Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Sprout Along Mississippi River

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Sprout Along Mississippi River in Minnesota

SAINT PAUL, MINN. – (June 15, 2015) --Parks and recreational areas have always been a good place to ‘recharge’ body, mind and spirit. Now they are also a good place to recharge electric-powered vehicles (EVs), thanks to a partnership including federal, state and local agencies that are installing vehicle charging stations at 11 locations within the Mississippi National River and Recreational Area, a 72-mile long, 54,000-acre national park along the Mississippi River that stretches from Dayton to Hastings.  At 1 p.m. on Monday, June 15th, a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at one of these sites, at Fort Snelling State Park, 101 Snelling Lake Road, Saint Paul, Minn. 

The event is being planned by Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition, a statewide program coordinated by the American Lung Association in Minnesota to reduce air pollution and petroleum consumption.  The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency provided expertise for the project, as well as Fort Snelling State Park and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The new vehicle charging sites are part of a national partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program and the National Park Service.

“Tailpipe emissions are the single largest source of air pollution in Minnesota,” said Lisa Thurstin, coordinator of Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition.  “Building electric vehicle charging infrastructure will help to grow EV use and encourages people to give this cleaner transportation option a try.”

A short program will be followed by an opportunity to meet with federal and state officials, as well as view an electric vehicle exhibit.  A representative from ChargePoint, the nation’s largest EV charging network and station manufacturer, will also be available for interviews.

"The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (NRRA) is pleased to work with the American Lung Association and local partners to provide a clean source of transportation for Twin Cities visitors to experience their national park," said NRRA Superintendent John Anfinson. The NRRA project is one of 27 national parks awarded funding through the Clean Cities National Park Initiative, which provided this opportunity to add the electric vehicle charging stations to the array of alternative transportation options in park.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources purchased its first all-electric vehicle in 1982, and now operates a fleet of EVs in 21 DNR properties across the state. Fort Snelling State Park has a 3 kW solar array at its Interpretive Center that should more than offset power used to refuel electric vehicles there.

“Over the past five years, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have installed more than 25 renewable energy systems within state parks across Minnesota, with more planned in the coming year,” said Dana Vanderbosch, acquisition and development manager for parks and trails. “Offering electric vehicle charging at Fort Snelling is one more step we’re taking towards supporting clean energy.”

The electric vehicle charging facilities added as part of this project are part of 200+ public charging stations located statewide. Among the participants in the ceremony is e-ride Industries, a Princeton, Minn.-based manufacturer of electric utility vehicles used for facility operations and maintenance.

 

The planned locations of the charging sites in the project are:

Boom Island/BF Nelson Park                                      Minneapolis Parks & Recreation HQ

434 Main St. NE                                                                 2117 West River Rd.
Minneapolis, MN 55413                                                Minneapolis, MN 55411

 

Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary                                  Minnehaha Regional Park

East 4th Street                                                                  4825 Minnehaha Avenue South
Saint Paul, MN 55101                                                      Minneapolis, MN 55417

 

Upper Landing Park                                                        North Mississippi Regional Park

Shepard Road (in back of Sci. Museum)                       5114 North Mississippi Dr.
Saint Paul, 55102                                                              Minneapolis, MN 55413

                                               

Ft. Snelling State Park                                                   Northstar Parking Ramp
101 Snelling Lake Road                                                   7550 Sunwood Dr. NW
Saint Paul, MN 55111                                                      Ramsey, MN 55303

 

Historic Fort Snelling                                                     Science Museum of Minnesota

200 Tower Avenue                                                          120 Kellogg Boulevard
Saint Paul, MN 55111                                                      Saint Paul, MN 55102

 

Three Rivers Park District

(location to be determined)

 

Take This Cob And Burn It!

One of the more forward-thinking and innovative ethanol refineries in the United States is the Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company in Benson, Minnesota. The same refinery that produces Shakers and Prairie premium vodkas as well as fuel for vehicles is using biomass --a combination of corn cobs, wood and glycerin (a co-product of biodiesel production) --to generate 20% of the power needed to generate steam to produce ethanol. Eventually, they hope to replace 90% of the natural gas the plant uses to make steam with biomass-generated steam.

Update on Boundary Waters Haze Reduction Plan

According to the Duluth News-Tribune and WCCO-TV, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Board has voted 7-1 to implement a plan to reduce haze and air pollution in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in northern Minnesota. The plan now goes to the US EPA for final approval.

Frozen Corn! E85 Comes to Warroad, Minn.

The new “blender pump” at the Farmers Union Oil station at 418 State Avenue SW in Warroad has brought more than cleaner-burning fuel to the Minnesota town of 1,772 residents. It also brings a new claim to fame: the station is thought to be the northernmost of the more than 2,000 E85 retailers in the United States (the southernmost is in Miami).

Blender pumps can offer gasoline blended with varying amounts of cleaner-burning ethanol from the 10 percent (E10) blend all vehicles can use, to higher blends (E20, E30, E50 and E85) that can be used only by flex fuel vehicles.

The Farmers Union Oil is celebrating its new fuel options with “Christmas Tree discounts” beginning Wednesday, December 9th and culminating with “Full Service Friday” on December 12. Motorists who buy eight gallons or more of the following fuels receive discounts off the price of the live Christmas trees sold at the station: E85 = $8.50 discount; E50 = $5 discount; E30 = $3 discount; E20 = $2 discount; and E10 = $1 discount.

Using E85 instead of gasoline in a flex fuel vehicle can reduce as much as four tons of lifecycle greenhouse gases and other air pollutants annually, according to the American Lung Association in Minnesota, which administers a state program to help offset the costs of adding blender, E85 or biodiesel pumps at retail fuel stations. The Environmental Protection Agency recently declared greenhouse gases “a threat to human health,” and many delegates to the global climate conference now underway in Copenhagen are being transported in E85-powered limousines.

There are about 60 blender pumps throughout Minnesota, which leads the nation in E85 outlets at 350+. For a complete listing of all E85 retailers in Minnesota, as well as a list of all flex fuel vehicles that can use it, visit www.CleanAirChoice.org.

What a difference a year makes in Janesville, MN

The giant ethanol plant in Janesville, MN is now the largest private employer in town, according to this recent article. The plant, once part of the bankrupt VeraSun organization, was closed before it ever began production and was often cited in the national media as an example of the "failure" of biofuels. The plant reopened in October 2009 under the new ownership by local farmers and investors.

Canoe See The BWCA? Air pollution needs solution

There's a nice article in the Star Tribune today about air pollution and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. It's not just about spoiling the view -- that haze that hangs over the wilderness site is harmful to our lungs, too. Time to clean up our act, Minnesota!

Frozen Corn: Nov. 4 E85 Promo In Olivia, Minn.

Media contact from ALA in MN: Robert Moffitt (651) 269-7561

The Prices Drop Along With The Temperature: November 4th E85 And Biodiesel Promotion In Olivia, Minnesota

Olivia, Minn. – (October 30, 2009) – On Wednesday, November 4, the Olivia Cenex at 1208 West Lincoln in Olivia will hold a promotion on two cleaner-burning fuels, E85 and biodiesel, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. During the promotion, the price of E85 will be discounted by 85 cents per gallon and B5 biodiesel will be discounted 20 cents per gallon. The station will also be discounting the price of the higher-ethanol blend fuels E20, E30 and E50 by 10 cents a gallon.

The higher ethanol blends and E85 fuel is intended for use in flex fuel vehicles only. There is a 30 gallon limit per customer on each fuel. To see if your vehicle can use E85, or to learn more about E85 and biodiesel, visit www.CleanAirChoice.org

The event is being offered by the Farmers Coop Oil, Renville County Corn & Soybean Growers, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, the American Lung Association in Minnesota and the Minnesota Clean Air Choice Team.

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