HLBE air permit authorized

After a year of working on the Heron Lake BioEnergy project, the corporation finally reached the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) permit decision last Tuesday.

The HLBE board met in front of the MPCA Citizen's Advisory Board and was granted their permits by a 7-1 vote. Chair Sheryl Corrigan called for the vote on Tuesday evening, following an afternoon full of testimony identifying the project.

A large contingent of area residents traveled to St. Paul to show their support for the project. Two busloads of people, in addition to those that drove on their own, watched the testimony. Over 200 people passed through the security doors during the afternoon session.

Three decisions were to be made, beginning with the need for a Contested Case Hearing, followed by the need for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and then the issuance of an Air Quality Permit, if the first two were denied.

The first decision was for a Contested Case Hearing. This would be granted if the following three items were met by the Joint Commentors (the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Izaak Walton League of America-Midwest Office and Minnesotans for an Energy Efficient Economy).

" There must be a material issue of fact in dispute concerning the matter pending;

" The board or commissioner must have the jurisdiction to make a determination on the disputed material issue of fact; and

" There must be a reasonable basis underlying the disputed material issue of fact or facts such that the holding of a Contested Case Hearing

would allow the introduction of information that would aid in resolving the disputed facts in making a final decision on the matter.

The afternoon began with a report from MPCA staff, given by James Warner. The staff recommended denying the need for the Contested Case Hearing and the Environmental Impact Statement and authorizing the Air Emission Permit.

HLBE explained they are committed to being a responsible member of the community, stated Board Chair Robert Ferguson.

Coal will be transferred in an enclosed system, and the possibility of recycling ash is still being explored. That cannot be finalized until the specific quality of the coal ash is known.

Ferguson explained that several options were looked at in planning the plant. Natural gas prices are up and supply is dwindling. We wanted a domestic fuel source, he added. With that in mind, HLBE chose to go with coal as their fuel source.

The Joint Commentors stressed the Potential-To-Emit (PTE) portion of HLBEs permit. This is a worst case scenario, showing the greatest possible emissions. If the PTE is greater than 100 tons per year, HLBE would qualify as a major source pollutant. Their application proposed a synthetic minor pollutant, with emissions of less than 100 tons per year. They expressed concern over deviations, even small ones, that could result in a violation in the permit.

If that was the case, according to members of the MPCA, the plant would be in violation and would be in trouble from the start.

Several other individuals were able to give testimony regarding the proposed plant. Chuck Wolff, Pat Kunerth, Jan Voit, John Hay, Barb Pohlman and Jason Diemer were among those to speak. Other than Wolff, these speakers voiced their confidence in the plant and it's future. Several others also spoke, including several board members.

The Citizen's Advisory Board determined that there was not sufficient evidence to need a Contested Case Hearing. Since that was defeated, the vote continued with the need for an EIS, also defeated. The Air Quality Permit was then approved for the HLBE proposed plant.

The Citizen's Advisory Board is a group chaired by the MPCA Commissioner, and includes seven other members. At present, there is a vacancy on the board, as there are generally nine members. The members are appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate to assist the MPCA in making decisions on the permitting process.

Board members, in addition to Commissioner Corrigan, are: Melanie Allen,

Eagan; Michelle Beeman, St. Paul; Brian Bensen, St. Cloud; Jackie Duncanson, Mapleton; Daniel Foley, Woodbury; Dennis Jensen, Duluth; and Chester Wilander, LaPorte.

Board member Allen cast the one dissenting vote after the afternoon of discussion.

A large contingent of area residents traveled to St. Paul to show their support for the Heron Lake BieEnergy project. They watched the testimony

given throughout the afternoon. HLBE received approval for its Air Quality Permit