While other polluters along the river produce larger quantities of pollutants, (notably the Xcel coal plant), it is GAF that is often the main culprit in producing the bad odors that permeate the river corridor in North and Northeast. Since late 2001, the City of Minneapolis has logged 47 complaints over these odors. GAF’s actions seem to clearly violate MPCA guidelines and Minneapolis ordinance 47.190 which, in part, states:
/Public nuisance prohibition and abatement. (a) It shall constitute a public nuisance and be unlawful for any person to make, continue, permit, or cause to be emitted into the open air any dust, gasses, fumes, vapors, smokes and/or odors with objectionable properties and in such quantities as would be likely to cause discomfort or annoyance to a reasonable person of normal sensibilities that does one or more of the following:/
<>/(1) Injures or are sufficient to injure the health or safety of any person or the public;
(2) Creates an obnoxious odor in the atmosphere;/
<>We can probably assume that if GAF was located in a wealthier non-minority populated part of the city, that it would have been forced to change its ways long ago. However, there are now some positive signs of change and a couple of opportunities for concerned citizens and groups to address this issue. <>In March, 2004 the city and MPCA, spurred on by citizen complaints, conducted an inspection of GAF. This resulted in an enforcement action. GAF eventually was assessed a $10,000 fine and agreed to make improvements. A new plant manager at GAF met with the Bottineau neighborhood group last month and indicated that GAF was investing in pollution control and was finally going to do something about the odors. This is to be up and running by September of this year and “hopefully” will resolve many of the odor problems. This is a welcome development. Minneapolis had delayed issuing GAF’s annual business license until this enforcement action was resolved but now is moving to issue the license based on this perceived progress. However, the past track record of area polluters has often involved repeated public assurances but little long-term change. It is essential that GAF’s progress be carefully monitored and that citizen groups continue to let the company, regulators, and public officials know that this is a serious issue of ongoing concern for people who care about the river and the livability of our community. <>At the same time, the state Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) is currently considering amendments to GAF’s air emissions permit. GAF’s permit is not up for renewal, in fact it is a “non-expiring” permit. However, due to some technical changes being made to the permit, there is now an open period (until May 2) for public comment. This provides an opportunity for concerned citizens and organizations to go on record with their concerns.
**There are a number of specific actions that concerned citizens and groups can take at this point:
<>1. Submit written comments to the MPCA between now and May 2. This can be from individuals but also from neighborhood organizations or other concerned groups. While the MPCA mainly regulates emissions, not all odors, citizen comments can include livability issues such as odors. The public comment is a good time to express your concerns and get them on record, even if you are not directly addressing the technical issues in this permit amendment. As part of your comments, you can request that the MPCA hold a _public information meeting_ regarding GAF. Comments should be submitted, by letter or email, to: <>John Chikkala, Air Permits Engineer
Air Quality Permits Section, Industrial Division, MPCA
520 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, MN 55155
Tel: 651-296-9711
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
<>I would suggest copying your comments to:
Jennifer Tschida, Environmental Management Division, Minneapolis
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <>
And also to City Councilmember Don Samuels:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
You may also want to send comments to your state representatives.
2. Another idea for a public informational meeting would be for neighborhood groups to request a direct meeting with GAF to which public officials and regulators would also be invited. This might allow for a more flexible and useful format than would a formal MPCA-organized meeting. The GAF plant manager is Mr. Eric Parana at 612-520-8742. One interested neighborhood or community organization would need to step forward to organize such a meeting—or the company itself could be requested to organize such a meeting.
Bruce Shoemaker Holland neighborhood
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