Googling Nancy Hone
“A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.”
– Aesop
Rock-Tenn’s steam contract with Excel Energy is soon to expire. Excel Energy was forced persuaded to shut down their coal burning High Bridge plant out of concern for the pollutants associated with that method of energy generation. Rock-Tenn underwent an exhaustive search to develop an economically feasible energy plan that will allow them to continue profitable operation of the four recycled paper machines on the St. Paul, MN site. The team determined the most economical and responsible plan would be the creation of a Biomass Plant utilizing a variety of fuels, but principally RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel), or as opponents prefer a trashburner. Now opponents will admit that the trashburner does NOT effect the atmosphere as severely as a coal burner but they still do not find the technology acceptable.
Neighbors Against The Burner and organizer Nancy Hone hosted a presentation this past week by environmental activist Alan Muller of Green Delaware. The talk focused on damage to the environment that a burner would cause. One of the presentations more salient points was ” The safety of new incinerator installations cannot be established in advance…” By the same token neither can the harm. Muller’s talk ended with an advocacy for Zero Waste concluding Minnesotans are up to the challenge because our recycling rates are so high. Ironically one of those areas is paper, half of which is recycled at the Rock-Tenn mills in St. Paul. A calculation for the inreased environmental hit in transporting waste paper to more distant processors was not included in the presentation.
Both sides to this discussion make assumptions and projections and present their cases. The opponents refuse to acknowledge any benefits and an unwillingness to compromise, while the proponents seem to admit to some shortcomings and are eager to resolve issues to the best resolution possible within plan parameters.
Now I admit a bias. I am a Rock-Tenn employee, a union worker. If the plant closes my job goes, and it gives me pause to think about my young co-workers who would have a hard time replacing the income for their families. Neighbors against the burner claims their vision is to “find a solution that will provide affordable, clean energy to the Rock-Tenn recycling plant to keep it as a healthy, thriving business in St. Paul for generations to come”. So far they have not demonstrated that side.
They do however have the following nugget on their website:
An attempt is already being made to pit Unions and Labor – especially the 450+ workers employed by Rock-Tenn – against neighbors who oppose the garbage burner. This is an old ploy.
As I said before, I am a union worker at the Rock-Tenn St. Paul Mill. The above statement is simply untrue.
Lying is the the oldest ploy there is.
Alan Muller responds:
Posted: June 25th, 2007 at 11:17 am →
I’d like to invite people to read my presentation, posted on www.greendel.org, and also on legalectric.org.
Yes, I would oppose not only a “refuse derived fuel” (garbage) burner in St. Paul but any other sort of solid fuel “biomass” burner. These facilities emit pollutants that damage people’s health. (Of course, this is not my decision to make but I spoke in St. Paul to support the Neighbors Against the Burner.)
There are many possibilities for a “win-win” solution that could keep the paper recycling plant in operation without harming the environment and community health. Energy efficiency upgrades and a wind/natural gas combination might do it.
But nobody seems too confident in the long term future of the plant under Rock-Tenn (http://www.rocktenn.com/index.htm)ownership. I understand that R-T is NOT interested in signing a long-term contract for steam supply.
So, to ensure that this facility keeps running in St Paul, people need to be looking at the situation in more breadth and depth. The scheme to shove a burner into peoples’ communities–which I am sure will be defeated in any case–is not the solution…..
Alan Muller
rleaf responds:
Posted: June 25th, 2007 at 11:18 pm →
The earth and community will not benefit from the plant closing either.
The 4 mills at the St Paul Rock-Tenn process over 1000 tons of wastepaper per day. If this community resource were to be lost serious consequences to the local economy and the earth’s environment would result. Not only would the 500 jobs the St. Paul Mills provide be lost, but neighborhood businesses, industrial suppliers, wastepaper providers, and many others will be affected. Rock-Tenn pumps $75 million into the economy annually.
If the mills were lost where would Minnesota wastepaper go? 1500 miles away to Snowflake, Arizona. Traveling by freight train and semis burning fossil fuels, where a coal burning energy sourced mill will finally recycle the paper. I think you will agree that is not what should happen.
“Energy efficiency upgrades and a wind/natural gas combination might do it.”
We are too far along in this process to entertain vague suggestions. If you have a workable, cost efficient, and need I say environmentally friendly proposal you need to bring it forward quickly and be powerfully persuasive. Otherwise there will likely be no “win-win”. Only trashburner-win, local economy- win, 500 jobs- win, suppliers-win. Or it could be Trashburner-lose, local environmentalists-win, global environment-lose.
I prefer the former.
How about you?
rickleaf.com » Neighbors Nugget Number 2 responds:
Posted: June 28th, 2007 at 7:42 pm →