East End residents worry about impact of Nemadji Trail Energy Center

Mar. 14—SUPERIOR — Randy and Karen Nevala built their East End home nearly 14 years ago with plans to retire there. Now they say they might have to sell because they couldn't bring their grandson with breathing problems to their home if the neighborhood changes.

Ken Thimm and Ed Marvin have lived in the neighborhood for 50 years or longer. They say they will wait to see what happens before making any decisions.

Duane and Jeanette Betterman, now in their 80s, say moving isn't an option.

For the residents who live nearest to the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center in East End pollution, safety, noise and health top their list of concerns about the natural gas power plant planned for construction in their neighborhood.

Residents started sharing their concerns with city officials about two weeks ago. Labor unions expected to build the plant have become very vocal since January after Mayor Jim Paine and councilors Nicholas Ledin, Jenny Van Sickle, Garner Moffat and Ruth Ludwig made their opposition to the project public.

Housing in the area is as close as one-third of a mile from the site where the proposed power plant is slated to be built when wetland permits are issued and city zoning issues are addressed. The city anticipates considering a zoning change and vacating a street when the Plan Commission meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 20.

"The safety zone for power plants is three miles," said Rebecca Kelleher of Neighbors Against NTEC, a recently formed group opposed to the plant. She said that's the distance most studies have focused on.

"Most of us here are retired ... (these are) supposed to be our retirement homes," said Karen Nevala. "We built these on this quiet street basically to retire on. And if they put this plant in, I know Randy and I wouldn't want to stay here because we couldn't have our grandson here."

She said they would be concerned about building on property they own in Billings Park because the wind would carry the pollution so they would have to move out of town.

The neighbors agree pollution is a big issue.

"The river was polluted many years ago, and it was cleaned up, and now we're going to have this," Ken Thimm said.

"They say gas, but they have a permit to use diesel," Jeanette Betterman said. "Once that permit is given, they are wide open for the use of diesel. OK, that diesel has to go somewhere."

Company officials with Minnesota Power and Dairyland Power Cooperative have said that diesel was listed in permit applications as a fuel for backup generators in case of power loss; it will not be used as a backup fuel for generating electricity.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are responsible for setting emission levels based on environmental and public health data. The DNR has already issued the permits setting limits for NTEC's operation.

"It's our responsibility to operate within those limits," said Amy Rutledge, a spokesperson for Minnesota Power, which is working with Dairyland Power Cooperation and Basin Electric Power Cooperative to build the plant.

Marvin said he's lived in a few different homes, all in East End, over the last 50 years. He moved there because it was a quiet neighborhood with no crime and offered a beautiful, peaceful area.

"We don't want to move," Marvin said. "We want to stay here, but we don't want to put up with pollution, noise and traffic."

In addition to retirees in the neighborhood, there are many young families with children in the neighborhood, Marvin said.

With 60-degree temperatures Tuesday, families were out riding bikes and walking dogs on 31st Avenue East, a street residents say will be a lot busier with traffic once construction begins. They remembered the pounding and large trucks rolling through the area when Enbridge expanded its tank area about a decade ago.

"They keep saying this is good for Superior ... but all I see is negatives," Karen Nevala said. She said while the quiet returned when Enbridge finished its project, that won't be true with the power plant.

The Nevalas traveled to Beloit and south of Green Bay to experience what it would be like to live around a plant like NTEC.

"We wanted to find out for ourselves," Randy Nevala said. "These power plants are very similar to what's proposed here for design. We went down there, drove around and they have locked gates so you can't go in. So, we parked ourselves approximately the same distance ... and spent some time there and listened ... we didn't like it."

Karen Nevala said she didn't have to get out of the car to hear the noise from the plant.

"There was this continuous low noise," said Randy, who got out of the car. "That would be so hard to live around."

The project has modeled noise at the proposed site and levels are expected to be below the EPA guidelines for noise levels at the nearest residential properties, said Amy Rutledge, a spokesperson for Minnesota Power. Noise levels from the facility in the adjacent neighborhood are expected to be comparable to a dishwasher in the next room or light rain, 40-50 decibels, she said.

"What gets me is that 90% of people want this plant, but if it was in their neighborhood, they would be against it," Marvin said.

Neighbors are circulating petitions and have created an

online petition

to urge city offices to oppose NTEC. A rally is also planned for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19 outside the Douglas County Courthouse.

"The plant is actually going to be an eyesore," Duane Betterman said. "You get chimneys that are going to be visible from a long distance away, and again, right in the middle of the city."