To the editor:
The city through its Public Utilities Commission may well be making a huge financial and environmental mistake if it continues with the plan to convert boiler #4 from gas to coal electrical generation.
The overall cost of the change will be from $24 million to $28 million. In addition, the PUC has contracted with a private energy consulting firm to write and update environmental variance requests to the EPA at a cost of $200-300,000.00.
A non-PUC evaluation of the project concluded that the major question overall was how long boiler #4 would survive given the fact its current age of 45 years. Are we simply throwing good money after bad if we continue with the change?
Regardless of your feelings on the project, it might be helpful if you called the PUC members listed below to express an opinion. The financing has already been approved, only a review and rejection by the PUC will stop the project from moving forward.
Susan Fix 359-7275
David Lynn 354-8104
Norman Melville 359-4740
William Steinke 354-3506
William Swan 354-5633
To quote from the outside evaluation of the project, "...converting Boiler 4 to coal is NOT the economic 'slam-dunk' that S & L's (PUC's consultants) economic analyses to date would have it be."
Marilyn and John Lieske
New Ulm
Members, Citizens
for Clean Energy