MPCA invites comments on proposed biofuels plant in Le Sueur

For release: Feb.10, 2012
Contact: Cathy Rofshus, 507-206-2608

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MPCA invites comments on proposed biofuels plant in Le Sueur

Mankato, Minn. — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is inviting interested parties to comment on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet prepared for Minnesota Municipal Power Agency’s proposed biofuels plant in the city of Le Sueur, which is about 40 miles southwest of the Twin Cities.

The plant, called Hometown BioEnergy, would convert 45,000 tons a year of agricultural and food-processing waste, such as corn silage, into three products: methane biogas that would be burned to create electricity; liquid fertilizer that would be applied to nearby cropland; and a residual solid material that would be converted into burnable pellets.  The plant would generate eight megawatts of electricity and deliver it directly to the city of Le Sueur, population 4,000.

The plant’s total building area would be 25,500 square feet on a site 35 acres in size.  The site is a depleted gravel pit on the south side of Le Sueur surrounded by cropland, an airport, and an operating gravel mine. The nearest home is more than 1,000 feet from the proposed food-waste storage area, byproduct storage area, and main facility. The Minnesota River is 1.2 miles to the west, the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge is 4.3 miles to the north, and a Le Sueur County wildlife protection area is 4.2 miles to the south.

For this project, the MPCA is the state agency responsible for administering permits for air emissions, stormwater management, above-ground tanks, and land application of industrial byproducts. The City of Le Sueur is responsible for rezoning of the site and permits for building.

The Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) provides basic information about how a proposed project could affect the environment and helps determine whether an Environmental Impact Statement, a more comprehensive environmental review, is needed.

On March 20, from 6:30-9:00 p.m., the MPCA will also host a public informational meeting on the project at the Park Elementary School auditorium in Le Sueur. Comments on the project will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on March 27.

Copies of the Hometown BioEnergy worksheet are available at the MPCA St. Paul office, 520 Lafayette Road N.; or the worksheet may be seen on the MPCA’s Hometown BioEnergy EAW webpage.

Send questions and comments on the Hometown BioEnergy worksheet to William Lynott, MPCA, 520 Lafayette Road N., Saint Paul MN 55155-4194. Lynott can also be reached by phone at 651-757-2542 or by email at william.lynott@state.mn.us.

 In addition to the worksheet, the MPCA’s draft Air Emissions permit and State Disposal System (SDS) permit will be available for public comment at a later date. The contact person for the Air Emissions permit is Adriane Lenshek (phone 651-757-2526) and the contact person for the SDS permit is Kate Frantz (phone 651-757-2370).

Broadcast version

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is inviting interested parties to comment on an Environmental Assessment Worksheet prepared for Minnesota Municipal Power Agency’s proposed biofuels plant in Le Sueur, a city about 40 miles southwest of the Twin Cities.

The plant, called Hometown BioEnergy, would convert 45 thousand tons a year of agricultural and food-processing waste, such as corn silage, into electricity, liquid fertilizer, and burnable pellets.  It would generate eight megawatts of electricity and deliver it to the city of Le Sueur, population four thousand.

For this project, the M-P-C-A is the state agency responsible for administering permits for air emissions, stormwater management, above-ground tanks, and land application of industrial byproducts.  The city of Le Sueur is responsible for rezoning of the site and permits for building.

Interested parties may comment on the project’s Environmental Assessment Worksheet through March 7.  Copies of the Hometown BioEnergy worksheet are available at the M-P-C-A office in Saint Paul.  Or, you can see the worksheet on the MPCA website at www.pca.state.mn.us, and search using the term “Hometown BioEnergy.”

In addition to accepting written comments, the MPCA will host a public informational meeting on the project from 6:30 to 9:00 P-M on March 20, at the Park Elementary Auditorium in Le Sueur.

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