Hello Minneapolis Folks, Below are several resources for information regarding hydro projects.
1) Low Impact Hydro Institute http://www.lowimpacthydro.org/ 2) Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ME3), this page has numerous links related to hydropower. http://www.me3.org/issues/hydro/ 3) www.justenergy.org JustEnergy is a campaign focused on educating consumers about the devastating impacts Manitoba Hydro�s large-scale dams are having on people and the environment in northern Manitoba, Canada. United States utilities (primarily Xcel Energy) purchase 40% of Manitoba Hydro output and sell it to unknowing customers in the United States. JustEnergy is working to engage consumers to urge Xcel Energy, regulators, and legislators to set standards for hydropower purchased by utilities and sold to United States consumers that does not harm people or the environment. All energy sources have negative and positive impacts it is our job as a community to consider all the impacts and then make appropriate decisions based on that information. The Crown Hydro project will have some negative impacts but it will also produce electricity which most of us seem fairly fond of using. You can't be a participant on Minneapolis Issues without using electricity. It appears to be a fairly benign projects all things considered. About 2/3 of our electricity comes from coal which causes is a major contributor to global warming, and is a cause of numerous other public health issues. Cars are the other major contributor. Nuclear power does not release co2 and mercury into the air like our coal plants, but disposal of the waste is a serious issue, and accidents a nuclear accident could ultimately make a large partition of our state uninhabitable. I would urge everyone to conserve energy. By using less energy you can reduce the negative impacts immediately. I would also encourage folks that are concerned about the negative impacts of energy to consider participating in Xcel Energy Windsource program. This program helps to support development of renewable energy in Minnesota and is affordable and convenient; you can make as little as a $2.00 a month commitment, which represents a 100-kilowatt-hour (kWh) block of wind energy. For every block of Windsource you buy there is an additional charge on your monthly energy bill. You can find out more by visiting, http://www.xcelenergy.com/XLWEB/CDA/0,2914,1-1-2_735_3857-3320-5_406_664-0,00.html The Crown Hydro project has some negative impacts but when you compare them to our other choices the impacts are minimal in comparison. Ken Bradley -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JustEnergy - 46 E. 4th St., Ste. 600, St. Paul, MN 55101 - Tel (651) 225-0878 www.justenergy.org __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
