I spent a few hours last week with Paul Wotzka, the former Minnesota Pollution Control Agency hydrologist who has recently filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the agency. As we sat in his rural southeast Minnesota home near where the Whitewater River empties into the Mississippi, he gave me an informal version of the presentation he would have given to a state House committee on March 23—if his supervisors would have allowed him. Well, here is the presentation that committee missed out on. As you can see, the environmental trend lines Wotzka’s research lays out are troubling, but this Powerpoint isn’t exactly a threat to national security. So why the big fuss? It’s like this: in a climate where little questioning of the corn-bean-feedlot machine is tolerated, some may see these charts, graphs and bullet points as tantamount to treason. That’s because Wotzka’s research shows that planting more and more corn and soybeans in watersheds like the Whitewater is creating significant threats to the ecosystem. The trouble is, a lot of powerful interests are betting on the “more and more corn and beans” horse and don’t want any stumbling blocks tossed onto the track. The future of Paul Wotzka’s career may be in the hands of the courts, but we still have a chance to thank the hydrologist for serving the public’s interest, even when his research perturbs the powerful. An Aug. 11 fundraiser for Wotzka is an opportunity for people to support the kind of solid, publicly-funded science that helps you and me (and our lawmakers) make informed decisions. (more…)

by Erin Stojan, program coordinator, Fresh Energy

The 2007 Next Generation Energy Act, signed into law in May, requires the legislature to adopt a plan by 2009 to reduce global warming pollution. The Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group, a stakeholder group drawing its more than 50 members from industry, environmental groups, local and tribal governments, transportation, and agriculture, is meeting through early 2008, when its findings will be presented to the Minnesota Legislature. The process, facilitated in Minnesota by the Center for Climate Strategies, is one of several currently underway in the Midwest; Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois are currently undergoing similar processes.

Get involved! The Advisory Group’s work is split into technical work groups, and the public is welcome to participate in the conference call meetings of these work groups (the phone number is toll-free.) A schedule of these meetings—including conference call numbers and access codes—is available here.

Today’s topics: Agriculture, Development, Energy, Forests, Funding, Natural Areas, Transit, Water and Wetlands.
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To assist with the legal expenses of Paul Wotzka’s whistleblower lawsuit, there will be a benefit dinner at the Eagle Bluff Nature Center in Lanesboro on August 11 at 5:30 p.m.  Here’s the blurb as sent to me:

 Paul Wotzka was an employee of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) when he was asked by Representative Ken Tschumper to testify at the Minnesota House about results of atrazine monitoring that Wotzka was involved with previously as a hydrologist for the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. The MPCA denied his request to testify and a week later Wotzka was put on investigative leave and subsequently fired. Funds raised at this event will help Wotzka cover his legal expenses. The cost is $25 per person, required by August 8. Donations for a silent auction are also welcomed. You can bring them to the dinner or drop them off at Eagle Bluff (please let Eagle Bluff know in advance if possible).

Contact Eagle Bluff Learning Center to make a reservation at 507.467.2437 or 888.800.9558.

by Erin Stojan, program coordinator, Fresh Energy

Defenders of the Black Hills have found levels of alpha radiation in the Cheyenne River above EPA standards, according to a July 16 news release. Residents of Red Shirt, a traditional village site of the Ogalala Tetuan (Sioux) people for thousands of years located on the northwest corner of the Pine Ridge reservation, requested tests of the river water used to irrigate a community garden project. In addition to garden irrigation, Red Shirt residents use the Cheyenne River for fishing, and in the summer, for swimming and water recreation. (more…)

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) began testing wastewater treatment plants for the presence of PFCs last April.  Turns out that water coming out of the Brainerd treatment plant is way above all the others tested for PFOS, coming in at 1.51 parts per billion - or almost 14 times higher than the Twin Cities.  This is made all the more strange by the fact that they don’t know where the contamination is coming from.  You can see the summary of test results from all the sites in this PDF.

Their news release doesn’t seem to be online as I write this.  In the mean time, here is the MPCA’s PFC page.

Maybe it is just because there is seemingly a story in every newspaper in the state today about Harry Potter (considered perhaps the greenest book ever, btw), but do you think it is a coincidence that this news is released the same day as the last book?  Does that mean Lord Voldemort wins out?

Kind of anyway.  Timothy Rose, Fresh Energy media relations director, was the feature of yesterday’s AmericanGreen.TV summer tour post, which also made a stop at Big Stone.  AmericanGreen.TV calls itself a “micro-network” that promises quality info on green products and lifestyles via broadband. 

Today’s topics: Agriculture, Development, Energy, Food, Natural Areas, Non-Native Invasive Species, Transit and Water.
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Today’s topics: 3M Chemicals, Agriculture, Business, Development, Energy, Funding, Great Lakes, Health, Mining, Natural Areas, Non-Native Invasive Species, Transportation, Waste, Water, Wetlands and Wildlife. 
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The latest food scare to hit our collective plates has to do with a far-flung culprit: China. Recent news stories have reported that not only have poisonous substances made their way out of the Asian mainland and in to our food, but nasty substances have also shown up in everything from toys to toothpaste. On top of that, our own systems for food security are coming under growing concern and scrutiny. (more…)