Finding a Green Way to Govern

As you can see here , a group of conservative political activists is suing the State and Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. Why? Because they believe that they have the right to engage in political campaigning and voter intimidation at polling places. They believe this despite the long, positive history of bans on overt political speech and campaigning in polling places in Minnesota. They are making the laughable claim that "the Tea Party and Minnesota Majority are not political groups." Do they actually believe that? Do they really expect anyone else to believe that? Despite the fact that there are numerous Republican candidates for office overtly running as "Tea Party" endorsees, and that there is a Tea Party Caucus of the Republican Party at the national level, and that there are several groups with "Tea Party" in their names funnelling corporate dollars into ads on behalf of Republican candidates? Even a cursory look at the Minnesota Majority website shows...

As anyone who has ridden the Hiawatha Trail lately has likely noticed, Met Transit is building a new maintenance facility to the east of the trail, between 24th and 26th streets. As part of this project, they need to do some work on a water main that will necessitate closing the section of the trail from 24th to 26th. They will begin that closure next Monday, 10.25.10 , and it will continue for up to three weeks. Met Transit has worked with our office on the following detour:Southbound cyclists on Hiawatha take a left on 24th Street, then a right onto the new bike lanes on Minnehaha and continue south to the Greenway. Northbound cyclists who are coming across the Sabo bridge from the west continue to Minnehaha and take a left and cyclists coming from the east take a right on Minnehaha. From Minnehaha, take a left on 24th and then a right on the trail. Please help spread the word.

This morning, the Council voted to formalize the Minneapolis Bicycle Advisory Committee (or BAC). This vote was the culmination of a process that I have led for over a year, with the participation of many current members of the BAC, and I'm thrilled to see all of our work finally come to fruition. I've been actively involved with the BAC since Cam took office in 2006. I have a deep interest in bicycling, both personally and from a policy perspective, and the BAC has been one of the key players in making Minneapolis a more bike-friendly city. But early on, I started to notice differences between the BAC and other boards and commissions that advise the City, for instance the Environmental Advisory Committee or the Public Health Advisory Committee. Meetings were chaired and agendas set not by the membership, but by Public Works staff. There did not seem to be a formal membership, but a shifting cast of bicycle advocates and staff who tended to come to meetings. Anyone at a give...

The Administrative Law Judge, Beverly Jones Heydinger, has formally recommended to the Public Utilities Commission that the Xcel Hiawatha Powerline, proposed to be above ground along the Midtown Greenway, be buried under E. 28th Street. I am very supportive of this recommendation, although I continue to question the need for the powerline itself and would prefer to see an investment in conservation, alternative energy sources and upgrading the existing lines. The judge also recommended that the substations be at Xcel preferred locations. The one nearest Ward 2 would be east of Hiawatha Avenue adjacent to the greenway where there is current green space. The PUC will now accept comments disagreeing with Heydinger’s recommendations. They will wait to make a decision, however, until after the required Certificate of Need process has been completed. Because Xcel has not applied for the certificate of need it looks like the earliest the PUC could act is November, 2011.

Yesterday I saw it with my own eyes. Finally, after years of work and having to revamp and restucture a 2 million dollar state grant, solar panels are now actually up on the Convention Center. A press conference held yesterday yeilded some media coverage here or here if you want to see a picture as well. The installation will be the Upper Midwest’s largest solar photovoltaic system. The solar array, which has 403 of its 2,613 panels installed, will connect directly to the convention center’s internal electrical system and produce 750,000 kWh of renewable energy per year when completed. The system, being built by a local development team led by Best Power International and Westwood Professional Services, will produce the equivalent of powering 85 homes annually, while offsetting 539 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions (the amount given off by 60,587 gallons of gasoline). In a unique and somewhat complex agreement, the photovoltaic systems will be owned by Best Power, which will le...