Take Action by 3/22: End Zoning Exemptions for Smith Foundry

Smith Foundry. Photo by David Kedeny.

Smith Foundry, located next to the Roof Depot site, is a notorious polluter in the East Phillips neighborhood. The EPA did a surprise inspection of the foundry in spring 2023 and found air quality violations. This includes unsafe levels of lead and asthma-inducing fine particle pollution, since 2018.

The foundry is operating under a permit approved by the MPCA in 1992. It was supposed to expire in five years. Instead the MPCA has allowed Smith Foundry to operate under an “application shield,” allowing the facility to operate without updating its permit.

A new bill, SF 4316, would allow cities to remove businesses like Smith because they don’t meet the current zoning code. We have until this Friday, March 22, to get the bill heard in the Senate Committee.

Call/email the three senators below and urge them to set a hearing date for our bill (SF 4316).

Kari Dziedzic (district 60)
651-296-7809
mikayla.mtanous@mnsenate.gov

Nicole Mitchell (district 47)
651-296-5537
jackson.sweeney@mnsenate.gov

Erin Maye Quade (district 56)
651-296-4120
ayana.smith.kooiman@senate.mn

Sample Email for Senators:

To: @Senator 

Subject: Amortization Bill in State and Local Government 

Greetings Senator, 

I am emailing you in support of SF 4316, a bill that was referred to your committee last session. This bill would allow cities to amortize, or phase out, harmful facilities that no longer conform to current zoning laws. Please help provide municipalities with the power to protect their residents' health and reduce toxic pollution in our communities. Certain facilities simply do not belong in dense neighborhoods, and state law must reflect this.