News and Media

Red Wing Port Authority’s Bulkhead Operation The city’s Port Authority owns property that serves as an important product transport facility along the Mississippi River.  This “bulkhead” is a 300-feet wall along the river bank that allows barges to load and unload product during the open water season.  The Port Authority purchased the Little River bulkhead in 1999 for $172,000 from NSP (Xcel Energy), which used it to unload coal.  Once Xcel’s steam plant switched from coal to Refuse Derived Fuel, it changed its mode of transport to trucks.  The Port’s ownership of this facility allowed trucks to avoid the downtown area...

Making improvements to enhance a building’s energy efficiency has a variety of proven benefits. First, there’s the economic impact of dollars saved on utilities and added value to the property. Additionally, in saving energy, we also reduce carbon emissions and lessen our dependence on foreign oil. Despite all these positive outcomes, the main deterrent to making energy efficiency upgrades or investing in renewable energy is the cost. The Property Assessed Clean Energy Program (PACE) finance option is helping eliminate that barrier for building owners. PACE is a national initiative. The St. Paul Port Authority (SPPA) manages Minnesota’s funding, which became available to...