETING TO VOICE YOUR OPINION ON THE PROPOSED CROWN HYDRO PROJECT:
Wednesday, May 4
5:00 P.M. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. The meeting will be held in the boardroom at Park Board headquarters, 2117 West River Road, just north of Broadway Pizza.
5:30 P.M. OPEN TIME. Speakers need to sign up before 3:00 p.m. the day of the meeting.
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.
“It is simply outrageous that the Legislature would even attempt to override the decisions of local government, in this case the Park Board, and compel both the sale of public land and the planning approvals required for a private developer for their private development”
- City Council Member Lisa Goodman (7th Ward)
Visit the No Crown Hydro Fan Page on Facebook and give us a "Like" to show your support!
Mill City Times | 35W Bridge Memorial | Mill District Block Party | Mill City Media
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 9:30AM