23775 Essex Avenue

Farmington, MN  55024

May 12, 2006

Administrative Law Judge Beverly Heydinger

Office of Administrative Hearings

Suite 1700, 100 Washington Square

Minneapolis, MN 55401.

RE: Minnesota Pipe Line Company Crude Oil Pipeline 15-2500-17136-2

Dear Judge Heydinger:

I’m writing as an advocate of Gardens of Eagan, a small, family owned, organic farm to ask that you require the Minnesota Pipe Line Company to choose a pipeline route that avoids destroying a five generation family business and an important local resource.

I am confident that you can facilitate a process which designates an alternative route for the pipeline around this farm. In your position as Administrative Judge, you are keenly aware of the dangerous precedent that this would set along with the fact that allowing this pipe line to be built in that sensitive location is just plain bad public policy.

The most important point about this issue of rerouting the pipeline around the Gardens of Eagan is that organic farmland is not easily replaced; they can't just go rent or buy replacement acreage because very little quality land is available to purchase for replacement and what is there is prohibitively expensive.

Bringing replacement fields into organic production would require a minimum of 3 years just to begin growing organically. It would take fifteen years, much labor, and money to bring replacement soil up to its current level of organic soil health.

In the event of a spill or accident from the pipeline organic integrity would be lost. This would be a staggering huge loss for the Twin Cities organic community. Due to the rareness of organic farms and the level of purity required for organic production, no level of risk of environmental contamination is acceptable.

Gardens of Eagan is an important local resource in that eating locally grown food means less fossil fuels are burned in preparation and transport, thus reducing pollution and contributing to the overall improvement of air quality. Eating locally grown produce keeps money in the local economy and the produce itself is fresher and thus more nutritious. Eating locally grown produce protects biodiversity and preserves a wider agricultural gene pool, an important factor in long-term food security.  

The Diffley’s struggle resonates on a personal level for me as well. In addition to working full time jobs, my husband Randall and I have a small flock of sheep on a fourteen acre hobby farm.  Our land is in Eureka Township on the edge of the residential and commercial development in both Farmington and Lakeville. We understand the importance of supporting local small farms like the Diffley’s because small businesses are the engine for our local, State and National economies.  We are so lucky in Minnesota because we still have a strong agricultural base; a base that is locally owned and operated and does not require people to drive long distances to major urban centers for employment.   Small family farms are worth fighting to save!

Minnesotans can’t afford to lose a unique environmental resource like this farm.

I believe that the pipeline can and should be rerouted to save this important local resource.  I also believe that it makes good public policy to reroute this pipeline to avoid destroying this five generation, family owed, small business.

Thank you for your consideration of my request.

Sincerely