Excelsior lobbying expenditures questioned

Posted at 7:58 AM on September 12, 2011 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Around MN

The Duluth News Tribune digs into the money trail of Excelsior Energy. The company received "more than $40 million of public money" during the last decade as "the company and its CEOs spent nearly $1.8 million on lobbying and campaign contributions."

State Rep. Tom Anzelc, DFL-Balsam Township describes the expenditures.

"These developers have been really successful in capturing public money and getting language and statutory changes giving their company preferential and special treatment," Anzelc said. "I believe that their highly effective lobbying efforts are directly attributable to the public resources they've had at their disposal. I think they used public dollars to lobby public law-making bodies."

"Contrary to repeated false claims of project opponents, absolutely no state funds have been used to lobby the Legislature," Co-CEO Tom Micheletti told the News Tribune. "In addition, every expenditure has been approved by administrators of the programs and is in compliance with the rules of the programs and all applicable laws and regulations."

The nature of disclosure laws make it difficult to get beyond the claims of the two men quoted by the paper, but you can dive into more detail on the numbers.

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Pagami Creek fire slideshow

Posted at 12:27 PM on September 12, 2011 by Michael Olson
Filed under: Around MN

Sunday's "strong north winds drove a point of the Pagami Creek Fire south toward the Isabella River. Approximately 50 campers from the river and lake routes south of the fire and 70 campers along the eastern front of the fire were assisted out of the wilderness by Public Safety Crews. Entry points near the fire were closed," reads a statement from the U.S. Forest Service.

Greg Seitz paddled in the shadow of the Pagami Creek Fire, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, September 2011.