Nemadji Trail Energy Center Project Supporters Rally in Superior

Union workers in favor of the Nemadji Trail Energy Center project gathered outside Superior’s City Hall on Tuesday night.

According to a Northern News Now report, hundreds of union workers, friends and families chanted in support of the natural gas power plant outside of city hall. The project is planned on 26 acres of land near the Enbridge Energy offices along Highway 53.

The project has created a great deal of division among Superior officials and residents. It is still in the process of clearing all of the regulatory hurdles needed to begin construction, but has received a number of approvals already. The United States Department of Agriculture’s rural utilities found there was no significant impact in a second report in December.

The Nemadji Trail Energy Center project is expected to cost roughly $700 million to build. According to a WPR report, if it’s completed, it’s expected to cut carbon emissions by over 800,000 tons each year.

Superior Mayor Jim Paine has been a critic of the Nemadji Trail Energy Center project. Mayor Paine says he does not want to sell out the health and safety of residents living in the area the facility is planned. While some regulatory bodies have given the project the green light, Mayor Paine says the agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency have not agreed that the project is a good thing.

Mayor Paine also expressed that while he understands the need for good union jobs in the area, the reconstruction of the Blatnik Bridge between Superior and Duluth will account for thousands of jobs compared to hundreds for the Nemadji Trail Energy Center.