Bill Emory on Environmental Justice

Our built and natural environment impacts so many parts of our lives, from clean air and water to the struggle against climate change. In my work at Hennepin County, I have played a key role in developing and implementing our county environmental justice strategy, from developing the plan to close the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) to supporting our work towards a future where we burn or bury less waste down the road.

• I helped create the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) Closure Plan to close our Downtown trash-burner and transition towards a zero-waste system. 

• I supported progress towards the Hennepin County Zero Waste Plan to reduce emissions and waste sent to landfills & incinerators. 

• I have helped advocate for speedy development and implementation of  the Hennepin County Climate Action Plan to rapidly reduce emissions and mitigate climate chaos.

• I led strategic planning efforts with the team that launched Community Power, a local organization dedicated to expanding community and residentially-owned energy systems.

I am proud of the work we have done, but we can do so much more.

I grew up in a rural community right next door to a now federally-designated Superfund site. Like many of our neighbors, environmental justice concerns are personal to me. Like many of our neighbors, I may never know the ways in which chemical pollution may have affected me and my family. And like many of our neighbors, I am dedicated to ending current harm, reversing the harmful decisions of the past, and ensuring our communities and Minnesota are safe and healthy for all our children and all our residents.

In Solidarity,

Bill Emory