Students Against NTEC
Becca Marston (left) and Briar Lenz (right) stand outside Minnesota Power’s main office before delivering the Valentines on Friday, Feb. 16. Photo by Becca Marston.
Twin Ports citizens are speaking out as Minnesota Power prepares to take the next step in building a new power plant in Superior. Their plan for Nemadji Trail Energy Center will be heard by the Superior Planning Commission on March 20.
Partnering with Dairyland Power and Basin Electric Power Cooperative, the company’s goal is to construct a natural gas plant in Superior by 2028.
For Valentine’s Day, UMD’s student organization, Students for Environmental and Economic (SEE) Change, used arts and activism to challenge Twin Ports utility provider, Minnesota Power, to “break up” with the proposed NTEC project.
“We just wanted to show our support for green energy and a community away from fossil fuels, and we don't think that building NTEC would be a good idea,” said Becca Marston, the president of SEE Change.
On Tuesday, Feb. 13, members of the group collaborated with the local Sierra Club to craft various anti-Valentine cards that listed some of the potential consequences of building the plant. Executive members of the club hand-delivered the cards, along with a poster that read “Break Up With NTEC,” to the corporate offices that Friday.
The poster, reading “MINNESOTA POWER, BE SWEET: BREAK UP WITH NTEC!” signed by members of SEE Change — on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Photo by Becca Marston.
The Sierra Club’s Senior Field Organizer, Jenna Yeakle, has been working with SEE Change to educate the community about the project. Yeakle received an email confirmation from Jennifer Cady — the vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs — that the letters were delivered to Minnesota Power’s CEO, Bethany Owens in person.
“Students have a stake in what MN Power does,” Yeakle said.
“Students are paying whether it’s through tuition, fees, or if they are renting off campus, their dollars are going towards a utility power,” Yeakle said. “Students are a part of the path for future generations and need to be included.”
NTEC would be built on 26 acres of wetland that borders the Nemadji River, neighboring the St. Francis cemetery and an Ojibwe burial site, where 200 bodies were relocated over 100 years ago for another development project — all just two miles away from Lake Superior.
Notable entities also in opposition to the plan include Superior Mayor Jim Paine, four of ten city council members and the Fond Du Lac band of Lake Superior Chippewa — who own adjacent land.
“The problem with modern science is the lack of information flowing, we get these results, but we fail to share them with everyone else,” Marston said.
While some residents of Superior have formed groups like “Neighbors Against NTEC”, others are showing solidarity with local unions who are in favor of building the plant. The 625-megawatt power plant will potentially produce 25 permanent jobs and 350 construction jobs while functioning as a “foundation” for future renewable energy projects, according to Minnesota Power.
The plant would still emit greenhouse gasses and neighbors are already concerned with air quality, being so close to the oil refinery.
“The reason that industry tends to get concentrated is because nobody really wants to live around it, Superior Mayor Jim Paine said in an interview with NPR. “We don’t want to be compromised anymore. We’ve kind of done our share.”
The plant has received permits from the U.S. Department of Agriculture but has yet to receive additional permits from federal agencies like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or approval for re-zoning by the city. Still, the companies involved are looking to begin construction as soon as possible. Both SEE Change and the Sierra Club plan to host future events to share updates on the decisions made about the plant.
Marston emphasizes that the action shifts away from principles set by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s carbon-free by 2040 standard.
“This plant isn’t garnering enough public support, Marston said. “It’s actually very scary.”