It’s repeated often around the Iron Range, certainly here, that our wealth of natural resources in northern Minnesota will keep us alive in some form well into the future. One of those resources (and a renewable one at that) got some mixed news this week, though probably a net positive
According to a story in the Duluth News Tribune and another at Minnesota Public Radio, a study shows that northern Minnesota’s forests can sustain biomass harvest for energy production. This means we really can maintain healthy forestry practices while powering smaller power plants with something cleaner than coal or gas. However, the study also shows that the profits in collecting the necessary forest material would be small to none, an economic factor that will slow the development of large scale energy production from wood. If we can figure out how to sustain biomass energy, it would mean that we could create a self-sustaining energy loop in northern Minnesota, providing our own electricity for our own industry. (Right now, most of northern Minnesota’s energy comes from coal-fired plants run by Minnesota Power or city utilities, with outside electricity coming from carbon-free hydroelectric plants in Manitoba).
Once that biomass energy grid is up we can leverage our control of the vast amounts of fresh water and minerals up here to force any number of posh suburbs into submission. Pretty cool, eh? Oh yeah, there is space available at our malls. LOTS AND LOTS of it.
Things are going to change, I can feel it.
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