On 6/23/05 6:54 PM, "Tamir Nolley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Let's also be clear that the 5th ward race is a PARTISAN race. Earlier today, > an air quality alert was issued for the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area, > something that never happened before the SSB/Cherryhomes approved garbage > burner that sits in the 5th ward. For me that alone makes the case for Greens > to hold office.
While I share Tamir's concerns with air quality in Minneapolis, I think it's a mistake to attribute Thursday's alert directly to HERC (aka the garbage burner). Aside from the fact that HERC has been around for 15 years and the Air Quality Alert system has only been around for two or three years, making it difficult to say whether or how many air quality alerts would have been issued prior to HERC starting operations, there's a lot more going on in Minneapolis that contributes to poor air quality than just HERC. Thursday's alert was issued because weather patterns suggested that a buildup in ground-level ozone concentrations could happen - that actually didn't play out as forecasted, but that only further illustrates how complex this air quality monitoring stuff can be. For those not familiar with ground-level ozone, here's a description from the state Air Quality Index web site. "Ground-level ozone is formed in the atmosphere when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react in the presence of heat and sunlight. Cars, trucks, power plants, and solvents contribute to the formation of ozone, which is a major component of smog. Ozone can be transported into an area from sources hundreds of miles upwind. It is irritating to the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and it can worsen the symptoms of asthma. The elderly, children, and people with respiratory illnesses are most at risk. Ozone can also damage plants, including crops and trees." http://aqi.pca.state.mn.us/hourly/index.cfm#description So ozone comes from VOCs reacting with NOx. How much does HERC contribute to those concentrations in Minneapolis? MPCA air emissions data for 2003 (the most current available) shows that HERC emitted 423 tons of NOx and 1.3 tons of VOCs for the year. Compare that now to Xcel-Riverside, which emitted 13,345 tons of NOx and 61 tons of VOCs that same year. With VOCs, HERC isn't even close to one of the top sources of VOC emissions in Minneapolis, or even in North Minneapolis, for that matter. Among those that rank higher are: Pechiney Plastic Packaging (26th Ave SE) - 431 tons per year G&K Services (Washington Ave N) - 109 tons per year Ritrama (Kasota Ave SE) - 105 tons per year Xcel-Riverside (Marshall St NE) - 61 tons per year Leef Bros. (James Ave N) - 60 tons per year GAF (Lowry Ave N) - 53 tons per year Now, HERC is the 2nd largest point source for NOx emissions in Minneapolis, but at 3% of what Xcel-Riverside emits, it would hardly have much impact if HERC were to be shut down while Xcel-Riverside continued to operate as it does now. Maybe in 2009, when Xcel-Riverside switches over from burning coal to natural gas, it might make more sense to focus on HERC. In which case, the discussion we should be having now is if we don't want HERC, what should we do with the 1000 tons per DAY of garbage that HERC burns and how will we account for the 33 megawatts of electricity it generates from burning all that garbage? Mark Snyder Windom Park REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact 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 Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
