Graphic by VJAA Architects for Friends of the Lock and Dam.
Two very different proposals for the idle Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock & Dam are in a waiting game with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Power plant developer Crown Hydro, which had proposed a hydro-powered plant beneath the Crown Roller Mill building in the late 1990s, has applied for a new permit to build a turbine generator at the upper end of the lock itself. At the same time, the advocacy group Friends of the Lock & Dam have sought to delay FERC’s approval of the project.
The group’s chair, Paul Reyelts, former chief financial officer of Valspar, said that FERC’s September 2 announcement that an environmental assessment of the Crown Hydro project would be approved led the group to file a motion to intervene and gained a one-month extension of the public comment period.
The proposal the Friends of the Lock & Dam are backing includes an observation deck, a visitors’ and interpretive center, and a possible performance space on and next to the lock. Reyelts said that the hydro project would not be compatible with that plan. He added, “Crown Hydro’s proposal is old technology. Three megawatts is a drop in the bucket. This is an example of private industry hoping to make a profit on public space.”
The additional month for comments may have helped advocates for the park plan. Kathleen Boe, executive director of the Minneapolis Riverfront Partnership, said, “There was an overwhelming output of comments from a broad range of respondents asking FERC to reconsider their environmental assessment. There was a sense that the assessment didn’t take all of the historical factors into consideration.” The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, the Downtown Council, and a number of neighborhood associations were among those asking for a fresh look at the proposed plant.
Lisa Hondres, a member of the ad hoc group Friends of the Riverfront, said that the deadline for comments is over, but FERC has no specific timeline to respond. Hondres noted that completion of an environmental assessment for any energy project usually suggests that the process is nearing its end. “FERC still has to get some outstanding items, among them a tribal consultation. They have to look into this and proceed, but it’s clear that people want a more thorough review.”