Minnesota by the numbers: Top 20 polluters

So you want to know what companies are releasing the most pollutants into Minnesota's air and water? The ugly answers can be found in the recently released Right-to-Know Chemical Information Report, which is posted on the Minnesota Department of Public Safety website. Among other things, the report lists the top 20 pollution producing facilities in the state. As usual, Xcel Energy's coal-burning power plant in Becker occupies the top spot; according to the report, the Sherco plant emitted more than seven million pounds of pollutants during the 2004 calender year. That's more than three times as much as the number two polluter, Minnesota Power's Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset. The full report is larded with useful tables and other data. Below are the Dirty 20, ranked top to bottom.

Sherco Plant (Xcel Energy), Becker
Boswell Energy Center (Minnesota Power), Cohasset
Flint Hills Resources, Inver Grove Heights
3M Cottage Grove Center, Cottage Grove
Sappi Cloquet LLC, Cloquet
A.S. King Generating Plant (Xcel Energy), Bayport
Boise White Paper, LLC, International Falls
CHS Oilseed Processing, Mankato
MN Soybean Processors, Brewster
Riverside Plant (Xcel), Minneapolis
Rochester Public Utilities, Rochester
Larson Glastron Boats, Little Falls
Twin Cities Assembly Plant (Ford), St. Paul
Crown Food Packaging, Owatonna
Central Bi-Products, Redwood Falls
US Marine/Bayliner, Pipestone
ADM Co., Mankato
Gopher Resource Corp., Eagan
Taconite Harbor Energy, Schroeder
3M, Hutchinson