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From: Barb Nelson
Lewiston, Minn.
It’s November 2, 2012, fairly warm and sunny. I would rather be in the garden deciding where to put the rest of the tulip bulbs. Instead, I am trying to compose this letter to the public about Environmental Assessment Worksheets that NO resident in this region wants to even think about. Our neighbors to the north, south, east and west are looking to us in Winona County to make the perfect decision on exactly how to proceed with the frac sand mines. It’s clear we have no experience dealing with the environmental impact of these proposals. “It’s only a small project” is NOT true, it’s bigger than we can even imagine. The EAWs submitted on the Dabelstein and Yoder mines need to be perfect and complete in every way. We want to have confidence in the people of authority to protect us, but it’s evident that the worksheets are seriously flawed. The document is a rubber stamp of the information submitted by the proposer.
• The front of the worksheet says it was prepared by the MPCA; that’s not accurate.
• They skipped an entire question (#31).
• The EAW is required by law to address the cumulative impacts of these mines, the proposed frac sand processing plant near St. Charles (which would be the biggest in North America), and the other proposed mines in the area. But the question of cumulative impacts is glossed over and barely addressed AT ALL!
• The county has signed off that it is accurate and complete. NOT TRUE!
The county board needs to start this over and DO IT RIGHT!
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