Public forum on Northeastern Minnesota's clean energy future

(Click on audio mp3 above to hear an interview with J. Drake Hamilton of Fresh Energy.)

On Wednesday, April 11, there will be an open public forum to discuss the future of clean energy in northeastern Minnesota.  Speakers will include Al Rudeck, Vice President of Strategy and Planning, Minnesota Power; Bishop Tom Aitken, Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director, Fresh Energy; Jill Doberstein, Program Manager, American Lung Association of Minnesota; and Michael LeBeau, Owner, Conservation Technologies. The panel discussion and question-and-answer period will be moderated by the League of Women Voters of Duluth.

Minnesota is at a crossroads on energy.  The state can continue to invest in clean energy and efficiency or choose to continue burning coal and polluting the air and water while sending billions of dollars out of state. Smart policies have made Minnesota a clean energy leader, but northeastern Minnesota still gets almost 95 percent of its electricity from burning coal.

Minnesota Power has been required by the state Public Utilities Commission to study near-term plans for transitioning from its oldest coal plants and replacing that power with cheaper, cleaner energy such as energy efficiency, wind, and solar power.

This forum will provide information about Minnesota Power’s report on the future of their oldest coal plants, and panelists will discuss plans for diversifying the state's electricity supply to clean, efficient sources of energy that will create and sustain good paying jobs in northeastern Minnesota.

Forum sponsors include the League of Women Voters of Duluth, Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Fresh Energy, Izaak Walton League of America—McCabe Chapter, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and the Sierra Club

The forum is free and open to the public.  

Wednesday, April 11, 2012
7:00-9:00 PM
University of Minnesota, Duluth
Labovitz School of Business and Economics, Room 125
1318 Kirby Drive, Duluth, MN 55812

More information is available from J. Drake Hamilton, [email protected], 651.726.7562