The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) citizens board confirmed the legitimacy of public questions regarding a four million gallon asphalt storage facility being proposed by Prinsburg construction company, Duininck Inc., at a site located five miles north of Granite Falls.
The surprise outcome of the vote took place during a public hearing in St. Paul on Tuesday afternoon.
“Basically, they voted 6-2 to direct the MPCA staff to research findings to support ordering an Environmental Impact Statement,” the MPCA’s Karen Kromar said.
The major differences between an EAW and EIS concerns the depth and breadth of potential environmental impacts taken into account in the reports.
In the instance of the proposed Duininck Inc. facility, the EAW largely focused on the potential affects on the local aquifer, while the EIS goes so far as to include analysis of social and property value impacts, amongst other possible concerns.
Kromar has been in charge of overseeing the development of the Environmental Assessment Worksheet (EAW) at the proposed asphalt storage facility site.
During a public meeting held two weeks ago at the Granite Falls City Hall, she said that because Duininck Inc. had taken sufficient steps to protect against groundwater contamination and air pollution concerns (though no air permit was required), she would recommend the approval of the EAW – and did so at the Tuesday hearing.
After asking questions and listening to public comments the citizens board did not accept nor deny Kromar’s recommendation, and instead asked her to look to deeper into “findings of fact” that would require an EIS to be performed.
Kromar said she would have to speak with the chairman of the citizens board to have a clearer idea of what areas more information was desired in.
No certainties
Three homes are located within a quarter-mile of the proposed site that entails a single 45-foot tall by 130-foot in diameter, above ground storage tank. If built, asphalt would be transferred to the location by an adjacent railroad and then delivered to construction projects by semi. The site would average 10 trucks per day according Duininck Inc. representatives and would rarely exceed 40 trucks. The nearest home owned by David and Karen Haroldson is approximately 1,000 feet from the storage tank.
The Haroldsons and Patrick Moore, Director of Clean Up the River Environment in Montevideo, attended the hearing and testified to the citizens board regarding their concerns, which include aquifer impact, odor, vapor emissions, overall effects on property values amongst other things.
Dave Haroldson said the citizens board expressed trepidation about a number of the potential environmental impacts before the board even heard citizen testimony.
“They are concerned about what this could mean for everybody. They took a real serious look at what might happen and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Although it is hard to look at Tuesday’s hearing as anything other than victory for the majority of local homeowners, who are opposed to the project, the ultimate decision that will come from the MPCA citizens board is far from certain.
Kromar said that while the citizen board’s request was “uncommon” it was not unheard of. The last instance where the board requested facts in support of an EIS, as they have in this situation, that she was able to recall, ended with board deciding that the EIS was not needed and the acceptance of the EAW.
The board will make a new determination at a yet to be decided citizens board meeting, which Kromar estimated will take place in April or May.
