Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Media Contact: Jennifer Groebner, (651) 296-7706 Technical Contact: William Lynott, (651) 296-7794 St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will hold a public information meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 21, to discuss preliminary environmental review documents associated with the proposed Xcel Energy ash landfill. The meeting will be held at Oak-Land Junior High School, 820 Manning Avenue N., in Lake Elmo. The purpose of the meeting is to describe the environmental review process for the proposed project, introduce the staff who will prepare the Environmental Impact Statement, and explain how and when people can submit comments. This is not, however, a meeting to gather public comment. Copies of a draft Scoping Environmental Assessment Worksheet (SEAW) for the Xcel Energy Ash Landfill are available for review at:
· The MPCA's St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Rd. N.
· MPCA Web site at/news/eaw/index.html
· Valley Branch Library, 380 St. Croix Trail, Lakeland
· Washington County Library, 8595 Central Park Place, Woodbury
Copies may also be requested directly by calling Mary Osborn at (651) 297-8510. Telephone inquiries related to the project should be directed to Jennifer Groebner at (651) 296-7706; (800) 657-3864 (toll free/TTY). Background:
Xcel Energy is developing plans for the disposal of coal ash produced after 2009 by the A.S. King Electric Generating Plant in Oak Park Heights. Xcel Energy's preferred alternative is to dispose of this ash in a new landfill to be developed in West Lakeland Township. The draft SEAW evaluates potential environmental issues, provides a brief analysis of each issue and identifies the topics to be examined in the Environmental Impact Statement. An EIS is an in-depth examination of the identified environmental impacts, economic and social issues, and alternatives to the proposed project. Comments on the SEAW should be submitted in writing by 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 12, 2006, to William Lynott, MPCA, Operations and Environmental Review Section, 520 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155-4194, by e-mail to william.lynott@pca.state.mn.us or by fax to (651) 297-2343.