Young Activists Protest Proposed Superior Power Plant

"Friends of the Climate" protests the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center.

DULUTH, Minn.- A Duluth based group of high school and college students known as “Friends of the Climate” organized in the Minnesota Power Plaza Thursday to share their thoughts on the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center in Superior.

The rally was a local representation of the arguments environmental groups made to the Minnesota court of appeals.

These groups are asking the public utilities commission to overturn their decision approving the plant’s construction.

“Friends of the Climate” says the Nemadji Trail Energy center will cost them their finances and their future.

They think money to build the plant should be allocated to building more renewable energy sources, not a gas plant, because they say natural gas is anything but natural.

“When it comes to our finances, the natural gas plant is going to cost Minnesota taxpayers 350 million dollars. And our cost to the future, we’re all young, so we’re going to have to deal with the consequences when we’re older,” Izzy Laderman said.

Minnesota Power, who is funding the plant’s construction, shared their views at the rally.

They say the plant still focuses on their renewable energy vision because it fills in the gaps left from the coal plants they have closed in the past several years.

“Since 2005, Minnesota Power has closed, idled or remissioned seven of our nine coal generating plants in Northern Minnesota, so as we’ve taken coal plants offline, we still need some sort of energy when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining for reliability,” Minnesota Power manager of regulatory strategy & policy Jennifer Peterson said.

Minnesota Power says the energy center will bring hundreds of jobs to the Northland.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission will be holding a hearing on the project October 28th (6 p.m. public hearing) and 29th (10 a.m. party hearing & 2  p.m. public hearing) at the Belgian Club in Superior.