Editor’s note: This SpeakOut was submitted by Cody Krause of Clear Lake.
I want to share why I support the Toronto Power Plant and the benefits it will bring to Deuel County.
The organization behind this project, Missouri River Energy Services (MRES), is based in South Dakota. They’re not-for-profit, member-owned, and they serve local communities we know, like Big Stone City, Brookings, and Watertown. MRES has a track record of being a good neighbor and long-term partner to the communities where they operate, on all the research that I have done.
The proposed Toronto Power Plant is a small natural gas facility that would provide backup electricity to homes, farms, and businesses when it’s needed most, like during extreme weather. It would take up a small footprint and would not run around the clock like larger projects in the area. I believe that we all use electricity in our everyday lives and it is something we can no longer live without. A plant somewhere had to be built for the luxuries we have for our own use and we continue to need more and more electricity every day.
My biggest support is thinking about the future, the plant would generate nearly $1 million in annual tax revenue for Deuel County — dollars that will go to our schools, roads and the local services we all count on. This is the kind of development Deuel County needs more of.
As a business owner in a small community, we get countless emails, texts, phone calls asking for support in donations from all over the county asking for money to support my kids this and that, from school activities, summer activities, teams, charity events, sporting events, exc. Everyone needs money for everything and I wish I could do the “Gold Sponsorship” every time, but we can’t… we want to… but we can’t… it’s hard to say no or we will just do the bronze or silver sponsorship. If I did, I would be broke. There are getting to be fewer and fewer businesses to support so many people/kids here in Deuel County. If there is a business that can do more sponsorships and donations, please let me know so we can help these kids out so maybe they will remember it someday and want to move back to our communities since we helped them out to have a great life growing up here!
On June 2, Deuel County voters will decide whether to approve the County Board’s rezoning of the project site from Agricultural to Commercial/Industrial. A “yes” vote approves the rezoning, allowing the Toronto Power Plant to be built. A “no” vote rejects the rezoning and stops the project from moving forward.
I will be voting “Yes” because we need more economic development and more businesses to help support the community and all these events and youth organizations.
I encourage you to visit the project’s website, www.mrenergy.com/tpp, where you can learn the facts just like I did about the Toronto Power Plant and what it has to offer to our region. You can also reach out directly to MRES via phone (605-977-7775) or email ([email protected]).
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