Fined polluter must write letter to editor

A Sibley County man was fined $14,500 and told to write a letter to the editor after he burned down several abandoned farm buildings, some of which contained asbestos and painted materials, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced this week. Reed Burgstahler, of Stewart, Minn., violated law by failing to get burn permits and properly remove asbestos, the state said. The MPCA inspected his property twice for two separate burning incidents. Burgstahler must clean up the site and obtain disposal permits. He must also write a letter to the editor of The Land, a Mankato farm publication, "informing readers that it is illegal to burn old farm buildings and improperly dispose of the debris," the state said. Read the news release here.