Dec 9, 2024, 12:32 PM CST
The Nemadji Trail Energy Center project in Superior is facing new opposition from environmental groups petitioning the state Supreme Court.
Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club filed a petition with the state Supreme Court on Thursday, asking it to hear their challenge to the Public Service Commission’s decision to approve construction on the project. Their lawsuit alleges that the Public Service Commission did not give proper consideration to the environmental impacts of the project. They say the plant would produce nearly 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
The Public Service Commission’s approvals have previously been upheld by a Dane County judge and a state appeals panel, which both found that utility regulators followed the law in their decision.
The Superior City Council has also previously denied local approvals on zoning changes for the project. Minnesota Power officials say they can still build the plant without those local approvals because the project has already been approved by the state Public Service Commission.
The Nemadji Trail Energy Center project has long been a point of contention in the Superior area. Mayor Jim Paine has been an outspoken critic of the project along with environmental groups. Mayor Paine says he does not want to sell out the health and safety of residents in the area. Proponents of the project say the facility will cut carbon emissions by over 800,000 tons each year by replacing coal plants and the construction process will create numerous union jobs.
The nearly $1 billion project would sit on 26 acres of land near the Enbridge Energy offices along Highway 53.
