March 31, 2008

Minneapolis Residents for Clean Air, we need your help!

Despite all of our hard work, the City still is not hearing our concerns. If you‟re a detail person, read the back-
story information below. If you‟re short of time or patience, just go straight to the action step.

Action step:

Even if you‟ve already done so, we need you to call your City Councilperson immediately. Some council
members say that they haven‟t heard from ANY of their constituents on this matter; several of those have over
50 residents in their wards that have already expressed concerns about this project in writing or emails. Please
call and share your concerns directly with your Councilperson or her/his aide. If you need help on talking
points or just want a refresher as to the salient issues, please refer to our “Midtown Burner Info Flyer” on our
blog:

http://mplsresidentsforcleanair.blogspot.com/

Number of
City Councilmember concerned
residents
Ward 1: Paul Ostrow
(612) 673-2201 15
Paul.Ostrow@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 2: Cam Gordon
(612) 673-2202 105
Cam.Gordon@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 3: Diane Hofstede
(612) 673-2203 8
Diane.Hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 4: Barbara Johnson
(612) 673-2204 5
Barbara.Johnson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 5: Don Samuels
(612) 673-2205 10
Don.Samuels@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 6: Robert Lilligren
(612) 673-2206 55
Robert.Lilligren@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 7: Lisa Goodman
(612) 673-2207 27
Lisa.Goodman@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 8: Elizabeth Glidden
(612) 673-2208 61
Elizabeth.Glidden@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 9: Gary Schiff
(612) 673-2209 217
Gary.Schiff@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 10: Ralph Remington
(612) 673-2210 25
Ralph.Remington@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 11: Scott Benson
(612) 673-2211 23
Scott.Benson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 12: Sandy Colvin Roy
(612) 673-2212 58
Sandy.ColvinRoy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Ward 13: Betsy Hodges
(612) 673-2213 23
Betsy.Hodges@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Mayor R.T. Rybak
(612) 673-2100 632
Mayor.Rybak@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
If you have time and are available, some of us plan to be at the next City Council meeting at 9:15 AM on April
4th. So far, the Midtown Burner is not on the agenda, but it could always be added at the beginning of the
meeting. This may be a non-eventful meeting, but several of us want to let the council know that we are
observing their actions in this matter.

Back-story Information:

After our strong showing at the March 17, 2008 City Council meeting, Kandiyohi Development Partners hand-
delivered a letter stating that they no longer needed an “extension of our purchase option for the South
Transfer Station.” The letter went on to say, “Since requesting that the extension be included on Council
agenda, we have received the necessary written commitment from NSP and are now in a position to satisfy all
of the conditions in our contract with the City for exercise of the option. We have, in fact, exercised the option
and are proceeding with all other aspects of the project‟s development.” The claim that KDP now has „the
necessary written commitment‟ is absurd at best. Read the Xcel/NSP letter to KDP on our blog and decide for
yourself.

March 30, 2008 was the deadline for Kandiyohi Development Partners to meet the conditions specified in the
“Amendment to Option Agreement” (the contract allowing the city to sell Kandiyohi the land). As described in
a memo sent March 26th to the Mayor and City Council, Kandiyohi did not meet option requirement 4.2.4.
“…commitment to enter into a power purchase agreement subject also to reasonable conditions.” [Memo Re:
Option on Purchase Agreement, is on our blog under the heading of Midtown Burner Documents.]

As expected, the deadline of March 30th is still up for negotiation. I spoke with Councilman Gary Schiff around
4:15 PM Monday and he said that the City Attorney (Shelley Roe) was being conservative on her interpretation
of condition 4.2.4. “…commitment to enter into a power purchase agreement subject also to reasonable
conditions.” Apparently, since Xcel Energy does not make “commitments to enter into,” (they either commit or
not), City Attorneys feel that Xcel‟s letter of intent to enter into conversations about the possibility of a
commitment to purchase power from KDP is perhaps reasonable after all. [Emphasis and sarcasm are
Jullonne‟s]. The City Council may choose to take a stance on this issue at the next City Council meeting, but is
also awaiting information from the city attorney about the legality/effectiveness of council action on this
matter.

So, now you‟re up to date on all the crazy details of this saga. No matter what, we need your voice to be
heard loud and clear, so please contact your council person (and Mayor Rybak if you have time) as soon as
possible. Pass along this email to your activist friends and let‟s all flood the Council members in an outpouring
of concern.

Thanks, as always, for your support! Even with the frustrations, we are making a difference!

Jullonne Glad & Juliet Thompson

On behalf of Minneapolis Residents for Clean Air