Local Action to Improve Energy Sustainability in a River City

Coon Rapids is a suburban city of about 61,000 people on the Mississippi north of Minneapolis.  Development here exploded in the 50's and 60's with the post-war building/baby boom.  In Coon Rapids, a group of citizens have banded together to build solar energy investment across the city.  

The Coon Rapids Regenerative Energy Task Force formed in 2019.  Members include a state senator, a former state legislator, a city ‘council member, a Coon Rapids Sustainability commission member, a student at the Anoka Ramsey Community College and advisors from the Three Rivers Parks District and Xcel Energy.  The motivation was to accelerate the process of using more sustainable energy in our city and less  carbon-based energy.  Lonni McCauley, a founding member of the Task Force, said,  "You only have to learn of the fires in Australia, the flood in Vienna and the tornadoes and floods in the South to get realize you can’t sit still and do nothing."

This group has gotten a lot done in their six months of existence.  So far, their accomplishments include:

• Working with Xcel Energy on a solar garden on land surrounding the WCCO transmission tower       
• Working with Xcel Energy and Three Rivers Park District on re-introducing hydroelectricity to the Coon Rapids Dam
• Working with Anoka Ramsey on revisiting the solar garden on their campus
• Encouraged the Anoka County Board to enter into an agreement with St. Paul Port Authority’s PACE program to help businesses with start-up costs for energy conservation and including solar in Anoka County.  The agreement has been finalized - read about it here.
• Encouraging and working with participation from the Coon Rapids Sustainability Commission, Anoka Ramsey Community College Sustainability committee and the Coon Rapids recycling/sustainability staff.

We look forward to seeing where the next six months take this group!  This project is a product of the Upper Mississippi River Region ILO which is promoting clean water and a mitigation of climate change.  

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