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<br />Elk River, Minnesota's Energy City <br /> <br />About Elk River Energy City <br />Energy City, based in Elk River, is a group of environmentalist, businesses, energy <br />related industries, and governmental entities united in the belief that the production and <br />consumption of energy is the number one environmental issue facing the world today and <br />determined to be part of the solution. Further, it is believed that the solutions to this <br />environmental issue have to make economic sense to be sustainable. <br /> <br />Major Energy City Partners <br />. CenterPoint Energy <br />. City of Elk River <br />. ECONAR Energy Systems <br />. Elk River Area Chamber of Commerce <br />. Elk River Area School District 728 <br />. Elk River Ford Dodge Jeep <br />. Elk River Landfill <br />. Elk River Municipal Utilities <br />. Great River Energy <br />. Resource Recovery Technology <br />. Sherburne County <br />. Suburban Northwest Builders Association <br /> <br />History of Elk River Energy City <br />1994 - Minnesota Environmental Initiative (MEI) created Energy Alley (a concept based <br />on Medical Alley's success in Rochester) to promote Minnesota's energy businesses <br />(Minnesota is second in the nation to only California for the number of energy related <br />companies) <br /> <br />1995 - MEI conducted a statewide search for a stand alone city to act as Energy Alley's <br />geographical focal point for demonstrating energy efficient and renewable energy <br />technology, services and products <br /> <br />1996 - The City of Elk River was selected to be Energy City. The reasons Elk River was <br />selected were: <br /> <br />1. Its history acting nroactivelv regarding environmental issues. Elk River has <br />numerous environmentally sensitive industries, which it learned to regulate for the <br />protection of its citizens while maintaining the attitude of allowing business to do <br />business <br /> <br />2. Its history of energy related issues. e.g. <br />. Hydropower dam completed in 1916 bringing electrical power to Elk River <br />. Home of the world's first rural nuclear power plant (built in 1960) <br /> <br />1 <br />