A conservation group wants Rochester Public Utilities customers to weigh in on whether the municipal-run utility should be doing more to cut carbon emissions and use more renewable energy.
Conservation Minnesota has mailed a seven-question survey to 10,000 RPU customers. The organization is also asking customers who did not receive a survey to complete one online . The nonprofit's Executive Director Paul Austin said this is the first time the organization has done a survey focused on energy in Rochester. With the city's population expected to grow dramatically over the next few decades, thanks to Mayo Clinic's expansion, Austin said it seemed like a good time to look at the city's energy policies.
"What we're hoping is that with all the future planning that is being done in Rochester, we can learn about what role energy and renewable energy plays in people's thinking in the community, and that information might be useful to folks as they plan," Austin said.
RPU spokesman Tony Benson said the utility was not aware of the survey.
One of the questions focuses on the use of coal for electricity. It states: "Burning coal for power is linked to increased mercury in lakes, asthma and heart disease. As a national leader in health care, should Rochester transition away from burning coal?"
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Individuals being surveyed have the choice of selecting a number, one through five, with one being "support strongly" and five being "strongly oppose."
RPU's Silver Lake Plant stopped burning coal in November 2013. But RPU's wholesale provider, Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, and the regional energy market MISO continue to use coal.
Other questions center on efforts by RPU to promote energy conservation, the City of Rochester's adoption of policies that promote walking, biking and mass transit use, and the establishment of a Rochester Energy Commission tasked with developing plans for reducing carbon emissions. The survey also seeks the public's input on an effort by several southern Minnesota utilities to block a 1.5 percent solar energy requirement.
Austin said Conservation Minnesota hopes to share the survey results within a month.
He added, "What we want to do is share it with the community to see if there's anything interesting that comes out of it, and then share it with the community and hopefully it provides some good information that local leaders and folks can use to help them in guiding decisions."
