Minnkota Power Milton Young Power Station, Street address unknown, Center, North Dakota
Table of Contents || Return to Map || Return to State Listing

EPA
Region		 Location of facility Type of facility Amount
of ore
received
(in tons)		 Did
EPA
visit
the
site?		 Were
samples
taken?		 Results of
evaluation
8 Street address unknown, Center, North Dakota Power plant 600 Yes-April 14, 2000 Yes According to an EPA database compiled from W.R. Grace shipping invoices, 600 tons of vermiculite ore from the Libby mine were shipped to this site from November 1982 to September 1983. In an April 3, 2000 telephone conversation, a representative of Minnkota Power told EPA that in the 1980s the power plant had conducted a 28-day trial to test whether vermiculite could be used as an anti-slag agent. He said the vermiculite was delivered by W.R. Grace Distribution Services and he did not know whether the vermiculite was from the Libby mine. The representative said the power plant did not use vermiculite again after this 28-day trial. The vermiculite had been stored inside the power plant in hoppers before it was used. A few days after speaking with EPA, the company representative contacted EPA and said he had checked the hoppers and had found approximately 10 to 15 gallons of residual material in them. In response, EPA and a representative of the North Dakota Department of Health visited the site on April 14, 2000. The Minnkota Power representative showed EPA the location of the hoppers and explained that the vermiculite was delivered by trucks that were unloaded pneumatically into the hoppers and then the vermiculite was vented into boilers through a closed system. According to the company representative, for a brief period, the vermiculite was loaded into the boilers manually. The company representative said the exterior of the boilers and the walkways were washed down once or twice per year. EPA observed that the walkways appeared extremely clean and dust-free; that no loose vermiculite or excessive dust was present; and the hoppers containing the vermiculite appeared to be entirely enclosed without any leakage. EPA collected a sample from the residual vermiculite material remaining in the hoppers; this sample contained 7-percent asbestos. The company official said that Minnkota Power would have trained asbestos workers who work on the site dispose of this material. Because of the small amount of material in the hoppers, the overall cleanliness of the facility, and the presence of trained asbestos employees on the site, EPA determined that no federal presence was necessary for this cleanup and no further action was needed.

GAO-09-6R