If you're following the on-again, off-again process for changing a pollution permit for the north riverfront's metal shredder, it's on again. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has scheduled an Aug. 9 public meeting at the Park Board's headquarters, 2117 W. River Road, on the proposal. The session is scheduled for 6:30-9 p.m., with an agency staff presentation at 7. Northern Metal Recycling has asked the state to amend its permit to raise some pollution limits on shredder emissions, loosen restrictions on what materials may be shredded, and reduce the frequency of pollution testing, arousing considerable community interest. The company's scrapyard is located near the west end of the Lowry Avenue Bridge, where the shredder began operating in 2009. The issue was heading toward a similar public meeting on two separate occasions last winter, but those were postponed when the company asked a Ramsey County judge to order the agency to make a quicker decision on whether further environmental studies were needed. The firm argued that the MPCA was dragging its feet. The legal maneuvering continued into the summer but a judge has allowed the state to move forward with the meeting. The purpose is to take comments on whether the environmental worksheet the agency prepared is sufficient, or whether a more detailed study is warranted The agency has been ordered to make a decision as soon as feasible, but agency manager Jess Richards said he doesn't foresee the board considering the matter before September. A request for damages by the firm is still pending in court. More information about the permit is available here and here. More information about submitting comments by the deadline of Sept. 10 is available here.
