Residents pressuring Hennepin County to close its trash incinerator are increasingly frustrated by the lack of a concrete closure date, which an internal email shows is unlikely to happen in the near future.
Dozens addressed the County Board at a July 22 meeting, imploring officials to close the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, better known as the HERC, because of concerns over air pollution. In October 2023, after years of public pressure, commissioners approved a resolution asking county staff to put together a plan to shut down the controversial facility some time between 2028 and 2040. In response, county waste workers developed a list of steps they said need to be taken before the HERC could close. But no firm date or clear closure plan has been put in place since then.
Randy Kiser, operations and compliance manager for Hennepin County’s solid waste and energy division, emailed Xcel Energy officials in September 2024 to assure them the HERC would remain open for the foreseeable future, according to records obtained via a data practices request that were shared with Sahan Journal…