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Current Issues
BIODIESEL PLANT
I've listened to the debate among the Shell Lake Plan Commission members, listened to public comment, and read literature on the product and the process. From the information I have gathered, I have concluded that the chemicals involved in the process of making biodiesel fuel are too hazardous, and the risk of human error in handling these chemicals is too great to permit storage and handling of thousands of gallons of these chemicals on a site located less than 1000 feet from Shell Lake and in close proximity of other commercial and light industrial businesses, residential neighborhoods, and the Shell Lake school.
Hazard exists in the storage and handling of chemicals such as methanol, a catalyst used in the production of biodiesel fuel. The proposed processing plant poses a risk to public health and welfare, in violation of the zoning ordinance. The risks have been documented in numerous cases of spills, fires and explosions at biodiesel production facilities that have been presented to the Shell Lake Plan Commission and the City Council.
Environmental Fuels proposes to store 10,600 gallons of methanol in an outdoor storage tank. While the owners of the company offer assurances that the plant
will be constructed to code and operated in compliance with state and federal regulations in an effort to reduce the risks associated with biodiesel fuel production, it is impossible to eliminate the possibility of accidental spills, fires and/or explosions.
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The production of biodiesel fuel, in addition to posing a risk to public health and safety, is also an environmental risk. Shell Lake has been designated an “outstanding water resource” by the state because it has “excellent water quality, high recreational and aesthetic value, high quality fishing and is free from point source or nonpoint source pollution.” The risk
of a spill jeopardizes the City’s single most important resource.
Our City Council’s overriding responsibility is to ensure the health and safety of its citizens and to protect its natural resources. Environmental Fuels’ proposal jeopardizes health and safety and poses an environmental threat in the event
of spill, fire, and/or explosion. The City should not grant a conditional use permit
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PUBLIC ACCESSES
Shell Lake, an outstanding water resource, is our City’s reason for existence. As lakeshore property values continue to escalate, it will become ever more difficult for residents to afford to live on the lake. We must retain public ownership of all the accesses to the lake so that our residents and the public at large can continue to enjoy the lake. The state of Wisconsin has taken steps to ensure that the waters are held in public trust; our City must continue to respect that public trust by maintaining accesses to those waters.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Shell Lake’s Economic Development Corporation has done an excellent job of attracting new businesses to the City’s industrial park. We need to diversify those efforts to include job creation in the commercial and service industries. I dream
of a bustling 5th Avenue lined with commercial enterprises that provide a variety of goods and services for our residents as well as for tourists who visit Shell Lake.
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