Sustainable Eagan Advisory Commission Meeting - October 14, 2025
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Sustainable Eagan Advisory Commission Meeting – October 14, 2025
The Sustainable Eagan Advisory Commission (SEAC) met on October 14, 2025, at 6:30 PM at the Eagan Municipal Center. The meeting included public comments on local air quality and chicken-keeping limits, presentations on the city's sustainability communications and community engagement, and a vote to approve a definition of "clean energy."
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Agenda: Motion to approve, seconded, all in favor.
- Approval of Minutes (August 11, 2025): Motion to approve, seconded, all in favor.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Speaker (Mr. Sader, address 546 77th Street West): Representing Eagan Neighbors for Clean Air, he expressed concern about the neighborhood's non-attainment status for toxic emissions since 2010, citing a lawsuit against Gopher Recycling with a $30 million settlement. He stated that the city has an ordinance prohibiting toxic emissions but the city attorney will not enforce it due to MPCA guidelines. He reported bone-lead testing results up to five times normal levels and asked for ideas on how to work together with SEAC. He also noted a meeting of Eagan Neighbors for Clean Air on October 15 at St. Thomas Becket.
- Speaker (Adam Barker, 1250 Cliff Road): He moved to Eagan a year ago and is passionate about sustainability. He requested SEAC's support to modify the city code to allow more than five chickens on larger lots, arguing that chickens align with climate action plan goals (food/agriculture). He noted that the city council had given a "lackluster" response to his earlier request and asked SEAC to help make it a priority.
Discussion Items
- Presentation: Eagan's Green Story (Gretchen Zampogna, Communications Coordinator): Zampogna presented on how the Communications and Engagement Department promotes sustainability. Key points: 94% of community survey respondents rated the natural environment as good or excellent (10–20 points above national averages). A sustainability microsite launched in March 2025 increased web traffic. A new Sustainable Eagan video series highlights individual topics. The city is testing an electric police squad car, planted over 100 trees in 2024, conducted 20 acres of prescribed burns, and maintains 26 acres of prairie. Two city buildings have geothermal systems; solar panels are on park buildings and the Eagan Art House (which will also have geothermal and timber frame construction). Stormwater ordinances were updated to use a climate-sensitive rainfall model. Zampogna asked commissioners to help share community stories of sustainability.
- Presentation: Community Engagement (Kelsey Barajas, Sustainability Specialist): Barajas reported on 2025 outreach efforts. Earth Week (April 2025) included events with 653 participants, 92 volunteers, and 24 community partners. The Sustainable Eagan Academy (January–May) had 8 youth and 12 adults certified. A pilot business outreach with utility partners reached 78 businesses; 15 were interested in follow-ups (mainly lighting upgrades). Total community engagement in 2025 reached nearly 1,500 people. Barajas also introduced the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTS) Ambassador Program as a potential cohort opportunity for SEAC members, suggesting three options: all commissioners participate, a subgroup, or no action.
Old Business
- Clean Energy Definition Update: Commissioner Robusho presented a draft definition: "Clean energy: an energy source that does not directly emit greenhouse gases or air pollution when generating power." Discussion covered whether to include a list of eligible technologies (e.g., nuclear, hydro). The consensus was to keep the definition concise and flexible, noting that technology evolves. The definition was approved on a motion, seconded, and passed unanimously. It will be forwarded to the city council.
Key Outcomes
- Approved clean energy definition: The commission voted unanimously to adopt the definition and recommend it to the city council.
- Staff reports: Jillian announced a workshop meeting on November 5, 2025, to plan the next Sustainable Eagan Academy and revisit climate action subcommittee topics. The student application for the Sustainable Eagan Academy is now open until December 7, 2025, at midnight, for any high school student with a connection to Eagan.
- Adjournment: Motion to adjourn, seconded, all in favor.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everyone to the October 14th meeting of the sustainable Eagle Advisory Commission. Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under liberty. All right, moving to the agenda. We have one commissioner absent, Commissioner Nikolai. Next item on the agenda is approval of the agenda. Do we have a motion to approve? So moved. And a second. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Opposed. Next item on the agenda. The approval of the minutes. We have approval of our last meetings' minutes. Do we have a motion to approve? So moved. And a second. Second. All in favor. Aye. Opposed. All right. Next item on the agenda: visitors to be heard, and I will read a statement regarding the visitors to be heard. Per the city of Egan's meeting guidelines, we have a total of 10 minutes for speakers tonight. Each person may speak once for up to four minutes and must begin by stating their name and address for the record. Please address all remarks to the chair. I know that no action will be taken tonight, and items brought forward during this portion of the meeting. Are there visitors to be heard? Please come forward. Thank you. I'm from 546 77th Street West in Egan. The reason why I'm here today is because our neighborhood has been in uh one of the zones, actually the only zone in Minnesota that's been in non-attainment for toxic emissions since 2010. 2001, St. Paul was in non-attainment, but Egan, and specifically Northwestern Dakota County in the area surrounding Gopher emissions, has been in non-attainment since 2010 and is still in non-attainment. We were notified this last September of a lawsuit against Gopher um recycling, and um the lawsuit was a 30 million dollar settlement from gopher. We got notified basically with very little information, and the lawsuit had already been settled. Then after we got notification of the lawsuit, you had to opt out to be able to try to get out of this class action settlement if you were in if you were in the area. Um we were notified in July of this year that from January through March of this year, our neighborhood was subject to excessive levels of toxic emissions. And we we were lied to about whether or not we could have been told about it. Nothing was done. Egan has an ordinance that specifically prohibits toxic emissions, and I've been told by the by the Egan City Council attorney they won't try to enforce it because it's subject to the MPCA guidelines, which CO2 emissions are subject to the MPC guidelines. A lot of emissions that we are trying to stop are subject to those guidelines. Some with a group called Egan Neighbors for Clean Air. And what we're trying to do is at least try to get some hold on the gopher emissions. Unfortunately, for the neighbors in our neighborhood, many of us have had bone-led testings. And the bone-led testing results have been horrible. Up to five times normal levels.
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