Contact: Cathy Rofshus, 507-206-2608
Mankato, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is seeking comments on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet prepared for the proposed change in operation at the Prairieland Solid Waste Facility in Truman in Martin County. Comments must be in writing and arrive at the MPCA by 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, 2011.
The Prairieland Solid Waste Management Board proposes to convert its existing solid-waste-management facility from producing compost to producing refuse that can be burned as fuel by power plants. The project would include doubling the intake of solid waste from 100 to 200 tons per day. The conversion also includes changing equipment inside the facility, although the facility footprint would remain the same.
Since 1991, the Prairieland facility has provided integrated waste management for Martin and Faribault counties in southern Minnesota, diverting mixed municipal solid waste from landfills. It currently recovers recyclable materials from the solid waste stream, converts the solid waste into compost (organic matter used as fertilizer), and produces as a byproduct a small amount of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) that is burned at a power plant to produce electricity. All processing occurs within enclosed buildings.
Prairieland plans to phase out compost production over the next several years, gradually replacing it with RDF production.
The Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) provides basic information about how the proposed change could affect the environment and helps determine whether an Environmental Impact Statement, a more comprehensive environmental review, is needed. Interested parties may comment on the EAW during the public notice period from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5, 2011.
Copies of the Prairieland EAW are available at the MPCA St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Road N.; at the MPCA Mankato office, 12 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 2165; and on the Environmental Assessment Worksheets and Environmental Impact Statements page of the MPCA website.
Questions and comments on the Prairieland EAW should be sent to William Lynott, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N, Saint Paul MN 55155. Lynott can also be reached by phone at 651-757-2542 or by email at william.lynott@state.mn.us.
In addition to the environmental worksheet, this facility requires an amendment to its state Solid Waste Permit. This permit will also be available for comment later in September. Comments on the permit, which must be in writing, should be mailed to Sherri Nachtigal, MPCA, 18 Wood Lake Drive SE, Rochester, MN 55904 or sent by email to sherri.nachtigal@state.mn.us.
