President Obama At The Interior Department, Yesterday

by: TwoPuttTommy

Wed Mar 04, 2009 at 09:32:09 AM CST

The Interior Department manages the land on which 30 percent of the nation's energy is produced. So you have a major role to play, all of you, in our clean energy future. The nation is depending on you to help us end the tyranny of foreign oil and become energy independent -- by harnessing the wind and the sun, our water, our soil, and American innovation.

That's why I'm proud to join you this afternoon. That's why I am pleased that this department is in the capable hands of my great friend Ken Salazar. And that is why the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act creates jobs by making historic investments in the Department of the Interior.

This plan will provide more than $3 billion to the department to create jobs doing the work that America needs you to do. It will create jobs increasing our capacity to generate renewable energy on public lands -- and retrofitting facilities to be far more energy efficient.  (Interior Department)

Did everybody catch that?  Let's add some emphasis:

The nation is depending on you to help us end the tyranny of foreign oil and become energy independent -- by harnessing the wind and the sun, our water, our soil, and American innovation.

And:

It will create jobs increasing our capacity to generate renewable energy on public lands

That's "our water" - as in the Mississippi River.  OUR water - it's not just the water of those that live on Nicolet Island; not just the water of those that live in condos overlooking the Mississippi River; they don't have exclusive rights to it - we ALL own it.

While President Obama talks about the macro (the need to develop renewable energy on public lands to reduce dependence on foreign energy sources), local Minneapolis residents focus on the micro ("not in MY back yard!!!").

We are in a crisis; a crisis of unemployment and dependence on foreign sources of energy.  The Crown Hydro Project has jumped through every regulatory hurdle, save one:  negotiating and inking a lease with the Minneapolis Park Board - which, due to political pressure from those that think they alone know what's best for everyone else, refuses to do so - twice, on 4 to 5 votes by the Commissioners.

Indeed, typical is the following, from the 16 June 2004 Park Board Minutes:

Crown Hydro Update
Interim Superintendent Gurban reported that he received a copy of a draft letter from Crown Hydro indicating that there was ongoing discussion with Park staff regarding the lease. He clarified that the Board has determined there will be no further action on that lease and that there has been no ongoing discussion by staff.

Did everyone catch that?  Let's look, again:

He clarified that the Board has determined there will be no further action on that lease

Even though the project has been licensed, those with a micro-view have no intention on letting this project move forward; have no intention of doing their small part in reducing dependence on foreign sources of energy; have no intention of allowing a project that is - by definition, by President Obama's agenda, and by law - in the public's interest to proceed.

And the Park Board again voted, on December 19th, 2007, to keep this project killed.  From the Downtown Journal:

Park Board rejects Crown Hydro power plant study
UPDATED December 26, 2007
By Mary O'Regan

On Dec. 19, the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB) voted not to proceed with plans to investigate the possibility of constructing Crown Hydro, a hydroelectric power plant designed to use energy from St. Anthony Falls.

The study would've involved putting together an Environmental Assessment Worksheet and Citizen Advisory Committee, hiring an outside consultant, and using roughly 500 hours of MPRB staff time over the next 18 months. The developers behind Crown Hydro were prepared to pay the $250,000 cost of the study.

The board's Planning Committee approved the project at their Dec. 5 meeting, but after much discussion at the Dec. 19 full board meeting, the motion failed 5-4. (Downtown Journal)

Did everybody catch that?  Let's look at that, again:

The developers behind Crown Hydro were prepared to pay the $250,000 cost of the study.

Ladies and Gentlemen, a small but vocal and politically-connected group of obstructionists have stopped a project that is a small part in our nation's vital interests - jobs and clean domestic energy.  Let's be clear - it's going to take a LOT of small parts to make an impact, at the macro level.  However,  the micro-level obstructionists have essentially said "we're not even going to consider it, even at no cost to us, locally."  That is why there is a bill in the state legislature - to remove the ability of micro-level obstructionists to prevent a macro-level project from going forward.

Political Muse at his blog,  Liberal in the Land of Conservative, had a call to action yesterday in a post entitled "Crown Hydro - The Objections Pt. 3".  He lists contact information for State Senator Linda Higgins, Rep. Bobby Joe Champion, and the Park Board Commissioners.

SF 840 has been referred to the Senate's Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee; that link lists the Committee's members.  By clicking on each Member's name, you can find their e-mail contact information.

I'm suggesting the gentle readers of this post contact them, and ask them - in addition to your own state Senator and Representative - what they are doing to move President Obama's agenda forward at the macro level, since the obstructionists insist on killing that vision on the micro level.