TESTIMONY FROM GARY BOTZEK 

EPA PROPOSED RULE ESTABLISHING STANDARDS OF 

PERFORMANCE FOR GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FOR NEW 

STATIONARY SOURCRS: ELECTRIC UTILITY GENERATING 

UNITS 

WASHINTON, DC 

MAY 24,2012 

Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to come before this panel 

today and add my strong support for the carbon rule for new power plants in 

this country. 

My name is Gary Botzek and I serve as the executive director of the 

Minnesota Conservation Federation located in St. Paul, MN. The 

membership of the MCF includes local sportsmen's clubs from around the 

state, as well as, individuals and other conservation organizations in 

Minnesota. Our members work by day and hunt and fish but nights and 

weekends. 

Minnesota is known for its lakes, streams, and rivers. We have over 12,000 

lakes and 92,000 miles of shoreline. Minnesotans love the out of doors and 

we live it year round! 

We hunt and we fish. We bike and we hike. We swim and we eat and drink 

the great out of doors. 

However, our water and our air are not as clean as they used to be, should 

be, and need to be. 

The Minnesota Department of Health offers fish consumption advice on its 

website. They state that eating fish is an excellent source oflow-fat protein, 

but warns that some fish could contain contaminants such as mercury that 

can harm human health-especially for children and fetuses. We have fish 

advisories for mercury in our fish are on almost all of our lakes. 
Botzek, page 2 

The mercury in our fish comes from coal power plants within the state, 

surrounding states, and Canada. Our utilities have done an above average job 

of converting coal burning electrical generation plants to natural gas and 

upgrading the soot scrubber technology in the exhaust pipes. 

Minnesota is rich with fish and wildlife. Many of our animal species, like 

trout and moose, are sensitive to temperature change. Milder winters are 

affecting the migration patterns of our waterfowl, including ducks and loons. 

The story of the moose population is not a pretty picture in Minnesota. 

Annual aerial surveys taken from helicopter over flights show that the state's 

primary moose population located in the state's northeastern Arrowhead 

region has been halved in just years-dropping from 8.840 animals in 2006 

to 4,240 this year. Mild winters and balmy spring and fall seasons require 

moose to use more strength to cool themselves. The milder winters also 

allow parasites and ticks to survive the winters and do more damage on the 

native moose. We need normal colder winters; not warmer ones assisted by 

climate change caused by fossil fueled power plants, factories, and 

automobiles. 

The MCF supports the passage and implementation of legislation and rules 

that include reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. We are joined by many 

other conservation and environmental organizations in Minnesota. 

I live near the largest coal burning electrical generation power plant in the 

state-Sherco. Due to wind movement the air pollution from this plant is 

affecting the air quality in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the 

Voyageurs National Park. This haze is of major concern to the park users 

and the general public. Sherco has three plants in one location-two of 

which are currently operational. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 

and others are keeping the pressure on the utility is do more in terms of 

retrofitting the plants with cleaner technology. 
Botzek, page 3 

This plant is an excellent example why it is so very critical for the EPA to 

move to tackle emissions from existing coal-fired plants. Strong new 

standards for new coal plants are the first step! 

We are very proud to live and work and recreate in Minnesota. Once we get 

our sporting teams in shape, we will be again a "perfect place" once again to 

raise our kids and grandkids. However, we must continue to ask our 

businesses, including utilities, to do the best job that they can to improve and 

quality of our air and waters. As rate buyers we are paying them to do the 

right thing! 

At MCF meetings we open up our meetings with the pledge that goes like 

this: "I give my pledge as an American to save and faithfully defend from 

waste the natural resources of my country; its air, soil and minerals; its 

forests, waters, and wildlife. We, in Minnesota try hard every day to practice 

what we pledge! 

This proposed rule will go a long way in the correct direction of our pledge. 

Thank you.