A Bluestem Prairie

Washington Post: Senator's Railway Lobby Link May Have Helped Derail Loan

We're late in getting to the national papers, since there was so much state and local news today. That's not unsual: many of the weekly papers post their online editions on Tuesday and Wednesday.   

Away from the First, the Washington Post looks at the consequences of the DM & E loan denial in Senator's Railway Lobby Link May Have Helped Derail Loan:

The federal government killed a $2.3 billion railway loan after opponents attacked Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), because he was the railway's lobbyist before winning election and backing legislation favoring the loan to his former client.

The privately held Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad wanted the money for an 860-mile Midwestern rail-line renovation and expansion project. The Federal Railroad Administration said its denial was based on financial factors. But project backers and detractors said the loan sank after opponents, led by the Mayo Clinic, based in Rochester, Minn., ginned up congressional heat on the agency. The key to that was Thune's role: The Republican did nothing illegal, but his seamless transition from the railway's lobbyist to its Senate champion handed ammunition to opponents and their own lobbyists.

[snip]

Thune worked as a DM&E lobbyist for two years, earning more than $200,000 from the company, before winning his Senate seat in 2004. In 2005, he helped write legislation expanding a federal railroad loan pool from $3.5 billion to $35 billion. DM&E was not mentioned in the legislation, but the expanded funding enabled it to apply for $2.3 billion, about one-third of the project's $6 billion price tag.

[snip]

Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), whose opposition to the project helped him win his seat in November, sponsored legislation to assert congressional oversight of the loan. "It's just appalling to me how it was done," he said. "I want to see rail expanded, too, but I want it done correctly. It's about the system and the transparency of government."

On Monday, the railroads administration sent a letter to Schieffer denying the loan. "I read a lot of things for the first time in the official denial letter," he said. "The list is long and deep with supporters, and we are committed to doing everything we can to see it through."

Mayo's Forbes vowed further challenges: "Our commitment would be unwavering," he said.

Looking back, Thune has no regrets, except: "The railroad probably could have done a lot better job on the PR front."

Let's hope that the legislation Tim Walz proposed,  and Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar's companion bill in the Senate, gets passed and signed into law by the President.  Walz, Coleman and Klobuchar don't oppose rail in the First, but a boondoggle of the scale of the denied loan simply defied common sense.  Strong oversight legislation will help mind the taxpayers' purse.

Walz calls for VA investigation into conditions at Walter Reed

Given the shocking revelations of last week's investigative articles from the WaPo, we're not surprised to see this press release come into our mailbox:

WALZ REQUESTS VETERANS'AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION INTO CONDITIONS AT WALTER REED

In a letter sent today to Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner, Rep. Tim Walz requested that the Committee begin a series of oversight hearings to investigate whether Veterans Affairs medical facilities are overburdened when servicemen and women receive substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  Walz visited Walter Reed just days prior to a Washington Post expose that detailed squalid conditions and inadequate standards of care for wounded soldiers at the hospital.

"When I served as a Command Sgt. Major, my first responsibility was to care for my soldiers.  My responsibility has not changed since being elected to Congress," said Walz. 

"I have deep concerns about the lack of funding for veterans' health care and specifically for treating soldiers injured in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.  I believe there is a need for Congressional oversight to ensure that the current system is not placing undue bureaucratic burdens on soldiers in desperate need of help," said Walz.

Walz's letter specifically addresses both the "squalid conditions" as well as the inadequate and inaccessible resources for soldiers suffering from psychological trauma.

Rep. Tim Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard and retired at the rank of Command Sgt. Major.  He is the highest ranking enlisted soldier ever to serve in Congress and he currently holds a seat on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Readers can download a pdf of the letter here:

Download WalzlettertoFilner.pdf

News in the district: DM & E, ag policy and more

In our first morning post, we looked at the Twin Cities daily newspapers' reaction to the DM & E federal loan denial. The news in the district looks at the local consequences of the decision. We've thrown in a state blogger's view for perspective, then move to the wealth of news from the district.

Albert Lea Tribune: Loan Denial Affects Local Businesses
Staff writer Sarah Light scores the local scoop:

. . .Last year Dairyland Power Cooperative of LaCrosse, Wis., which is the power supplier to Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services, saw a 93 percent increase in shipping costs to get coal to the various cooperatives it serves. That totals up to an additional $40 million in 2006.

The increase in cost is then trickled down to the co-ops it serves and then to the customers and members that have ownership in the co-op. Freeborn-Mower saw a cost increase of $1.7 million last year.

“We are disappointed in the decision by the FRA to deny the loan application for the DM&E railroad,” said Tim Thompson, president of Freeborn-Mower Cooperative Services, in a statement Tuesday.

“Rehabilitation and improvement of this line would be a tremendous economic benefit to our region, especially to the agriculture and energy sectors. We understand DM&E officials are assessing alternatives in light of the FRA ruling. We will be interested in reviewing their alternatives and will continue to work with them to look for ways to enhance rail service to our region,” he said.

If the DM&E railroad were upgraded that would mean more rail capacity for agricultural businesses to transport their goods and for energy sectors to get the coal they need, which in turn would help costs to customers.

While it appears Rep. Tim Walz was against the loan for the expansion, he does offer consolation to those affected by the decision.

“Let me reassure the citizens of southern Minnesota that I support expanded rail service. My objective has always been to ensure proper oversight of this loan occurs,” Walz said in a press release. “Today we can start moving forward. We can work together to expand rail access in a responsible way that protects citizens and communities while expanding economic opportunity for agricultural producers and energy providers.”

EXOL and Soy Mor could not be reached for comment. . . .

Mankato Free Press: Our View — DM&E deal gets proper scrutiny
The Free Press's editorial board approves of the Credit Council's decision, and fills in bit of the political back story:

The Federal Railroad Administration’s rejection of a Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad loan request for $2.3 billion in taxpayer-backed funding was the right call at the right time.

The Credit Council of the FRA announced Monday that the loan was rejected because DM&E did not meet credit standards for what would have been the largest government loan in U.S. history to a private company.

DM&E President Kevin Schieffer says he’s disappointed in the ruling, but the DM&E will review options for financing the project through the private sector.

He says the project is too important to the company and the country searching for new sources of energy. The estimated $6 billion project was designed to be profitable by hauling coal from the Powder River Basin in Wyoming to points east and across southern Minnesota.

Many cities along the route, including Rochester and Mankato at one time, opposed the plan that would have sent 34 trains a day through neighborhoods and near the world renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

The deal was worrisome from the start. Schieffer and the DM&E and S.D. Sen. John Thune had been criticized for the way they were able to insert a 10-fold increase in loan authority into the federal transportation bill.

In a series of stories The Free Press broke in December of 2005, several members of the Minnesota congressional delegation knew nothing about the loan provision that favored DM&E’s project and that would send coal trains rumbling through southern Minnesota.

The public scrutiny of the project energized opposition groups like the Rochester Coalition and prompted Minnesota’s congressional delegation to push for answers and pressure the agencies to scrutinize the deal. Opponents also cried foul over the influence of Thune, who DM&E paid $220,000 as a lobbyist before he became a Senator. That kind of reverse influence drew criticism and scrutiny from newspapers like the New York Times and Publisher Steve Forbes of Forbes magazine.

The lessons seem twofold: When the public demands its public agencies do their job, the pressure is on for them to do it; and no amount of political influence or deal making can change that.

Still, the whole issue did rely on the kind of political pressure that comes from within, instead of public scrutiny through hearings and reviews that should take place.

Democrats Rep. Tim Walz and Sen. Amy Klobuchar say they will push forward with legislation they were planning that would require more public scrutiny of federally-backed loans over $1 billion. That’s a good step toward making sure the public’s bank has the right auditors.

Emphasis added. The consensus of multiple editorial boards is clear--our readers should push their representatives and senators to support the oversight legislation that Walz, Coleman, and Klobuchar introduced in the House and Senate.

Free Press staff writer Dan Linehan looks at local reception of the local denial in the news article Mixed reaction to DM&E loan decision. 

New Ulm Journal: Rieke blames Mayo, Rochester for denial of DM & E loan
The Free Press news article quoted Randy Rieke,  manager of the Hanska Farmers' Co-op. His reaction is the focus of the Journal's article Rieke blames Mayo, Rochester for denial of DM&E loan:

. . .Rieke said the federal decision disappointed him.

“I’m no different than the railroad. We’re very disappointed with the avenue it went and the politics involved,” said Rieke.

Also the Minnesota chairman of GOTRAC, a coalition of communities, agriculture and economic development organizations that support the DM&E upgrade, Rieke said it was sad that one community (Rochester) could affect the opportunity for many times more people to help control some of their future prices.

“Rochester took that away from them,” Rieke said. “Consumers of coal and agricultural commodities in the Upper Midwest and East Coast will suffer from this decision.” . . .

Read the whole thing at the Journal.  While it may be difficult for editorial writers at the PiPress to have any sympathy for Rieke, the role of co-ops in southern Minnesota's economy is what has prompted Walz, Coleman and Klobuchar's statements about the need for rail in the First, though not unconditional support for massive loans.

Today's Journal editorial, DM&E’s polarizing project conundrum, concludes:

It may be time for the railroad to retrench, cut back the scope of its project, or seek ways to win over its opponents, since it couldn’t run over them.

Worthington Daily News: A victory for common sense
The title of Worthington Daily News' editorial yesterday sums up what some have been thinking: A victory for common sense.  The lead:

A proposal to lend a staggering $2.3 billion to the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad was derailed Monday by the Federal Railroad Administration, an illustration that common sense does sometimes prevail in Washington. . . .

Read rest at the Globe.

Rochester Post Bulletin: DM&E news surprised everyone
The Post Bulletin's Jeff Pieters look at the element of surprise in Monday's announcement:

For nine years, every time there was significant news regarding the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad, it was attended with all the pomp or gravity Rochester officials could muster.

There were press conferences in airport hangars, public rallies in the Peace Plaza, and executive-style briefings in the rarefied air atop Mayo Clinic's downtown high-rises.

But when the end came -- assuming Monday's announcement is the end -- it caught local leaders unaware.

Find out their surprise in Pieters' article DM&E news surprised everyone.  Details on how Walz arranged the first press conference:

There was little advance warning of the news from Washington. All was quiet until around 3:30 p.m., when Rep. Tim Walz, D-Mankato, announced the news in a press conference at his Rochester headquarters.

The news of the DM&E loan rejection was first given to members of Congress as a courtesy before the Department of Transportation made an official announcement, congressional aides said Tuesday.

Walz and Minnesota Sens. Norm Coleman, a Republican, and Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, heard the news in personal phone calls from Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. The secretary's staff earlier had asked the lawmakers to make themselves available later in the day for calls from Peters.

Meredith Salsbery, spokeswoman for Walz, said the congressman went ahead with his own announcement as soon as a news conference could be arranged. He was already in Rochester.

For their part, Klobuchar and Coleman quickly arranged a telephone press conference.

There's a wonderful Ed Fischer cartoon on the Op-ed page. The Post Bulletin also provides Answers to your DM & E questions and a round-up of press reaction in South Dakota.  We are quite thankful for the latter, since our own digest is getting long, and it's the perfect segue for the next item.

Sky Blue Waters: For corn growers, DM & E seems to be the end of the line
This isn't a district blog, but Tom Elko at Sky Blue Waters takes a good look at the South Dakota Corn Growers'  public keening over the death of the federal loan for DM & E anf gives a thumbs down forthe melodramatic performance in For corn growers, DM&E seems to be the end of the line:

South Dakota Corn Growers Association Executive Director Lisa Richardson was quoted by agriculture publication, Brownfield, as saying of the loan denial, “disappointing is the understatement.”

Richardson continued, “we all lost money yesterday.”

With a bushel of corn reaching record highs above $4 and shooting for $5, Richardson may not want to talk like that around a livestock or poultry farmer.

I can’t speak for Sen. Thune, a former DM&E lobbyist, but most of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation has called for improved rail systems to accommodate the burgeoning ethanol industry, including the chair of the House Transportation Committee, Rep. Oberstar.

The Star Tribune quotes Rep. Tim Walz as stating he would even support DM&E expansion if they reworked their plan and their focus.

“We need expanded rail travel, whether that’s a coal-based railroad or not, I’m not sure. But I can guarantee that we need an agricultural railroad,” Walz, D-Minn., said Tuesday. “I said if they change their focus, if they came about this thing a little differently, they would sure find an ally with me.”

While it may be true that “we all lost money yesterday,” DM&E lost out the most, and I can guarantee that they are not going to rollover and die away. The Corn Growers Associations are going to have to work with a willing Congress to find a financially sound way to improve our transportation systems, rather than relying on a small railroad to get a big handout at the taxpayers' expense. . . .

But the DM & E loan denial isn't the only news today in the district. 

Chatfield News: Land Stewardship Project shares Farm Bill directives with Tim Walz
Another small-town weekly reports on Walz's visit to Lewiston to hear about ag policy from farmers working with the Land Stewardship Project:

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz stopped in Lewiston for an hour Feb. 19 to listen to pleas for changes in national agri-culture policy.

The Land Stewardship Project (LSP), used its office on Main Street in Lewiston to host farmers, consumers and other parties interested in stating farming needs to the congressman.

The group's primary concern was the 2007 Farm Bill, which they hope will go far beyond the scope of what they felt was an underfunded 2002 Farm Bill. Walz serves on the Agriculture Committee and showed support for some of the LSP requests.

Mostly, Walz simply listened to those asking, who themselves were believers in sustainable agriculture. Not just believers, many were farmers supporting themselves and their families using the techniques they profess.

Present were graduates of LSP's Beginning Farmer program, both buyers and sellers in food coops, a conservation representative, organic farmers, and dairy farmers with grass-fed cows. One person was a rural resident living downstream from farmers hoping for conservation practices being used by those upstream from him.

Of the 40-some filling the small room, at least two-thirds were farmers. One, who drove from St. Paul to attend, was a consumer wanting healthy foods to purchase.

In a well-planned agenda with chosen spokespersons, LSP carefully out-lined its desires for the new 2007 Farm Bill. Group members had only an hour with the congressman and they made every minute count for what they felt was important.

Learn more about the LSP agenda by reading the whole article.

Pipestone County Star: Walz, Klobuchar discuss Farm Bill
At the other end of the district, the Pipestone County Star reports on last week's listening session with Walz and Klobuchar.  A sample:

. . .The pair heard from a variety of groups and individuals interested in the outcome of this piece of legislation, including Tim Dritz of Hendricks, a representative of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association; Aaron Kuehl, representing Pheasants Forever and discussing CRP land; and Ian Cunningham of Pipestone, representing the Pipestone Soil and Water Conservation District. He referred to the “woeful under funding of the CRP program.”

Walz explained, “The 2002 Farm Bill was well liked not because it was perfect, but because it was an improvement over the one before it. I believe that the Farm Bill is a good investment for taxpayer monies, and I am concerned that they may possibly underfund it this year.”

“If we took half the money we’re spending in the Persian Gulf and put it in energy and biofuels, we wouldn’t have a problem in the Persian Gulf,” said Dan Juhl of Next Generation Power Systems in Pipestone, who also testified about the need for strong renewable fuels legislation, like C-bed, to be included in the farm bill.

Walz agreed, saying, “It’s time to have the discussion about the cost of the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with spending near $682 billion on defense and another $230 billion to fund the war, and yet they are talking about underfunding the Farm Bill, one of the things that the government has done that gives a pretty good rate of return.”

“The bottom line on all of this,” Walz said, “is that this is just the beginning of a process that won’t be completed until some time closer to September, but it needs to be done right, and we should not go at this Farm Bill trying to become penny wise and pound foolish in the long run.”

Cottonwood County Citizen editorial: Young Farmers
The Windom paper concurs with reports that we're hearing about statements in listening sessions across the district. The editorial begins:

Without a doubt, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz left Wednesday's Farm Bill meeting in Worthington with three words ringing in his ears: "Help young farmers."

That message was delivered loud and clear by multiple farmers and business people attending the session. It did not seem to matter what farm group, or commodity group they were representing, all seemed to spend at least a couple of minutes stressing the need to make it easier for the next generation to enter production agriculture.

"It is difficult for people to get actively involved in farming," Chad Cummings of Brewster said at last week's Farm Bill hearing in Worthington. "Kids are moving away because they can't get into farming . . . We need help from you (Tim Walz) and bipartisan support to get people working here and living here."

It concludes, to our hardy agreement:

As strong ideas are discussed for the Farm Bill, Congress must still wrestle with the definition of a beginning farmer. In Iowa, a beginning farmer is defined as one with less than $300,000 in net worth. That number was recently raised from $100,000 to $200,000 in Nebraska.

In the coming months the Farm Bill will remain in the spotlight. Lawmakers will continue to ask for input as to how to make it better.

We urge our leaders, such as Tim Walz, Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar to find ways to help young people get started in farming. They are the lifeblood of rural America.

The Citizen reports on the listening sessions in Walz gets region's input on Farm Bill:

There was no shortage of interest in farm-related issues at Congressman Tim Walz's Farm Bill meeting in Worthington last week.

The newly-elected representative from Mankato heard testimony that lasted for more than an hour, almost nonstop. Producer after producer stepped to the microphone.

Find out what they said by reading the whole article at the Citizen.

The Hill: Business and Labor square off on billsThe Hill looks at Thursday's likely passage of the Employee Free Choice Act in the House and the more heated Senate battle to follow.  The article talks of U.S. Chamber of Commerce ad buys in some areas, but we know of none so far in the First.

Mankato Free Press LTE: Congressman Tim Walz's vote demonstrated  Soldier's Creed
Another reader responds to a Walter Gates' LTE in the Free Press:

I wish I could just ignore this month’s regurgitation from Wally Gates. I can’t; his attack on Congressman Tim Walz in Your Views Feb. 21 was too vile. Walz, the highest-ranking enlisted soldier to serve in Congress, certainly keeps the needs of service men and women in the forefront. His deep concern for the welfare of the common soldier informed his vote in support of a resolution which simply says: “Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq. “Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.” Walz’s vote demonstrates a part of the Soldier’s Creed that Gates failed to cite in his venomous letter, “I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.”

That’s what it’s about. I am grateful that Walz represents us and our values in Congress.

Vanda Manahan

Mankato

Caledonia Argus: All about owls
We love to go owling, since we can do a barred owl call good enough to convince them to pay us a visit.   This weekend, the Houston Nature Center will hold its Festival of Owls, a fundraiser for the center. Read more about it at the Caledonia Argus and view the Festival of Owls schedule directly.

More about the Festival of Owls in the Tri-County Record in Rushford and Festival of Owls will feature Alice’s first flight in the Winona Daily News

Readers who venture out for the owling are advised to put on their long johns and mukluks.

Owatonna People's Press: Hollywood values in Owatonna
Sharon Stone is behind a charity described in the article B.P. native brings Hollywood charity home.
Perhaps Stone gained an appreciation for warm clothes while shooting Basic Instinct. We don't picture her owling.

Gray Matter: Mr. Cheney, you and the President are the ones aiding the enemy

While busy assembling a morning news digest, we came across an editor's column in the Spring Grove Herald,  a weekly newspaper in Southeastern Minnesota, that we think warrants its own separate post for its passion.

Managing Editor Heather M. Gray writes in Gray Matter that Mr. Cheney, you and the President are the ones aiding the enemy.

Strong words, indeed.

Gray begins:

I had scheduled myself to write an editorial on education, in particular on some of the ideas being floated by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. But after sitting down to relax for a half-hour on Friday night and catching up on events with the world news, I had to change my focus when my blood pressure went up.

For those of you who know me personally, you know I have been against the war in Iraq since the day we entered. Most of the time I keep my mouth shut about it, but enough is enough.

Our vice president is running off at the mouth again how Democrats are aiding the enemy and being unpatriotic by questioning the latest drivel coming out of his and President Bush's mouth - the value of the troop surge.

Whether you agree with the politics presented by the Republicans or the Democrats I think most citizens are intelligent enough to realize what we are doing isn't working in Iraq and a new path must be explored wherever that leads us. The election spelled that out.

As a person too young to remember Vietnam, I had prayed that when we started down this misguided road that we would not end up in another unwinnable war.

To find out how, go read the rest.

We hear a lot from Twin Cities Republicans about what the people of the First District believe, but we often conclude that they do not read the same First District newspapers that we follow. To be sure, there is a range of opinion, from support of the Bush administration to Gray's perspective, but there's no monolith of belief and values among the opinion leaders in the district.

Our news digest will be posted as soon as it's done

DM &E: A tale from the Twin Cities' newspapers

Both Twin Cities daily papers run with editorials about the denial of the DM & E loan by the Federal Railroad Administration.  The PiPress goes fiscally conservative with a Westoverian vengence in A fit of fiscal responsibility? Let's hope so, beginning by layering praise:

We firmly approve of the decision of the Federal Railroad Administration to deny a $2.3 billion federal loan to the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad. The loan's primary purpose was expanding DM&E into Wyoming's Powder River Basin coalfields. DM&E also planned to improve its track and service across southern Minnesota. The FRA concluded that "there remained too high a risk that the railroad could not repay the massive loan."

We applaud DFL Rep. Tim Walz for his effort to bring transparency to the DM&E loan proposal and protect the interests of American taxpayers. We support his legislation calling for congressional oversight of large government loans to private businesses. We are grateful to Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar for uniting in opposition to the DM&E loan and for their support of the oversight legislation in the Senate.

We'll even toss in a kudo for Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who called the FRA decision "really good news."

"We wanted to find a compromise between some real concerns of the Mayo Clinic and the Rochester community and the DM&E," Pawlenty said. "That wasn't achieved, so I'm glad the loan was denied."

The damning-with-faint-praise of the governor is a signal for the editorial to switch tracks:

But that's where it gets a little sticky for us.

Here's why: As hard as we try, we can't envision Walz, Coleman and Klobuchar, not to mention Republican Reps. John Kline and Michele Bachmann and Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum, all suddenly having a mutual and simultaneous fit of fiscal responsibility. Walz, Coleman and Klobuchar are already making statements supporting "win-win rail infrastructure" and "more rural rail" in Minnesota, not excluding government support for a private business.

At that point, the reasoning starts to sound more like an episode of Special Interest vs. Special Interest, and less like an episode of Overarching Fiscal Restraint.

So we can't help but think the fiscal problems with the DM&E loan were a fortunate proxy for an underlying conflict between special interests — the Mayo Clinic and DM&E. As Pawlenty implies, Mayo's concerns about the safety of many more trains running past it weren't addressed, so it was good the loan was denied. But that's neither a fiscal argument nor a free-market position.

Walz, meanwhile, responding to DM&E President Kevin Schieffer's statement that DM&E might proceed with alternative funding, is quoted saying, "I hope not. It's a free country and a free market. But I hope that won't be his choice." That's not a fiscal argument, either.

We previously opined against the DM&E loan primarily on its apparent lack of economic viability, so we also think denial of the loan is good news. We'd like to see the Walz oversight legislation become law.

So would Walz or it wouldn't have been introduced.

We fear, however, that the Minnesota effort to derail DM&E's expansion was likely less about fiscal responsibility and more about special interest politics and loyalty to a Minnesota icon.

We hope future loyalty to fiscal responsibility and market forces proves that fear unfounded.

On to the Strib's editorial,   U.S. aid to railroads must be out in open, which focuses on Thune and Schieffer's backroom deals:

To the relief of many, and the surprise of more, the Federal Railroad Administration has declined to lend the DM&E railroad $2.3 billion to lay high-speed rail from Wyoming to Winona.

But it's not the finding of DM&E's insufficient creditworthiness that confounded expectations; that was long suspected, based on the scant financial information available. The stunner was the FRA's willingness to block an insider deal that had seemed so thoroughly greased.

Kevin Schieffer, the DM&E's president, is a lawyer who began to study federal rail policy back in the 1980s as an aide to then-Sen. Larry Pressler of South Dakota. He likes to tell how his junior standing got him assigned to meet with a railroad exec proposing to abandon a rickety bunch of track that's now part of the DM&E.

Schieffer employed South Dakota's current Republican senator, John Thune, as a lobbyist during a break in congressional service. Back in office, Thune sponsored the 2005 expansion of FRA lending authority that made the DM&E loan possible, and other changes that made it probable -- notably, dropping a requirement that railroads prove inability to raise private capital.

All of this has made the DM&E's loan application a questionable proposition at best; what made it truly alarming is that it progressed to final decision without public hearings or open review.

The FRA offers applicants the same secrecy that shields a bank loan. This was indefensible when its lending authority was $3.5 billion; it's alarming with a pool, thanks to Thune, of $35 billion.

Schieffer and Thune may have a point in arguing that the nation's deteriorated rail infrastructure needs upgrading, and that federal help is justified. But the DM&E project hardly helps their case.

Two established competitors, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Union Pacific, are already hauling coal eastward from Wyoming's Powder River Basin, the business that is the main focus of the DM&E's ambitions. Moreover, Schieffer's refusal to consider routing trains around downtown Rochester and the Mayo Clinic have revitalized "railroad" as a verb.

Schieffer says he will now look for private money, which thus far has eluded him in anything like the $6 billion amount this project requires. As for Thune's championing of federal aid to railroads, his best next move might be lifting the veil of secrecy from FRA lending. If taxpayers back such projects, they deserve full disclosure from the borrowers.

PiPress editorial scolded politicians for anything other than purity on abstract concepts.  In its news section, the Strib article If DM&E reassesses its proposal, Walz says he could become railroad's ally looks at what real world options those elected officials might support in a retooled vision for improving the DM & E line.  Mainly, Walz, Coleman and Klobuchar sensibly see the need for a carrier for grain and value-added products like ethanol:

Rep. Tim Walz said he could support a railroad expansion in southern Minnesota if the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern (DM&E) Railroad re-evaluates the $6 billion project that was denied a federal loan on Monday.

"We need expanded rail travel, whether that's a coal-based railroad or not, I'm not sure. But I can guarantee that we need an agricultural railroad," Walz, D-Minn., said Tuesday. "I said if they change their focus, if they came about this thing a little differently, they would sure find an ally with me."

[snip]

Walz, whose district would have been crossed by the project and who opposed the loan, said that DM&E's approach needs to be less confrontational and it should reconsider its proposal to haul coal from the Powder River Basin. He said there's a need to transport commodities like corn and soybeans.

Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar, who criticized the loan, also have said they support expanded rail in southern Minnesota.

But Schieffer sounds committed to the original plan:

Without disclosing details, DM&E President and CEO Kevin Schieffer said he expects "to move forward and will spend some time assessing alternatives [to obtain financing]. This project is too important to the future of our company, regional rail transportation and the many supporters in the agriculture and energy sectors, the communities we serve, and beyond who are relying on it."

Mayo and the Rochester Coalition will keep their eyes open, but still signal that they'd like to work together on solutions:

The Mayo Clinic and the Rochester Coalition, loud opponents of DM&E, won't quiet down if the project proceeds.

"We will continue to remain diligent as we assess next steps in this entire process to ensure that moving forward, whatever alternatives are explored, that our patients, staff and community are protected," said Chris Gade, a spokesman for the Mayo Clinic and the Rochester Coalition.

[snip]

"Whatever decisions they make, we're hopeful that ... we can work out some things, some solutions that will meet the needs of our community," he said.

Spokesmen for the ag sector are still swayed by Schieffer's grand vision (or snake oil, depending upon one's point of view):

Kevin Paap, president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau and a corn and soybean farmer in Blue Earth County, said he believes too much time and energy have been invested in the project for DM&E to abandon its plans.

"I would certainly believe that agricultural support is no different today than it was yesterday or in 1998 when we started this project. Transportation is so important to agriculture," he said. "Anything we can do to help with that transportation infrastructure, we're going to continue to work about."

The loan decision came as a blow to the Minnesota Grain and Feed Association, said executive director Bob Zelenka. Three grain elevators along the corridor in Minnesota had already invested millions in upgrades in preparation for the project, he said. Others were planning on improvements but have put those on hold, he said. . . .

Never good to count one's chickens before they're hatched, but Schieffer had that effect on people.

Upgrades to the existing DM & E rail system might help redeem the co-ops' investments, but Schieffer realistically may wish to ask the public purse for less, with less arrogance, now that the political landscape has shifted.

Sound investment in infrastructure, practiced with sound oversight and appropriate scale, is fiscally responsible. Walz, Coleman, and Klobuchar are on the right track in asking for oversight while still looking toward the district's transportation needs.

Late afternoon update: DM & E loan rejection assessments; House vote Thursday on EFCA?

The Rochester Post Bulletin, an afternoon paper, has published its extended coverage of yesterday's denial of the federal loan to the DM & E.  The lead article, DM&E loan denial's effect is uncertain, asks a simple question:

Is the DM&E project dead?

That's what Rochester and Mayo Clinic interests are asking, as well as business and political leaders all along the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad's 600-mile route, after a federal agency denied the railroad's bid for a controversial loan.

The stunning news Monday afternoon that the Federal Railroad Administration had rejected the South Dakota-based railroad's $2.3 billion loan request was cheered in Rochester, which with Olmsted County and Mayo has waged an epic battle against the project for nearly a decade.

There's no appeals process for the loan, which means the DM&E will have to find its own financing for the project.

Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede said, "Obviously, it's good news for Rochester, and even on a bigger scale, good news for the taxpayers." But he warned, "I don't think we can just sit back and say, 'That's over. Next.'"

Read the rest of the article to learn more. Jeffrey Pieters talking with New York-based railroad industry analyst Tony Hatch in Analyst says denial won't necessarily stop railroad project.  Pieters asks a similar question:

With its federal loan application denied, is this curtains for the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad?

Not hardly, says Tony Hatch, a railroad industry analyst based in New York.

Hatch got an idea of the railroad's staying power, he said, when he saw DM&E President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin Schieffer speak at a professional conference last fall.

After Schieffer's speech, Hatch said, "the scrum of investment bankers and commercial lenders to hand him their business cards was tremendous. There'll be tremendous interest" among lenders to weigh lending money to DM&E.

"The idea that there's been no interest from the private sector is false," Hatch said. "I've seen that with my own eyes."

Still, make no bones about it: The Federal Railroad Administration's decision, announced on Monday, dealt a huge blow to DM&E. The $2.3 billion the railroad sought amounted to nearly 40 percent of a proposed $6 billion upgrade and expansion project, what would be the largest railroad construction effort in a century.

There's more. Matthew Stole (with an assist from Pieters and Ed Fleker) looks at reactions in Politicians, officials weigh in on DM&E decision.  Representative Walz's opinion:

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, the Democrat who represents Minnesota's 1st District, said he sensed things were turning against DM&E when Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters asked that a bond rating be done on the railroad. The results of the credit report were not made public, but Walz suspects that they were probably "not good."

In rejecting the loan application, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Joseph H. Boardman cited the "high risk" that the railroad would not be able to repay the money.

The Greg and Debbie Dukart Family along rail line is elated:

Few families have had their personal destinies more intimately wrapped up in the saga over the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad expansion plans than Debbie and Greg Dukart.

The Rochester couple, who live within yards of the DM&E rail line, often found their home at 106 14th Ave. N.E. representing ground zero in an emotional, decade-long debate that divided communities into pro and con factions and along rural and urban lines.

DM&E CEO Kevin Schieffer held a town-hall-style meeting in the Dukart's garage in the late 1990s to champion the $6 billion project. Mayo Clinic CEO Glenn Forbes spoke at the Dukart's home to denounce the project. U.S. Rep. Tim Walz campaigned in their backyard and was elected to Congress, partly because of public dissatisfaction with his opponent GOP Rep. Gil Gutknecht's support for the project . . .

Walz and Rochester Chamber of Commerce Chair John Wade aren't going to be gloating, according to the article:

But U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Mankato Democrat, said the federal government's role as it relates to the loan is finished.

"It's been a long nine years, but it's definitive. This loan process is done. It's ended," he said.

Others speculated that if the federal government decided against underwriting parts of the expansion, why would the private sector?

"If the government believes this cannot be repaid, I find it really hard to believe that somebody in the private sector would take on the loan, take on this kind of risk," said John Wade, president of the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce.

Asked if there would be a celebration, Wade declined to gloat.

"I think most of us would just like to move on to something else," Wade said.

The Albert Lea Tribune reports DM & E denied loan.

Conservative blogger Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit points calls it a PorkBusters story. The Stubborn Facts asks and answers: Who Ya Gonna Call? Porkbusters.Phoenix Woman at Mercury Rising gets specific about amount of pork in Tim Walz Stops Planned $2.3 Billion Raid On Treasury.  The Minnesota Monitor asks What's Next for the DM&E?.
 

Workday Minnesota: House vote on Employees Free Choice Act expected on Thursday
We move on to union news. Minnesota's online labor news website reports US House set to vote on Employee Free Choice Act:

The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote Thursday on the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation that would make it easier for workers to join together to improve their wages and working conditions.         The bill, H.R. 800, would require employers to recognize a union when a majority of workers sign up. This simple process would eliminate many of the delays and illegal employer abuses that occur in the current bureaucratic election process.

"This legislation takes a major step toward reducing income inequality and strengthening the middle class in America by making it more difficult for employers to prevent unions from forming," said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney.

By a 26-19 party-line vote, the House Education and Labor Committee approved the bill Feb. 14 on a 26-19 vote. That same day, Vice President Dick Cheney said President Bush would veto the legislation if it passes Congress.

Proponents, however, have kept up the heat. Last week, scores of rallies, meetings and other events were held across the country during the Congressional recess. A resolution supporting the federal legislation is moving in the Minnesota Legislature and lawmakers in other states are backing similar measures.

The five Democrats representing Minnesota in the U.S. House – Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, James Oberstar, Collin Peterson and Tim Walz – are among the 233 co-sponsors of the Employee Free Choice Act. . . .

Tuesday morning news digest: more than just the DM & E loan decision

While the Federal Railroad Administration's decision to deny the DM & E federal loan dominates news in the First today, it's not the only story.  Concern for the troops and the conduct of the wars also takes its place on the pages of the district's newspapers.
 
Austin Daily Herald: Governors should control guard troops
The editorial board in Austin thinks Walz's bill to restore the 1807 Insurrection Act is a good idea:

A bill passed last year that gives the president more control over National Guard troops should be reversed.

Control of National Guard troops previously was in the hands of state governors, and should be returned. That control was usurped following Hurricane Katrina, when Congress gave control to the president.

Historically, the president has been unable to federalize National Guard troops over the wishes of a state governor. Last year's Defense Authorization Bill changed that. This strips local governing units of significant power - power that protects the lives and resources of state Guard troops.

A bill introduced by Minnesota First District U.S. Rep. Tim Walz seeks to reverse the bill, and should be supported.

Mankato Free Press: Sweet music goes out to the troops
A moving story about a concert the Mankato Symphony Orchestra put on for troops in Iraq:

It was 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning in Iraq, but Minnesota troops were able, via a live television feed, to talk with family members and watch a concert performed Monday by the Mankato Symphony Orchestra at the Minnesota National Guard Training and Community Center.

"Can you hear us?" Minnesota Symphony Orchestra Musical Director Kenneth Freed asked into the television before beginning the hour-long concert, which brought around 80 people to the National Guard gymnasium.

The soldiers watched the concert from the Freedom Call Center in Iraq, which allows troops video access to friends and family.

"It's so strange to see people clapping from halfway across the world,"€ Freed said. "€œThey were into it the whole time."

Freed said he was inspired to play a free concert for the soldiers' families after listening to Minnesota Rep. John Kline, who has a son in Iraq, grill U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on the toll war the war has taken on soldiers' families.

"One of our goals is to be outward-looking as an organization," said Freed, whose orchestra was augmented by the guest appearances of members of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. "œI was in the car listening to Rep. Kline roasting (Defense Secretary) Robert Gates on the radio, and I thought, '€œThese families have been through so much, how can we as an organization and musicians be of service to the troops' families?'"

Read the rest to learn the troops and the families' reaction.

There's a great deal of additional coverage of the stunning decision by the FRA to deny the DM & E a $2.3 billion loan.  The best so far is Mark Fischenich's extended article in the Mankato Free Press. The  Rochester Post Bulletin is an afternoon paper and has yet publish.

Mankato Free Press: DM & E federal loan nixed
The lead for Mark Fischenich's superlative reporting:

Federal officials rejected Monday a $2.3 billion loan application from the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad, deciding the ambitious project was too risky for taxpayers to back

The Sioux Falls-based railroad has no avenue to appeal the decision by the federal Department of Transportation'€™s Credit Council, but it will have the option of trying to fund the 680-mile upgrade and expansion through private investors.

Congressman Tim Walz announced the decision at 4 p.m., and Sens. Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar quickly followed with a joint press conference of their own.

"It's pretty straight-forward. They didn'€™t think it could work,"€ Walz said of the federal analysts. "€œThey asked the same questions I and others asked all along: Can this be paid back?"

Each lawmaker was called Monday afternoon by Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters who summarized the Credit Council'€™s verdict.

"€œShe was very clear this was a final resolution of the DM&E's loan application,"€ Coleman said. "œ... This project simply didn'™t pass economic muster."

Go read the rest for a glimpse at what journalism can offer.

Winona Daily News: DM & E denied government loan
The WDN combines AP reports and local footwork by staff writer Brian Voerding in its article:

The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad’s plans to run coal and other commodities through Winona and across the Midwest were dealt a serious blow Monday when the Federal Railroad Administration denied a $2.3 billion federal loan.

The project’s future and plans, including additional trains through Winona and adjoining cities and a 2-mile-long switching station outside Lewiston, are unclear; DM&E President Kevin Schieffer said the company is reviewing the decision. It cannot be appealed.

Members of Minnesota’s congressional delegation praised the decision, including Rep. Tim Walz, who called it “a victory for good government and accountability.“

Walz, a Democrat who represents southern Minnesota, used the DM&E loan as a wedge issue in his election campaign last year, criticizing what he called a lack of transparency during the process.

Read the rest for a look at what Winonans are saying.

Strib: DM&E Railroad won't get $2 billion loan for coal line
The Strib rewrites its copy, adding a Kevin Diaz byline to that of Brady Averill and more material from Minnesota.  The president of  the Farm Bureau is dismayed by the decision, while Walz, Kline, Pawlenty, Coleman and Klobuchar are pleased. 

It's fair to say that none of the elected officials oppose rail, but sought responsible loan oversight and accountability to local communities.

Mankato Free Press LTE: Nation's crying out for end to nonsense
Terrance Dobbelaere, a disabled veteran,  pens a response to yet another broadside attack on Walz from Walter Gates:

In regard to the gentleman's Your View letter Thursday accusing U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, I would suggest he check the debates of the candidates and the vote totals of eligible voters in District 1.

Walz could not have been clearer in his intent to bring home the troops and stop the foolish loss of U.S. men's lives, as well as massive injuries by same. . . .

Read the rest at the Free Press.   According to many in the Mankato area who have contacted us, Gates is well-known as a Republican partisan. Earlier, we looked at his views during the campaign.

DM & E loan denial update: netroots and press digest

According those pesky college students over at I Don't Hate America, who posted DM&E REJECTED - The Decision We Wanted!, our blogs tied for first posting information about the denial of the DM & E loan by the Federal Railroad Administration. Other Netroots response can be found at The Wege, Across the Great Divide, Minnesota Monitor, Jeff Fecker in DM & E Loan is Toast,  Sky Blue Waters in DM&E - No deal!, GraniteGrok in US taxpayers get rare piece of good news... and Evil Bobby in DM$E Down in Flames: Dick Day Reconsiders. Hmm.

The Mankato Free Press's Mark Fischenich does some real reporting in DM&E loan application rejected.  The Rochester Post Bulletin quickly compiled a synopsis from staff reports, and promises more extensive coverage in tomorrow's edition.  Tom Scheck at MPR fields a good overview.

The Pioneer Press runs an Associated Press story that's being widely published across the state and country.  Reuters concentrates on Boardman's decision and leaves out elected officials' responses. The Wall Street Journal hides its reportage behind a subscription firewall.  Tom Scheck posts at Polinaut.   The Strib actually manages to include a one-sentence quote for Tim Walz (Schieffer, the guy whose loan was denied, gets four paragraphs. Subtle--you'd think the Strib's readership was concertrated in Sioux Falls.).

Television stations across the area are covering the story. KTTC reports here quoting Walz.  WCCO runs the AP story but edits out Walz (shame on them).

In Sioux Falls, KELOLAND TV reports that DM & E CEO Kevin Schieffer and Thune are thinking they're the little guys crushed by the system, while Tim Pawlenty is happy:

"From our perspective, I think the financial plan that was put forward was a very sound one and I had not heard that concern before from FRA or anyone else," said DM & E President Kevin Schieffer of Sioux Falls.

Schieffer told KELOLAND news in an earlier interview last year that if the loan fell through, the company may use private investors to finance the project. He wouldn't comment on that today.

"There are a lot of different options that need to be considered Don we are going to be assessing those and when it's appropriate to make an announcement we will," said Schieffer.

Senator John Thune, a strong supporter of the project, says today's decision was a case of special interests beating the little guy.

"There was a huge amount of money spent to sabotage this project from powerful special interest and their higher guns, " said Thune.

The Mayo Clinic and the city of Rochester are strong opponents to the plan. Both were concerned the increased high-speed train traffic through the city could threaten the safety of patients at the clinic, just a few hundred yards from the tracks.

While it's a set back for DM & E, Schieffer says it's not the end of the line.

"There are an awful lot of people in South Dakota and throughout our service region that are relying on this to happen and we're committed to doing everything we can to make it a reality," said Schieffer.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty called the decision "really good news."

LaCrosse's station WKBT concentrates on Schieffer's reaction in DM&E president says its too early to say if project doomed .

We're with the Tims (Walz and Pawlenty) on this one.

CCAGW declares victory in a press release.

We'll have more in the morning, but now we're going to curl around a glass of old Canadian and watch the Colbert Report. It was one of those days.

Breaking DM & E News: Kaput!

Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters has just announced that the loan application to the DM & E will not be going through.

We've received the following press release from Walz's office:

DM&E LOAN APPLICATION REJECTED BY DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION CREDIT COUNCIL

Walz calls decision "victory for good government"

(Washington, D.C.) - Today, Rep. Walz announced that the Department of Transportation Credit Council has rejected the loan application submitted by the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad. Walz spoke with Transportation Secretary Mary Peters earlier today who confirmed that the Credit Council denied the $2.3 billion loan application.

"This is a victory for good government and accountability," said Walz. "The citizens of this district demanded close scrutiny of this loan and they got it.  This loan proposal brought people from all walks of life together to insist that members of Congress better monitor taxpayer funds.  I believe that today's decision is a direct result of congressional and citizen inquiry and oversight."

"Let me reassure the citizens of southern Minnesota that I support expanded rail service.  My objective has always been to ensure proper oversight of this loan occurs," said Walz.  "Today we can start moving forward.  We can work together to expand rail access in a responsible way that protects citizens and communities while expanding economic opportunity for agricultural producers and energy providers."

"Despite the fact that this loan is no longer under consideration, I will continue to move forward with the legislation I recently introduced.  The "Congress Must Co-Sign Act" requires that the Congress exercise appropriate oversight, should a similar situation arise in the future," said Walz. 

Walz, a freshman member of Minnesota's congressional delegation campaigned on the lack of congressional oversight with regard to the proposed DM&E Railroad Expansion project.  Walz has consistently called for increased accountability, transparency and attention to safety concerns.

The DOT announcement:

RA Administrator Denies DM&E Powder River Basin Loan Application

Citing Unacceptable Risk to Federal Taxpayers

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman today denied a $2.3 billion Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan application from the Dakota, Minnesota, & Eastern (DM&E) railroad concluding it posed an unacceptably high risk to federal taxpayers.

        In a decision released today, Boardman found that while the Powder River Basin project met some of the RRIF program's statutory requirements, there remained too high a risk concerning the railroad's ability to repay the loan even with an appropriate combination of credit risk premiums and collateral.

He said he was concerned by several factors, including the DM&E's current highly leveraged financial position; the size of the loan relative to the limited scale of existing DM&E operations; and the possibility that the railroad may not be able to ship the projected amounts of coal needed to generate enough revenue to pay back the loan. 

In addition, Boardman cited concerns that the application did not sufficiently address how the railroad would handle potential cost overruns and schedule delays with the Powder River Basin construction project.

        Boardman reached his final decision after reviewing the DM&E application using the criteria set by Congress for the RRIF loan program and following an environmental review of the proposed project. 

DM&E had applied for the RRIF loan to finance construction of a new 280-mile rail line to Wyoming's Powder River Basin coal mines and to reconstruct approximately 600 miles of existing track in South Dakota and Minnesota.

Looks like that Rothenberg rating for MN-01 might favor the Democratic incumbent even more after this afternoon. (Hat tip to Polinaut).

Another sign of the times: property management issues in Rochester

Some weeks ago, we reported that the web page for the First Congressional District Republicans had not been updated since Spring 2004. 

Fortunately, our GOP brethren have since made necessary repairs, although they do seem a bit confused, since the page randomly lists a GOP U.S. Representative from Minnesota:  either Jim Ramstad, Michele Bachmann, or John Kline, depending upon the luck of the draw.  None of the three represent MN-01, and none of the other GOP congressional district pages uses this confusing design. 

Who is congressman in MN-01? Perhaps the state GOP can be forgiven for not knowing if they've visited the Omsted County Republican offices recently.

A friend sent us photos from Rochester this morning, documenting a bit of a property management issue in Rochester: the exterior of 1530 Greenview Dr. SW still sports lettering that indicates the presence of Congressman Gil Gutknecht's official office, which was in Suite 108. Now, this outdated signage is clearly a responsibility of the building's property manager, rather than the former Congressman. 

However, given that the Olmsted County Republicans are located in Suite 114 at 1530 Greenwood, we think they might take a bit of leadership in asking the building's management to remove the signage.

Perhaps after they update their web site, which still asks people to vote on November 7, 2006. Some fascinating audio files there of local radio ads as well.  Oh, and there's this fascinating page for Olmsted County from 2004 on the State Republican web site.  The entry for January 19 is our fav:

Olmsted County Republicans get ready for an exciting election year! Plan to get involved and help re-elect President George Bush, First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht and MN State Representatives Bill Kuisle, Fran Bradley, Randy Demmer and Carla Nelson. Lets keep them in office!

Heckova job.

Owatonna and Rochester farm bill and global warming meetings

This morning's news is dominated by the after effects of the storm.  Since most of our readers will have spent the weekend busy with their shovels and snow blowers, we don't feel compelled to digest area reports on that.

Instead, a couple of reminders of events in Owatonna and Rochester.

Owatonna Farm Bill Discussion Today
Walz will continue to listen to his constituents' ideas about the 2007 Farm Bill in a meeting today in Owatonna:

February 26^th at 4:00 P.M.
Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, 2365 43^rd Street NW

The meeting is free and open to the public. 

Public testimony will be taken at each meeting for an hour and a half in two minute increments.  Participants are encouraged to prepare written testimony in addition to their public statement. 

Written testimony will be accepted at the meetings or via mail at: 

U.S. Congressman Timothy J. Walz
227 East Main Street, Suite 220
Mankato, Minnesota 56001

KTTC Calendar: Global Warming panel in Rochester tonight

Laura Westwood, the Green Corps organizer serving a three month stint in Rochester, has posted about tonight's forum in KTTC's community calendar:

Global Warming: Putting Together the Pieces
Date: 2007-02-26 [Time: 6:30 p.m.]
Learn how you can be a part of the solution. Congressman Tim Walz will share his perspectives on global warming and update attendees on what is happening in congress in the new session. Dr. Lee Frelich, Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Hardwood Ecology, and J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director of Fresh Energy, will speak about the impacts of global warming on Minnesota's treasured Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and what action individuals and legislators can take to address them. Booths of local groups will be open before and after the event. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Minnesota Environmental Partnership.                 

The forum will be at the  Hill Theatre on the University Center-Rochester campus.  The Hill Theatre is located at at 851 30th Ave. S.E.

We'll update through the day as our schedule allows.

Snowbound Sunday: listening to farmers and scientists edition

Driving conditions were so treacherous in south central Minnesota yesterday that even Tim Walz couldn't make the drive between Mankato and the New Ulm HyVee.  Common sense is a good thing in a winter storm.  MnDOT reports that roads in Brown and Nicollet County are covered with 12 inches of snow.

KTTC Calendar: Global Warming panel in Rochester Monday night
Laura Westwood, the Green Corps organizer serving a three month stint in Rochester, has posted about tomorrow night's forum in KTTC's community calendar:

Global Warming: Putting Together the Pieces
Date: 2007-02-26
Learn how you can be a part of the solution. Congressman Tim Walz will share his perspectives on global warming and update attendees on what is happening in congress in the new session. Dr. Lee Frelich, Director of the University of Minnesota Center for Hardwood Ecology, and J. Drake Hamilton, Science Policy Director of Fresh Energy, will speak about the impacts of global warming on Minnesota's treasured Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and what action individuals and legislators can take to address them. Booths of local groups will be open before and after the event. Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Minnesota Environmental Partnership.                  laura@greencorps.org

The forum will be at the  Hill Theatre on the University Center-Rochester campus.  The Hill Theatre is located at at 851 30th Ave. S.E.

Fillmore County Journal: Walz supports LSP Farm Bill priorities
On Presidents' Day,  Congressman Walz visited Lewiston to meet with the Land Stewardship project about the 2007 Farm Bill.  The FCJ's Wanda Hanson reports that LSP members were concernedthat they might be at a disadvantage with their new congressman:

The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) organization was well prepared for Representative Tim Walz's visit to its Lewiston office on President's Day. Members, intent on making key points, met 45 minutes ahead of Walz's appearance to go over their finely tuned agenda and follow up questions. Aware of Walz's speaking skills and charismatic presence, the group worried they might not have the opportunity to present their ideas.

Fortunately, those fears were quickly extinguished:

Walz quickly put any concerns to rest as he assured the group, "I know what I don't know; I'm here to listen." Walz, a member of the agriculture committee and the sub-committees on energy and commodities, assured the LSP that the next farm bill would be written from the ground up from the subcommittees, a process he called good for rural America. He listened carefully to each question, making notes as he listened and responding to the question precisely with few generalities.

Go read the rest at the FCJ.  Walz wasn't the only members of the congressional delegation to stop by Preston last week. Senator Klobuchar held a town meeting on Tuesday.

Reminder: Owatonna Farm Bill Discussion on Monday, February 26
Walz will continue to listen to his constituents' ideas about the 2007 Farm Bill in a meeting tomorrow in Owatonna:

February 26^th at 4:00 P.M.
Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, 2365 43^rd Street NW

The meeting is free and open to the public. 

Public testimony will be taken at each meeting for an hour and a half in two minute increments.  Participants are encouraged to prepare written testimony in addition to their public statement. 

Written testimony will be accepted at the meetings or via mail at: 

U.S. Congressman Timothy J. Walz
227 East Main Street, Suite 220
Mankato, Minnesota 56001

Mankato Free Press Editorial: Moderate middle will make budget work
The Mankato Free Press editorial board hopes Tim Walz will join the Blue Dog Coalition:

. . .Former First District Congressman David Minge was a Minnesota member of the Blue Dogs. So far, newly-elected Congressman Tim Walz has, regrettably, not joined. Rep. Collin Peterson, whose district represents western and central Minnesota including Sibley County, is a member of the group.

To be accepted by the Blue Dogs, new members have to agree to take positions on certain issues that are consistent with the Blue Dogs mantra of fiscal constraint. That may be a bit too much of a commitment for new members like Walz, who may be unwilling to lock into too many positions before they get the lay of the land.

Still, the rise of the Blue Dogs is noteworthy in that its newly empowered members may be able to impose some fiscal restraint on a budget, president and Congress that so dearly need the “tough love.” . . .

Minnesota Monitor has posted a take on this.

Pesky college student stirs the pot again

We're big fans of those pesky college students over at I Don't Hate America, who question the status quo with the best of them. In today's Winona Daily News, we find that they're at it again: Jason Bauman is challenging gender stereotypes in nursing:

Jason Bauman doesn’t fit the stereotype of a nurse. His nursing program at Winona State University is 90 percent female.

But Bauman is just the kind of student educators are looking for.

Women account for six out of 10 students at most U.S. universities, but even though women dominate colleges across the country, many undergraduates still choose fields stereotypical for their genders. Men gravitate to technical fields like engineering and computer science, while women fill the usual roles of teachers and nurses.

For more on Bauman's mission, read the whole article.

Rochester Post Bulletin: Long odds for the loan oversight bill

Earlier in the week, we had been planning to go into New Ulm this morning, buy groceries at the HyVee and say "Hi!" to Congressman Walz while expressing our distress at the treatment of outpatients at Walter Reed.  Yesterday, our storm-is-coming prairie instincts kicked in and we secured food, bourbon and a six-pack of Schell's Schmaltz Alt in advance of the weather.

We're happy we did so.  The map of road conditions shows a red scab of difficult driving, the street outside of our house is a white sheet of ice, and the sleet just turned to snow.  We're staying put. Update:  Pffft. Call this snow? [end update]

To the east, it's no better.  The Post Bulletin reports:

Dozens of cars and trucks slid into highway ditches through Friday night and early this morning as sleet and then snow, as well as several bolts of lightning and thunder, clapped down on southeast Minnesota.

Law enforcement did not have totals for the number of accidents it investigated or dispatched tow trucks to, but roads seemed most treacherous outside of Rochester, especially along Interstate 90 from Dover west to Austin, as a steady stream of tow trucks pulled and straightened semi-trucks back onto the roadway. Often the trucks blocked traffic in the blinding storm.

There have been "a lot of trucks and cars in the ditch everywhere," a State Patrol dispatcher said, before directing troopers to another jackknifed semi on I-90.

Since the weather threw some transportation issues at us this weekend, we'll turn to an article about the DM & E from today's Post Bulletin: Legislation to halt DM&E expansion faces long odds.

Minnesota lawmakers return to Washington next week hoping to advance legislation to stop the pending $2.3 billion federal loan to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad, yet there are no clear indications that they will get the bill enacted into law.

The Federal Railroad Administration, an agency within the Transportation Department, is currently within a 90-day review of the company's financial condition, and is to make its decision on the loan by early May.

The loan is key to the privately held company's plans to finance a combined $6 billion extension into Wyoming's Powder River Basin coal fields, along with upgrades to its Midwest rail network. The Mayo Clinic, with the city of Rochester, Olmsted County and the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, have long sought to kill the project because of fears of increased downtown train traffic, and the groups have mounted a public campaign against the loan.

The new bill would require congressional approval of any Transportation Department loan of $1 billion or more. Rep. Tim Walz, the freshman Democrat from Mankato, on Feb. 16 introduced the House version, and Sens. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., introduced a Senate companion.

Walz's bill has been sent to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., while the Senate bill has been sent to the Senate Commerce Committee. It must be signed into law before the loan is approved, putting lawmakers on very tight timetable.

Walz said he intends to use his seat on the transportation committee to push for quick consideration, but acknowledged he has yet to win Oberstar's support. He also acknowledged that the Senate bill could be killed by a filibuster, if need be, by DM&E-backer Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who lobbied for the railroad before winning his seat in 2004. In 2005 Thune pushed through a provision to expand and change the FRA's railroad construction loan program to help DM&E.

"Can he kill this thing? He very well could," Walz said. "But I can guarantee you that it will be very, very, scrutinized for him to do such a thing now."

While the Post Bulletin focuses in on the House bill, which is co-sponsored by Minnesota representatives Bachmann, Kline and McCallum, we'd like to suggest that Senator Coleman use his friendship with Senator Thune to apply pressure.

How close are Thune and Coleman? In 2002, they took their fundraising on the road along with Jim Talent of Missouri.  President Bush nicknamed them the "Three Amigos;" Talent and Coleman were elected.  Thune lost his bid against Tim Johnson, and had to wait until 2004, when he knocked off Tom Daschle.

Are Coleman and Thune still amigos? The photo above is taken from Norm Coleman's 2008 campaign site.  That's Thune looking on, listening, and applauding at the 2006 Lincoln Day Dinner sponsored by the Minnehaha County Republicans in sunny Sioux Falls, South Dakota, last spring.  Coleman's speech is available here.  Some interesting points about railroads and leadership:

Candidate Abraham Lincoln, the founder of our Republican Party had come to Omaha to give a speech. That night, he stayed across the river at the famous Pacific Hotel in Council Bluffs , Iowa . The hotel boasted a big front porch with a commanding view West. Omaha at that time was the terminus of the Eastern railroads. What Lincoln did as soon as he got to Omaha was collect the best railroad men in the area and invite them to meet on porch. As a state legislator years before, Lincoln had proposed an Illinois State railroad before he had ever seen a train.

Abraham Lincoln gathered that little group of experts on the porch and asked the Big Question: What’s the best route for a railroad to the Pacific Ocean ? Nine years later, Lincoln was dead, but they drove the golden spike that completed the world first transcontinental railroad that united America literally, “from sea to shining sea.” The route was chosen that night and a dream was born.

My purpose tonight is to invite you onto a virtual porch of our own and ask you to think with me: What’s the best route to American future we all cherish? What path should the next journey of American freedom take?

Perhaps Senator Coleman can invite his close friend John Thune to sit on the porch (virtual or otherwise), then ask the DM & E's former lobbyist those two questions, narrowed down to the concerns surrounding the DM & E railroad.

Better that than having Thune listen to his former employee, DM & E CEO Kevin Schieffer.  Here's what Schieffer thinks about concerns raised about the project and the loan:

"These are things that gets PR (public relations) firms excited and lawyers excited and media guys excited, but when you get down to the core of it, there's just no traction there on the merits. I have some faith in the merits[.]" 

Schieffer said approval of the loan, if it comes, will entail numerous conditions, including proof that the railroad will have enough business to repay the loan. He also said the loan approval would not close the door to a mitigation agreement with Mayo and Rochester, although he said he can't say what that agreement might entail because the opponents have yet to prove new risks to federal regulators and in court.

"It's not too late for mitigation, ever," he said.

Okay then. We'll be posting MN-01 news as we dig it up.  At least the storm will allow us to indulge in our favorite winter sport; we hope to break out the snowshoes later in the evening. Maybe even do a little owling.

AFL-CIO Weblog on Walz

The AFL-CIO Blog tells the story of Tim Walz at the union rally in Rochester in ‘Employee Free Choice Act Sticks to Values We Care About’:

In Rochester, Minn., Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), one of the 233 co-sponsors of the Employee Free Choice Act, rallied with union members outside the local Holiday Inn Express yesterday, where 18 workers, all union supporters, were fired three days before last Christmas when a new owner took over the hotel.

The workers, who say they were fired because of their union activity, have filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the hotel’s owners. Their firings, Walz says, are part of a larger problem—employers do not respect workers’ freedom to form a union and to have dignity on the job.

Despite what Big Business interests say, Walz says the Employee Free Choice Act is not anti-business.

It is not anti-business or pro-business. This is simply sticking to those values that we care about: equal pay for equal work, the ability to organize and ask for safe working conditions, for pensions and health care, there’s plenty of money for everyone on this.

In Rochester and more than 100 other cities across the nation, workers met with members of Congress and community leaders to push for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800). At news conferences, worker roundtables, rallies and other gatherings across the country, workers and union and community leaders are connecting with more than 130 members of Congress—thanking those who support the Employee

Honoring vets: the Charles "Chuck" Lindberg V.A. Clinic

From the Rochester Post-Bulletin:

"U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, and U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minneapolis, will introduce legislation to rename the Rochester Veterans Clinic the Marine Cpl. Charles "Chuck" Lindberg V.A. Clinic.

Lindberg, who lives in Richfield, Minn., is the last living member of either group that raised flags on Iwo Jima in 1945, as World War II was coming to a close.

"Chuck Lindberg, like so many others, is a great inspiration and a great American hero," Walz said. "I can think of no more fitting way to honor his contributions to the war effort and to this nation."

Lindberg was a member of the party of Marines that raised the first American flag on Iwo Jima; the second flag-raising was immortalized in the Joe Rosenthal photo. Today is the 52nd* anniversary of the flag-raising."

*Actually, it's the 62nd anniversary.

Lindberg has his own web site. To learn more about Chuck Lindberg's story, there's this WCCO report about a ceremony at Fort Snelling  honoring Lindberg last year.   This site which features pictures of the flag raisings in sequence.  WCCO produced a documentary about Lindberg and the flags at Iwo Jima; "The Last Flagraiser" is now available on DVD.

Naming the veterans clinic after Lindberg is a fitting tribute to a Marine who fought in one of the nation's most memorable battles.

Walz to lead global warming discussion in Rochester

The Rochester Post-Bulletin notes that Representative Walz will lead a discussion about global warming in Rochester on Monday night:

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz will lead a collection of speakers at a free open house on global warming next week in Rochester.

Titled "Global Warming: Putting Together the Pieces," the open house begins at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Hill Theatre on the University Center-Rochester campus. The event is scheduled to run three hours.

It is organized by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership and other, local groups.

Walz will discuss his perspective on global warming and what is happening in Congress.

Other speakers will be Lee Frelich, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Hardwood Ecology, who will discuss the effect of global warming at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area; and J. Drake Hamilton, science policy director for Fresh Energy, who will speak about solutions to the problem of climate change.

The Hill Theatre is at 851 30th Ave. S.E. in Rochester.

Hamilton was a force of nature in the public awareness efforts that helped goad the state of Minnesota into adopting its vigorous new renewable energy standards. She is a familiar face for rural Minnesotans working on energy issues.

The Mankato Free Press's editorial today declares that Minnesota wins with the new policy.

Frelich's recent testimony at the state legislature in January about the connection between global warming and forest ecology was widely reported in the press and blogs.

Albert Lea Tribune: Who should control the National Guard?

The Tribune's Sarah Light reports on Congressman Walz's legislation to restore the 1807 Insurrection Act's provision that placed each state's National Guard undr the control of its governor. 

Light delves deeper into the issue than any reporting we've seen so far. Walz introduced the  the House bill with Republican congressman Tom Davis of Virginia. The Senate version was introduced by Pat Leahy (D-VT) and Kit bond (R-MO), and the nation's governor's support the measure:

Walz, who is a retired National Guard command sergeant major, said the 1807 law was prompted out of fear that the federal military could be used against the states and that there would be too much centralized control.

“It served us well since 1807, and I want to go back to this,” Walz said. “These are things I think people should be deeply concerned about. If this were a Democratic president, I would be introducing this same legislation.”

He said this legislation would not “hamper” with the president’s ability to defend the nation; it would just affect his ability to control the National Guard within the country.

“They’re consistent issues that I think have come dangerously close to sending too much power to the president over the last couple years,” he said.

For example, Walz said, under last year’s law, the ability of the president to declare martial law was significantly increased.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo. Because this is a founding principle in the nation, Walz said, the bill also has support of all of the governors in the nation.

He said he thinks President George W. Bush will sign the legislation if he receives it, as he will be receiving pressure from both Republican and Democratic legislators.

New York Times: Long Iraq Tours Can Make Home a Trying Front

Many Americans are so insulated from the wars and our soldiers who serve that that they too could have written this sentence, the front-page teaser for an article in today's New York Times online:

For many soldiers and their families, the repercussions of deployments are one of the toughest, least discussed byproducts of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Toughest, yes. 

But least discussed? Not where we live.  Among our friends with family members in Iraq, there's no silence about the repercussions of the deployments. We hear of weddings delayed and plans for starting a family postponed, especially when the wife is the one serving.  And there are the other, darker stories of depression and families fracturing.

Newspapers throughout southern Minnesota report about support groups the families left behind have formed.  We read about seminars for soldiers and Marines' children,  weekend re-entry education for families, and the birthdays missed. 

Perhaps the writer of that sentence lives a life where the byproducts of deployments are rarely discussed.  That's not the situation in rural Minnesota.

The article itself, however, is interesting, however exotic the content might have been to the online page editor:

. . .Most families and soldiers cope, sometimes heroically. But these separations have also left a trail of badly strained or broken unions, many severed by adultery or sexual addictions; burdened spouses, some of whom are reaching for antidepressants; financial turmoil brought on by rising debts, lost wages and overspending; emotionally bruised children whose grades sometimes plummet; and anxious parents who at times turn on each other.

Hardest hit are the reservists and their families, who never bargained on long absences, sometimes as long as 18 months, and who lack the support network of full-fledged members of the military.

“Since my husband has been gone, I have potty-trained two kids, my oldest started preschool, a kid learned to walk and talk, plus the baby is not sleeping that well,” said Lori Jorgenson, 30, whose husband, a captain in the Minnesota National Guard, has been deployed since November 2005 and recently had his tour extended another four months. “I am very burnt out.”

In the next couple of months, Ms. Jorgenson, who has three young children, has to get a loan, buy a house and move out of their apartment. . . .

We live and work in a part of the country where friends, co-workers and neighbors (or their children) are deployed.  Out of the mainstream, we suppose--but shouldering the burden of an entire nation.

Giving the Guard back to the govenors

Winona Daily News: Walz: Give Guard back to governors
The Daily News summarizes Walz's proposed legislation:

Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., has co-authored legislation that would return control of the National Guard to state governors.

A law passed recently gave the president authority to “federalize” the Guard, meaning it can call units to duty during a natural disaster, disease outbreak or other conditions.

“These provisions contradict the founding principles of this nation,” Walz said in a statement. “Neither this president, nor any other, should be given such unchecked control over the military for domestic law enforcement purposes.”

Walz, who represents southern Minnesota, is a retired National Guard command sergeant major.

Washington Post: Walter Reed whitewash
We had first posted late last Saturday about the Washington Post's investigative reporting about outrageous conditions for outpatients at Walter Reed. Today Dana Milbank writes about the literally whitewash going on:

The Army mobilized. Painters were deployed to cover the offending wall with a fresh coat of white semigloss. And television crews were invited in to inspect the result.

"Some of the paint is still wet against that wall, so be careful," Walter Reed public affairs officer Donald Vandrey, standing on the bed in his socks, advised the film crews. "They just finished repainting it about 10 minutes ago."

Mission accomplished?

Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley thought so. After the media tour of Building 18, the Army's surgeon general gave a news conference. "I do not consider Building 18 to be substandard," he said of a facility Priest and Hull found full of "mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses" and other delights. "We needed to do a better job on some of those rooms, and those of you that got in today saw that we frankly have fixed all of those problems. They weren't serious, and there weren't a lot of them."

Kiley might have had a stronger case if men wearing Tyvek hazmat suits and gas masks hadn't walked through the lobby while the camera crews waited for the tour to start, or if he hadn't acknowledged, moments later, that the entire building would have to be closed for a complete renovation. The general also seemed to miss a larger point identified by other officials: Walter Reed's problem isn't of mice and mold but a bureaucracy that has impeded the recovery of wounded soldiers.

The whitewash is as illustrative of the problem as the rot and rodents it glosses over.  Recovery is for the wounded, not some bureaucrats' tails.  Talking to Iraq war vets about this issue is a real eye opener, and we will pursue the stories they suggest as time allows.