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SEMEP PROJECTS 'Out of the Spotlight, But Busy as Ever' 1. FILLMORE CENTRAL STUDENTS TO VISIT EAGLE BLUFF ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING CENTER. SEMEP will join with other organizations in Fillmore County to sponsor 7th grade students from Fillmore Central school to visit and participate in classes at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center near Lanesboro. Although many students live near Eagle Bluff, many have never even visited this environmental campus. The two-day visit will occur on November 2nd through 4th. The curriculum of the visit will include environmental literacy, personal responsibility, community involvement, GPS pathfinders, and a naturalist program focusing on deer. SEMEP participated with area banks and businesses last year to sponsor the same Eagle Bluff student visit. 2. CapX2020 HIGH VOLTAGE TRANSMISSION LINES. Two large electric utilities proposes to build high voltage transmission lines across Minnesota, including along a route from Rochester east through southeastern Minnesota. Many residents along this proposed southeastern Minnesota route object to the proposed high voltage lines. The primary purpose of the lines is to transport coal-fired electricity from the Dakotas through Minnesota and east to markets in Milwaukee, Chicago and other cities. Customers in southeastern Minnesota would not benefit by the construction of these high voltage transmission lines. Wind farm developers have been active in the southeastern Minnesota region constructing wind turbines and meteorological towers designed to provide dispersed renewable wind energy for the region. The electricity management trend is to provide decentralized and renewable electricity from solar, wind, biofuel and other alternative energy sources, rather than to rely upon oil, coal and gas as the primary sources of centralized distributed power. SEMEP has joined with residents of the region to request that the State of Minnesota required Great River Energy and Xcel Energy to demonstrate a clear need for the construction of these high voltage transmission lines in southeastern Minnesota. A copy of SEMEP's comment letter to the state administrative law judge can be read by clicking here. 3. THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA. SEMEP is a member of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP). MEP is a partnership of 70 Minnesota environmental and conservation organizations working to protect and preserve Minnesota's natural assets and environment. The Partnership provides (i) information sharing and education among environmental organizations, (ii) coordination of legislative advocacy and lobbying efforts, (iii) coordination and sharing of media strategies, and (iv) development of an affirmative agenda for Minnesota's environment and natural resources. David Williams, a SEMEP trustee, is vice chair and a member of the board of directors of MEP, and works to provide a voice of southeastern Minnesota to MEP's decision-making process. SEMEP board members actively lobbied Minnesota legislators during the now ended 2009 legislative session, to achieve results on environmental issues of interest regionally and statewide, including (i) bonding and funding for the proposed Clean Water Legacy program to cleanup Minnesota streams, rivers and lakes, (ii) reducing mercury pollution of Minnesota waters by applying stricter standards to coal-powered electric utilities, and (iii) retaining long-held township and local government land use decision-making authority over proposed residential, commercial and agricultural developments. SEMEP board members are currently working with the MEP government relations committee to develop an environmental lobbying issue agenda for the 2010 legislative session. SEMEP will report on the priority agenda items chosen by the MEP lobbyists to focus on for 2010. |
