A meeting of minds and hearts, respectful, conversant, concerned about our future, excited to begin! We want the nation to know, we have wind ready to go!

Clean Water Action South Dakota hosted a live slideshow version of An Inconvenient Truth featuring keynote speaker, Diana McKeown, trained by former Vice President Al Gore, The Climate Project, to give the presentation. Although the event started at 11:00 a.m., Reporter Terry O Keefe, Watertown Public Opinion, having chased down the information the night before, arrived at 9:30 to do interviews before hitting the road for another engagement.

McKeown captured the attention of everyone early on, telling of her first visit to South Dakota as a young girl in the late seventies with her Dad and brother. They had been hunting on the Minnesota side of the border and never having been in South Dakota before, took the five-minute drive to the Big Stone City area. That is where she got her first coot as well as a pet rock, she said.

Global warming trends and climate change predict wetland decimation in South Dakota, which provides critical duck habitat.

Timothy Rose, Director of Media Relations for Fresh Energy, a nonprofit organization based in St. Paul, Minnesota working on renewable energy and global warming solutions, recounted his favorite South Dakota rural wind success stories and challenged South Dakotans for not doing more and letting the wind pass through to Minnesota hands. Not everyone wants to move to the Twin Cities or Sioux Falls, Rose said, explaining that developing wind projects builds rural economies so people do not have to move to get a job. Wind energy could bring green in many ways, cash being one, he noted.

Following the speaker presentations, the group discussed challenges and opportunities for South Dakota in light of consequences and responsibility of global warming. Discussion ranged from Big Stone II to environmental refugees to what can we do? As McKeown emphasized and exhibited in her presentation, the facts are clear, the consequences severe. An 80% cut in carbon by 2050 would be just one of many actions needed now to prevent the worst case scenarios.

At 1:00 p.m., the group had a photo taken by photographer Don Sherman, among others. As participants lingered, getting to know one another, Big Stone Plant Manager, Jeff Endrizzi offered a tour of the plant and an opportunity for further discussion. Many had previous engagements planned. McKeown, Stueve, Elsie Perrine of Ortonville and Delores Miller, Graceville took Endrizzi up on his offer.

It seemed all could agree that we have a future to protect.

Consensus Reached. Your Turn Congress!

Photos starting to come in and news coverage too. For more information and how you can help in making the transition to a clean energy system here in the Midwest, check out www.cleanwateraction.org and www.fresh-energy.org websites!

And again, MANY thanks to Diana McKeown and Timothy Rose!

From the WATERTOWN PUBLIC OPINION
www.thepublicopinion.com

Opponents voice Big Stone II concerns

By Terry O'Keefe, Staff Writer

MONDAY APRIL 16, 2007 BIG STONE CITY - People opposed to the Big Stone II power plant project joined others around the country and staged meetings Saturday to bring their views to the general public.

Otter Power Co. and six other electric utility companies from South Dakota and Minnesota have proposed adding a second 650 megawatt power plant alongside the existing Big Stone Power Plant at a cost of $1.6 billion. South Dakota officials have issued permits for the construction of the plant and hearings have been held in both Minnesota and South Dakota pertaining to water usage and the construction of new transmission lines to the east that would be needed.

Minnesota officials are expected to rule on the transmission line issue as soon as the end of April.

While the project has hailed as the answer to what company officials say is a growing need for more electric generation and as an economic windfall locally, opponents say the coal-burning plant will cause heavier emissions of carbon dioxide, mercury and other pollutants. They also say the water needed for the new plant's cooling system will put too much pressure on nearby Big Stone Lake and the area's aquifer in general.

The meeting at the Big Stone American Legion Club Saturday was hosted by Clean Water Action of South Dakota and the Clean Water Action Alliance of Minnesota. Mary Jo Stueve is program coordinator for the South Dakota chapter of Clean Water Action out of Sioux Falls and says the water usage of the new plant will adversely impact the Veblen Aquifer which feeds the lakes, rivers and city water supplies throughout northeast South Dakota and western Minnesota.

Stueve said the daily water usage by the plant will be equal to the total usage in Grant County for all of 2000.

?The ground water hearings are coming up and we want to get that word out,? Stueve said.

Stueve also said the new plant along with the existing plant will have carbon emissions equal to that of 700,000 vehicles.

?We can't have that in South Dakota,? Stueve said. ?We're one of the last bastions of clean air, clean water and clean soil.

?If we jump into (the new plant), this baby is another 50 years down the road.?

Stueve said her group and others around the country were using Saturday as a kickoff to put pressure on Congress to put tighter emissions controls in place for operations such as coal-fired power plants and other such operations.

?Part of the message today is, Congress, step it up,? she said. ?We want to cut carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

?The world is watching us. Will we lead? I want it to be South Dakota that leads.?

Rather than building new coal-fired power plants, Stueve said developers need to look more at alternatives such as wind power.

?We can do so much more (with wind development), but we see Big Stone II blocking us out,? Stueve said. ?If we had the same (financial) investment, we could change it almost overnight.?

Including organizers, about 20 people attended the meeting Saturday morning. Reflecting the controversial nature of the project, a sign was posted on the door to the building which said ?The Legion, its members and its employees do not agree or disagree with the group meeting here today.?

Construction on the new plant could begin as soon as early next year and would likely take about four years or longer to complete, company officials have said