Latest news with #MRRA
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mills signs bill to shut off fire suppression systems with forever chemicals at Brunswick Landing
May 28—Gov. Janet Mills has signed one of several bills aimed at preventing another discharge of "forever chemical"-containing firefighting foam at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station. The governor signed LD 407, An Act to Prohibit the Use of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam at the Former Brunswick Naval Air Station, last week. It stipulates that starting Jan. 1, 2026, the use and storage of AFFF — a fire suppression foam containing a toxic PFAS chemical known as PFOS — will be prohibited at the former air station. Now known as Brunswick Landing, the area is operated by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, which has overseen the development of homes, businesses and the Brunswick Executive Airport on the former base. LD 407 among several "forever chemicals" bills that lawmakers are considering this session following a catastrophic firefighting spill at the Brunswick Executive Airport's hangar 4 in August 2024. The spill released 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF, containing a toxic PFAS chemical known as PFOS, mixed with 50,000 gallons of water. "The Governor was pleased to sign this bill into law to direct the permanent removal of harmful fire suppressant foam from the former Brunswick Naval Air Station," a Mills spokesperson said in an email. "This accountability measure will avoid future environmental harm and give the community peace of mind about conducting business at Brunswick Landing in the years ahead." MRRA Executive Director Dan Stevenson said the authority is on-track to remove all AFFF by the end of the calendar year, as required by the law. "We were aware of [LD 407] and had worked with Rep. (Dan) Ankeles on it," Stevenson said. Brunswick Executive Airport's hangar 5 still contains an active AFFF system. MRRA shut off the system in hangar 6 and removed 975 gallons of AFFF concentrate, which was shipped out by the Army Corps of Engineers for research last month. MRRA has also removed AFFF from hangar 7, which remains on-site as it awaits transportation by PFAS remediation company ECT2. ECT2 has also removed remnants of AFFF from hangar 6, Stevenson said. The now-law assigns the Department of Environmental Protection with enforcing the prohibition on property leased or owned by MRRA. Brunswick lawmakers have backed four additional bills related to the August 2024 PFAS spill. The bills call for a statewide foam inventory (LD 400); a state-run voluntary foam collection, storage and disposal program (LD 222); increased public information on PFAS contamination standards (LD 1786); and the restructuring of the MRRA to add more oversight by members of the Brunswick community (LD 1637). Both LD 400 and LD 222, the state inventory and takeback programs, are awaiting funding in the Senate before they reach the governor's desk. LD 1786 and LD 1637 have both received initial approval in committee and face additional votes in the House and Senate. The AFFF prohibition bill was introduced by Ankeles and backed by other Brunswick-area lawmakers, including Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry and Rep. Poppy Arford. "I'm very grateful to my colleagues for passing LD 407, the governor for signing it, and the people of Brunswick for using the power of their advocacy to ensure its success," Ankeles wrote in an emailed statement Wednesday, calling the legislation "a victory for every resident in the path of the spill." "Brunswick will still have plenty to reckon with, especially those on private wells," Ankeles continued. "We must remain diligent in our efforts to protect them and make them whole, and we must keep pushing those in power not to abandon a cleanup effort that is likely to go on for years. Nobody deserves to be exposed to these poisons, in Brunswick or anywhere else." Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Inmate rights groups demand say in Stillwater prison closure plan
Members of inmate rights organizations gathered Thursday in Bayport to demand input into the Minnesota Department of Corrections' plan to shutter the Stillwater prison by 2029. Among their demands: No new prisons. No double-bunking. Permission for those serving life sentences to remain at Stillwater through the end of the year. Full implementation of the 2023 Minnesota Rehabilitation & Reinvestment Act before transferring any inmate (MRRA allows qualified inmates a chance to shave an additional 17 percent off their sentences). 'This move is too big of a move to happen without the input of greater, wider community input, specifically, justice-impacted people who have served time in Stillwater,' said Antonio Williams, the co-executive director of T.O.N.E. U.P. Inc., an organization that helps people leaving incarceration. '(These) demands must be included during this transition.' About 1,200 men are housed in the Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater, which is located in Bayport. Among them is Cornelius Jackson, who is serving life in prison without the possibility of release after being found guilty in 2006 of aiding and abetting first-degree murder. 'We're here today not just because Stillwater is closing, we're here because real lives are being uprooted and disrupted,' Alissa Washington, Jackson's fiancée, told the small crowd gathered at Lakeside Park, just a mile south of the prison. 'People who have been in this facility for decades are now being moved like baggage. Let me be very clear: this transition is happening, so it must be done with care, accountability and dignity.' Special care must be taken with the inmates' personal property, including photos, legal documents, clothing and books, said Washington, founder of Wrongfully Incarcerated and Over-Sentenced Families Council-MN. 'And when (personal property) arrives at the new facility, it must be accepted, regardless of a different warden's rules,' she said. 'It's not right to force someone to repurchase clothes or essentials just because the rules changed from one prison to another. That's cruelty, not policy.' Zero double-bunking is the preference, but if bunking must happen, inmates 'must have the right to choose their cellmate,' Washington said. 'It is reckless and dangerous to place someone from the Aryan Nation in a cell with a practicing Muslim. That's not just bad policy, it's how you get people hurt or killed, and we're not going to stand by and allow that. 'This transition should not create new trauma,' she said. 'It should not result in violence, lost property, or emotional harm. These are not numbers, they are people — people who we love who are surviving in cages.' State leaders last week agreed to a 'phased closure' of the Stillwater prison, citing safety and costly maintenance concerns at the facility, which was built in 1914. St. Paul faith-based nonprofit leader charged with possessing child pornography Vandals trash part of Alliance Bank Center in downtown St. Paul Groundswell cafe in St. Paul temporarily closes after fire Ramsey County leaders remind residents: 'Safe gun storage saves lives' George Floyd: Minneapolis, St. Paul events mark his death, community response Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell said the closure would end state investments in an aging facility and eliminate safety concerns at the prison for both staff and inmates. The closure is expected to be completed in two phases upon passage of the public-safety omnibus bill at the Legislature. The first phase involves reducing operations and staffing over several months, moving inmates to other prisons, and conducting studies on logistics, closure impacts and the site's long-term future, corrections officials said. During the second phase, which is slated to begin in July 2027, the site will be vacated. Full closure is expected by June 30, 2029. Unions representing correction officers and staff at Stillwater have called for a halt to the plan, calling the budget agreement that includes the closure 'shortsighted, downright dangerous, disruptive and deeply disrespectful to the workers that keep the community safe and the inmates safe.' A corrections spokeswoman said the organizers of Thursday's press conference had not reached out to Schnell to offer their suggestions, but that he would be open to 'gaining their perspectives and insights' and planned to connect with them to schedule a meeting. In response to a question about whether corrections would adopt the safety protocols for the transition proposed by the inmate rights groups, Shannon Loehrke, the agency's director of communications, said officials were not prepared to discuss them at this time. 'Safety and security are always primary considerations' in the Department of Corrections, she said. Loehrke said the phased closure of the Stillwater facility is 'entirely separate' from the implementation of the Minnesota Rehabilitation & Reinvestment Act, which she said is in the 'very early implementation stage' with pilots at the prisons in Shakopee and Moose Lake. 'The department is keenly focused on successful implementation of MRRA policies, and we will not compromise effective intervention efforts,' she said. A long-term plan for rehabilitating or replacing the Stillwater and St. Cloud prison was recommended in 2020 by the Office of the Legislative Auditor in a report titled 'Safety in State Correctional Facilities,' Loehrke said. 'The phased closure of Stillwater is regarded as a step in the direction recommended by the OLA,' she said. 'As the phased closure plan is implemented, the DOC needs to ensure that the state has modern, safe and secure correctional facility capacity to serve the long-term needs of Minnesota's criminal-justice system.' Pioneer Press 2025 patio guide: Wring every second out of summer at these 100+ Twin Cities spots Pioneer Press 2025 patio guide: Along the water and scenic spots Truck driver tells trooper he was distracted by map before Washington County fatal crash Woodbury officials seek info on rug connected to house fire Landfall Village is about to declare its independence Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, the Stillwater State Prison Historic District in Bayport includes the original walled compound designed by architect Clarence H. Johnston Sr., and constructed in 1910-1914, along with its associated staff housing area. DOC officials said Thursday that there will be a decommissioning study to figure out possible future uses for the correctional facility and site, which sits on about 180 acres. The study will explore options for decommissioning and vacating the facility's physical and security infrastructure, analysis of requirements for buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and examination of development opportunities for the site, Loehrke said. DOC officials reached out to Bayport officials last week after the announcement of the closure was made, Bayport Mayor Michele Hanson said. 'At this point, it's too early for us to have any comment other than we hope that everything transitions smoothly and that we're involved in the process as to what happens with the site,' she said.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Corrections union opposes closure of Stillwater prison
Unions representing correction officers and staff at the Stillwater state prison are calling for a halt to the plan to closure the facility. 'The proposed stated budget agreement that includes the closure of Stillwater Correctional Facility is not only shortsighted, it's downright dangerous, disruptive and deeply disrespectful to the workers that keep the community safe and the inmates safe,' said Bart Andersen, executive director of the American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees Council 5, at a press conference at the state Capitol on Friday. State officials said the move to close the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater addresses safety concerns concerning its aging infrastructure and will save more than $40 million annually. But union leaders said Friday that the closure leaves staff members' futures uncertain and poses safety risks to inmates, staff and the public. The prison houses some of the state's most dangerous offenders, said Dan Gorman, AFSCME vice president and chief steward. Moving them could overcrowd other facilities. 'It makes it very dangerous for the inmate population and for the staff that work in those facilities,' Gorman said. Union leaders also said they were left in the dark about the decision to close the facility, located in Bayport, and continue to have questions about the plans. A state study intended to look at closing the prison and advise lawmakers on it will apparently be unnecessary, they said. 'This move comes before the very study that was meant to inform a thoughtful and orderly closure of this facility,' said Megan Dayton, president of Minnesota Association of Professional Employees. 'That study was supposed to guide legislative decision making … now it's going to be conducted after incarcerated individuals are already being moved. That is not planning, that is scrambling. We have seen no bill language. We have seen no protections for staff. We have no clarity at all about staffing during this transition. We have no commitment on fair compensation or placement for workers who might not be able to transfer.' While state officials say a full-modernization or replacement of the Stillwater site would cost an estimated $1.3 billion, union members say low-cost improvements they have requested over the years have been ignored. From what union leaders have been told, part of the closure plan is reliant on the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act which allows inmates to earn earlier release, Dayton said. The MRRA, passed by the Legislature in 2023 as part of the public safety bill, allows qualified inmates to reduce their sentences. However, state officials have said inmates will not be released early as part of the closure. 'As part of this, we're not reducing population or releasing anyone to make this happen. This would be handled by … bed space and, again, phased over time,' Paul Schnell, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, said at a press conference Thursday. State officials have cited safety concerns for inmates and staff at the aging Stillwater facility when discussing its closure. Some union members questioned that assessment and what they described as a long-term underinvestment in the prison and in low-cost safety improvements. 'It appears to be a cost-savings measure right now. And in order to consolidate effectively, to deliver programming effectively, to correct behavior, you have to invest in it,' Dayton said. 'You have to spend money to rehabilitate people so that they can be functioning members of society again. And we have no guarantee that that's part of this plan.' The maximum security facility for adult male felons — built in 1914 — currently has 1,171 inmates. Its closure is expected by June 30, 2029, under the plan announced by state officials Thursday. Stillwater prison closure, immigrant care debate may imperil MN budget deal Stillwater prison to close as part of budget deal reached by state leaders Here's how a local nonprofit is connecting people with horses (for free) Stillwater Veterans Memorial to undergo $200K expansion St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour opens Friday at seven different studios
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Corrections union opposes closure of Stillwater prison
Unions representing correction officers and staff at the Stillwater state prison are calling for a halt to the plan to closure the facility. 'The proposed stated budget agreement that includes the closure of Stillwater Correctional Facility is not only shortsighted, it's downright dangerous, disruptive and deeply disrespectful to the workers that keep the community safe and the inmates safe,' said Bart Andersen, executive director of the American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees Council 5, at a press conference at the state Capitol on Friday. State officials said the move to close the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater addresses safety concerns concerning its aging infrastructure and will save more than $40 million annually. But union leaders said Friday that the closure leaves staff members' futures uncertain and poses safety risks to inmates, staff and the public. The prison houses some of the state's most dangerous offenders, said Dan Gorman, AFSCME vice president and chief steward. Moving them could overcrowd other facilities. 'It makes it very dangerous for the inmate population and for the staff that work in those facilities,' Gorman said. Union leaders also said they were left in the dark about the decision to close the facility, located in Bayport, and continue to have questions about the plans. A state study intended to look at closing the prison and advise lawmakers on it will apparently be unnecessary, they said. 'This move comes before the very study that was meant to inform a thoughtful and orderly closure of this facility,' said Megan Dayton, president of Minnesota Association of Professional Employees. 'That study was supposed to guide legislative decision making … now it's going to be conducted after incarcerated individuals are already being moved. That is not planning, that is scrambling. We have seen no bill language. We have seen no protections for staff. We have no clarity at all about staffing during this transition. We have no commitment on fair compensation or placement for workers who might not be able to transfer.' While state officials say a full-modernization or replacement of the Stillwater site would cost an estimated $1.3 billion, union members say low-cost improvements they have requested over the years have been ignored. From what union leaders have been told, part of the closure plan is reliant on the Minnesota Rehabilitation and Reinvestment Act which allows inmates to earn earlier release, Dayton said. The MRRA, passed by the Legislature in 2023 as part of the public safety bill, allows qualified inmates to reduce their sentences. However, state officials have said inmates will not be released early as part of the closure. 'As part of this, we're not reducing population or releasing anyone to make this happen. This would be handled by … bed space and, again, phased over time,' Paul Schnell, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections, said at a press conference Thursday. State officials have cited safety concerns for inmates and staff at the aging Stillwater facility when discussing its closure. Some union members questioned that assessment and what they described as a long-term underinvestment in the prison and in low-cost safety improvements. 'It appears to be a cost-savings measure right now. And in order to consolidate effectively, to deliver programming effectively, to correct behavior, you have to invest in it,' Dayton said. 'You have to spend money to rehabilitate people so that they can be functioning members of society again. And we have no guarantee that that's part of this plan.' The maximum security facility for adult male felons — built in 1914 — currently has 1,171 inmates. Its closure is expected by June 30, 2029, under the plan announced by state officials Thursday. Stillwater prison closure, immigrant care debate may imperil MN budget deal Stillwater prison to close as part of budget deal reached by state leaders Here's how a local nonprofit is connecting people with horses (for free) Stillwater Veterans Memorial to undergo $200K expansion St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour opens Friday at seven different studios
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed bill would restructure Brunswick Landing leadership, require environmental stewardship
Apr. 15—A bill introduced Friday would reshape the leadership of the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, the organization responsible for Brunswick Landing. If passed, the bill would amend the goals of the authority to require it to engage in "environmental stewardship." It would also restructure the authority's board of trustees, an 11-member body appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Legislature. Brunswick Landing is the site of an August 2024 firefighting foam spill that released 51,450 gallons of foam laced with toxic forever chemicals. The redeveloped naval air base is now home to businesses, residences and the Brunswick Executive Airport. MRRA was established by state law to manage the transition of the former air station, which was decommissioned in 2011. The bill would increase membership of the MRRA's board of trustees to 14 members by: — Adding a voting member appointed by the chairperson of the Brunswick Town Council. — Requiring the governor to appoint an additional commissioner of a state department to the body. — Adding a nonvoting member who is a senator or representative from Brunswick or Topsham. The law currently states that at least seven appointees to the board of trustees must be residents of Androscoggin, Cumberland or Sagadahoc counties. It also states that one member should be a commissioner of a department of state government. Charlotte Mace, director of the Maine Office of Business Development, currently sits on the board. The bill would remove the requirement that seven appointees represent Androscoggin, Cumberland or Sagadahoc counties. Instead, at least four appointees would be required to be residents of Brunswick, Brunswick town officials or Brunswick business owners. The bill also would remove certain permitting exemptions around environmental impacts that apply to Brunswick Landing as a former military facility. It would also remove liability exemptions that MRRA board members and employees hold in case of another environmental incident. Another section requires any transfers of property within the former base to be subject to the Maine Uniform Environmental Covenants Act, which provides a structure for environmental land use. The bill, LD 1637, proposed by state Senate President Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, is co-sponsored by Maine Reps. Dan Ankeles and Poppy Arford, both D-Brunswick, among others. "MRRA's work directly impacts the health and well-being of Brunswick and its immediate neighbors," Daughtry said in an emailed statement about the bill. "LD 1637 will finally give community members a true say in what happens on the former naval air base and provide vital public health and environmental protections. It also stands as a powerful reminder that the absence of transparent, responsible governance can have serious, real-world consequences." Brunswick lawmakers are also backing three bills intended to prevent another accidental release of AFFF. The bills call for a statewide foam inventory (LD 400); a state-run voluntary foam collection, storage and disposal program (LD 222); and removal of foam concentrate that remains at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station (LD 407). Asked for comment Monday, MRRA Executive Director Daniel Stevenson said he was reviewing the bill. Copy the Story Link
