Goodhue County Board voted 3-2 Tuesday to move ahead with a long-term waste designation requiring all garbage collected in the county be sent to Red Wing for the city’s refuse-derived fuel agreement with Xcel Energy.
The city looks to benefit by selling the waste for burning at the utility’s Red Wing generating station, but cities and townships outside the county seat are nervous the 20-year designation could mean exorbitant hauling fees without direct representation or control.