Legalectric

Crushed, Stacked Cars Fueling Massive Fire At Becker’s Northern Metals Recycling Plant

Look at that plume — is MPCA or ANYONE tracking that plume?

Fire at Becker metal recycling plant continues to burn

From that article: On Tuesday, the city called in a Sherburne County Emergency Management Team, the state’s Pollution Control Agency and the Health Department amid concerns over air quality. Police told residents with respiratory problems who live near the plant to remain indoors or in well-ventilated areas.

Two years ago, when Northern Metals was run out of Minneapolis, I had this to say:

Northern Metals was violating its MPCA permit, it also lit on fire.  Ultimately, it was run out of town.

So now it goes to Becker.  How will it NOT violate its permit there?  Oh, right, MPCA will be so lax about it that violation would be a logical, legal, and physical impossibility.

That’s from this Legalectric post:

Northern Metals rears its ugly head in Becker
April 16th, 2018

And way back circa 2012, Alan Muller posted this:

Muller on Northern Metals
March 26th, 2012

Xcel sold the land in Becker to allow Northern Metals to move… why?

Xcel files a handful of PPA termination & reduction Petitions
July 1st, 2017

From that Legalectric post:

And about the Sherco site and moving part of Northern Metals operation to the Sherco site, and that’s not all they want to do:

17-xxxx+Sherco+Land+Sale+Petition+NSP+063017

The point of this Sherco Petition?

And of course the Public Utilities Commission approved the sale, Northern Metals moved, and surprise, surprise, we have another fire, emissions rolling downwind, downriver, to Minneapolis once again. What did Xcel get out of this deal, $$$ as above, and what else? What did the people of Minneapolis who agreed to a settlement with Northern Metals get? Is Northern Metals continuing misbehavior something anticipated and approved of in the deal? Better check.

Perhaps now is the time to shut Northern Metals down? I can’t imagine they’d require they treat those junked cars any differently given they let them reopen without changes sufficient to prevent ANOTHER fire, so yeah, just shut it down.