SUPERIOR — The Sierra Club of Wisconsin is calling on Dairyland Power and Minnesota Power to scrap their plans to build the Nemadji Trail Energy Center in Superior after the companies withdrew their air permit to construct the 625-megawatt, natural gas-powered plant.
All major stationary sources of air pollution must receive a permit-to-construct under the Clean Air Act. The Sierra Club challenged the permit for NTEC on numerous grounds, but the permit was still issued.
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Company officials say there is no plan to scrap the project.
“Due to the extended timeline of the federal permit process, the Nemadji Trail Energy Center partners have requested that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources revoke the facility’s air permit,” said Amy Rutledge, a spokesperson for Minnesota Power. “This is a timing issue. The window of time to construct and commission the facility allowed in the air permit is no longer achievable.
"Therefore, NTEC has requested the WDNR revoke the project’s air permit; the project partners will determine when to re-apply based on project planning and permitting.”
While the project has cleared 15 regulatory hurdles , the project proposed to be built on the bank of the Nemadji River near the Enbridge Energy Terminal still faces other hurdles, including wetland permits.
“Throughout this process, the project owners have committed to working closely and transparently with state and federal regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with all applicable environmental compliance standards,” Rutledge said. “Recently, NTEC received its 15th regulatory agency approval, with a positive federal consistency certification from the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
"We look forward to continuing to work in good faith as the approval process continues.”
The withdrawal of the air permit for NTEC "is the right step forward to protect air quality in Superior and the surrounding communities," Elizabeth Ward, Sierra Club Wisconsin Chapter director, said in a press release.
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"The bottom line is that NTEC is already outdated even before it was built, she said. “There is no need for a new dirty, costly gas plant in Wisconsin.”
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