_______________________date
Administrative Law Judge Beverly Heydinger
Office of Administrative Hearings
Suite 1700, 100 Washington Square
Minneapolis, MN 55401.
Fax: 612-349-2665
RE: Minnesota Pipe Line Company Crude Oil Pipeline 15-2500-17136-2
Dear Judge Heydinger:
I’m writing as an advocate of local, organic produce and a fan of Gardens of Eagan’s fruits and vegetables. Like many Twin Cities shoppers, I absolutely depend on local, nutritious food – and Gardens of Eagan Farm is essential to my lifestyle. I’m asking that you require the Minnesota Pipe Line Company to choose a pipeline route that avoids one of my favorite sources of local food.
Gardens of Eagan has been bringing organic veggies to the Twin Cities for 32 years – that means a second generation of Minnesotans is now growing up on Martin and Atina Diffley’s food: Delicious watermelons, nutrient rich broccoli, and the best organic sweet corn there is. In Minnesota, where the growing season is so brief, we need Gardens of Eagan.
Plus, I know that topsoil is the organic farmer’s life-blood. Martin and Atina have spent years – decades - building soil for organic production. The excavation and compaction that will occur in the construction of MPL’s pipeline will destroy a natural resource that can’t be fixed by deep tillage and spreading fertilizer. Take away the soil, and you’ll take an organic farm’s soul. And Minnesota will lose a bit of its soul if we lose Gardens of Eagan.
An organic farm that ships its food locally should be a model not a casualty of Minnesota’s energy policies. The Diffleys are just 45 minutes from The Wedge if they make all the lights – that’s local, that’s fresh, and that’s a smart use of energy. If Minnesota really needs this new pipeline, please situate it so that it doesn’t cut across organic farms like Gardens of Eagan.
Minnesotans can’t afford to lose a unique environmental resource like this farm.
Additional personal comments: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you,
________________________________
Name
________________________________
Address
________________________________
City, State Zip Code