Air Pollution Health Alert for Fridley and Much of MN until Noon Sunday

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency urges at-risk groups to take it easy outside.

Fridley and much of Minnesota is under an air-pollution health alert until noon on Sunday. If you are especially sensitive to air pollution, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) advises you to avoid exerting yourself outside. Even people not in at-risk groups could feel the effects of the elevated levels of fine particles in the air. Here is the statement relased Saturday by the MPCA: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued and air pollution health alert for the southern two-thirds of Minnesota effective at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, December 1st and expiring at noon on Sunday, December 2nd. Fine particle pollution is elevated at monitoring sites in Detroit Lakes, Brainerd, St. Cloud, Marshall, Rochester, and the Twin …

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News of EPA Citizens Panel on Fridley Superfund Sites Sparks Comment

Fridley Cancer Cluster Facebook page members, MN Pollution Control Agency, Erin Brockovich investigator responded to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency move.

People around Fridley reacted to the announcement Tuesday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will form a citizens advisory group focused on the city's polluted Superfund sites.  "Fridley Cancer Cluster" Facebook group founder Jason McCarty was first to comment on state Rep.-elect Connie Bernardy's post with the news of the EPA' announcement: "Can I get a hell yes on this?" "Traction is starting to occur...this is another great development," responded Don Roux. "Our baby steps are getting bigger!!!" wrote Jenny Terway Petersen. McCarty teased Nov. 2 that good news was coming and credited "headway" from a Nov. 1 meeting between group members and staffers from the offices of U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. (Neither senate …

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On Air at the Health Fair: Sandeep Burman of the MPCA

Fridley Patch's interview with Sandeep Burman of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency from the floor of the health fair.

Fridley Patch spoke with Sandeep Burman of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency about the Commons Park Well Field and citizens' concerns at Wednesday evening's health fair.

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SEE: New City of Fridley Video on Water Supply, Cancer Concerns

Panelists includes officials from MN Dept. of Health and Polllution Control Agency, City of Fridley.

Watch a new video from the City of Fridley called Fridley's Environmental Cancer Concerns featuring state and local officials. This video, posted on the City of Fridley website on Aug. 16, 2012, is a followup to a program the City of Fridley produced in April 2012 titled Fridley's Cancer Questions. It also comes a few days before an Aug. 22 health fair at the Fridley Community Center at which federal, state and local officials will be available to answer residents' questions. (Whether the Fridley Cancer Cluster Facebook group will participate at the health fair in an official capacity remains an open question. The group brought consumer activist Erin Brockovich to Fridley in June for a townhall meeting.) The panel participants, from left …

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For Fridley Health Fair, Cancer Cluster Facebook Group's Invite Is Up in Air

State and city agencies can't agree on what role the Fridley Cancer Cluster Facebook group will be allowed to play at next Wednesday's "health fair."

Debate is raging about whether to allow members of the Fridley Cancer Cluster Facebook group to set up camp at a public "health fair" scheduled for next Wednesday in which Fridley residents will be able to pose questions about the city’s water testing, Superfund sites and cancer rates. During the fair, which will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Fridley Community Center Gymnasium, officials from the City of Fridley, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be available to speak one-on-one with members of the public. Officials from the Anoka County Public Health, the American Lung Association, the Mercy and Unity Hospitals Wellness Program…

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Brockovich Investigator Responds to EPA, MPCA Fridley Meeting Claims

Erin Brockovich's environmental investigator, Bob Bowcock, responded point-by-point to claims made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency about the Fridley town hall meeting.

Last week Minnesota and federal pollution-control officials made public a document responding point-by-point to 13 claims and criticisms made at Erin Brockovich's June 27, 2012, meeting at Fridley High School. In a new response (see PDF document above), Bob Bowcock, Brockovich's environmental investigator, responds to the claims made by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Also included is a PDF of an archived EPA web page, provided by Bowcock, in support of his claim that at one time the FMC Corp. "received the highest Hazard Ranking System (HRS) score of all sites on the National Priorities List (NPL)." The document released by government officials last week claims Bowcock had…

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READ: MPCA, EPA Respond to Brockovich Fridley Meeting Statements

Joint MN Pollution Control Agency-U.S. Environmental Protection Agency document aims to refute 13 claims and criticisms, point by point.

Here is a new document from Minnesota and federal pollution-control officials, responding point-by-point to 13 claims and criticisms made at Erin Brockovich's June 27, 2012, meeting in Fridley. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials attended a July 19 meeting at the Minnesota Capitol, where they distributed this document.

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State's New Webpage on Fridley Pollution, Superfund Sites

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency created a webpage for all its info on Fridley.

Fridley and Metro Area under Air-pollution Health Advisory

Ozone will be at high levels through Wednesday night, according to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA).

If you have a sensitive respiratory system or plan to go big during that midweek run, take note that ozone levels in the Fridley area might be working against you through Wednesday night. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued an air pollution health advisory Tuesday afternoon due to expected increases in ozone pollution for the Twin Cities metro and Rochester. The health advisory runs until midnight Wednesday, June 27, 2012. The advisory indicates that ozone levels are expected to be near a level that is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, including those with preexisting respiratory conditions, the elderly, children, and individuals who participate in outdoor activities requiring extended or heavy exertion. High …

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'Air Quality and Superfund Sites in Fridley' Is New MN Pollution Control Agency Web Page

The MPCA brought together its Fridley fact sheets and other data in one place.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has launched a new "Air Quality and Superfund Sites in Fridley" Web page. Included are summaries and download links to the seven Superfund-site fact sheets the agency released last month in response to recent pollution and cancer concerns from citizens, including the Fridley Cancer Cluster group on Facebook.

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