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December 1, 2008

Madelia leads by example

Sen. Amy Klobuchar listens to 'Madelia Model'

By Robb Murray

MADELIA — On a swing through southern Minnesota Monday, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar got an earful about something called the Madelia Model and updated communities about the plan to infuse life into the national economy via infrastructure upgrades.

The Madelia Model is still one of those “in theory” ideas. But with a little luck and a little more funding, the project could come together quickly.

It is the product of a Fairmont-based group called Rural Advantage, run by president and founder Linda Meschke, and it works like this: From a 25-mile radius around a community, any community can grow or collect from natural or industrial sources enough biomass to fuel that community. It can also provide feedstock for bio-based processing. The Madelia Model focuses on so-called perennial crops, or “third crops,” such as switchgrass on the landscape.

Klobuchar, who hit six Minnesota cities Monday and will hit six more Wednesday and four more Thursday, said she was impressed with the Madelia Model.

“This is the kind of innovation we want to see all over the country,” Klobuchar said after meeting with Rural Advantage, officials from Tony Downs Foods, Madelia city officials and others. “It was exciting to see everyone had come together and came up with a new idea ... We want everyone to know about it.”

Between Sunday and Thursday, Klobuchar plans to get to communities in 17 counties in a tour she calls the Main Street Jobs Tour. Her goal is to meet with business leaders, especially those in infrastructure- or energy-related businesses.

President-elect Barack Obama has said he intends to find an answer to the ailing economy immediately after taking office. One idea is a plan to infuse the economy with enough of infrastructure projects to put thousands of Americans back to work.

Klobuchar’s tour focused on that and on hearing ideas that offer new ways at creating or saving energy. Her tour included stops in Rochester, where she visited with a group that is retrofitting buses for cleaner operation, a group in Pine River that installs solar water heaters for residential use, and a telephone co-op in Sebeka that works on solar/wind hybrid renewable energy systems.

“We have the possibility of creating energy in different ways,” Klobuchar said.

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