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North Siders hunger strike for HERC shutdown

Source: startribune.com

TL;DR

North Minneapolis residents plan a hunger strike starting April 10 to demand shutdown of the county-owned HERC trash incinerator.
HERC, operating since 1989, is Hennepin County's largest air pollution source, linked to 1-2 premature deaths yearly from particulates per EPA modeling.
Activists argue the 2023 county closure resolution was deceptive, as another board vote is needed with no shutdown plans in place.

The story at a glance

Audua Pugh, a north Minneapolis resident and executive director of the Jordan Area Community Council, writes that Zero Burn Coalition members will launch a hunger strike on April 10 against the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), a trash-burning facility one mile from her neighborhood. The piece calls out Hennepin County Board for a 2023 resolution on a closure plan that requires a further vote to actually shut it down, with no termination plans confirmed as of late 2024. It's being reported now ahead of the strike, after 37 years of community organizing.

Key points

HERC has burned trash since 1989, releasing particulate matter, lead, mercury, and dioxins over a majority Black, low-income area.
Children in ZIP code 55411 have Minnesota's highest asthma emergency room rates; Black residents face roughly three times the premature death risk per unit of particulate exposure.
EPA modeling estimates 1-2 premature deaths annually from HERC's particulate matter alone.
Zero Burn Coalition includes over 70 organizations; this follows successes like the recent GAF Roofing factory closure forced by resident pressure.
County's 2023 "closure plan" resolution was celebrated but hides the need for an additional board vote on page 35; late 2024 compliance manager email confirmed no end to operations.
Author Audua Pugh links her breast cancer diagnosis to lifetime exposure near HERC, though she notes she can't prove causation.
Site could become a zero-waste hub with composting, repairs, and jobs, bridging investment gaps between North Loop and north Minneapolis.

Details and context

HERC sits between the booming North Loop and underinvested north Minneapolis, acting as an industrial barrier that limits growth for Black and brown families. Community members have testified, filed data requests, and organized for decades, building power as shown by the GAF closure earlier this year. The county owns and operates HERC, giving the board direct control via vote, but political will is lacking despite documented science and health harms.[[1]](https://www.startribune.com/north-minneapolis-activists-protest-hennepin-energy-recovery-center/601662276)

Cumulative harm from pollution builds over time, not in single data points, affecting bodies in ways county risk analyses overlook. A zero-waste future on the site is outlined in county documents, but it starts with closing the incinerator.

Key quotes

"I’m not making a medical claim. I can’t prove causation. But I am a North Sider... and I know what the science says about cumulative environmental exposure — and what my body is telling me." — Audua Pugh[[1]](https://www.startribune.com/north-minneapolis-activists-protest-hennepin-energy-recovery-center/601662276)

"The people going on hunger strike are doing this on my behalf... making their bodies feel what this neighborhood has felt for 37 years." — Audua Pugh[[1]](https://www.startribune.com/north-minneapolis-activists-protest-hennepin-energy-recovery-center/601662276)

Why it matters

Decades of pollution from facilities like HERC have hit Black, low-income north Minneapolis hardest, raising questions about environmental justice and county priorities. Residents face higher asthma rates and death risks, while the site blocks equitable development; a shutdown could bring green jobs and waste alternatives. Watch for the County Board's response to the hunger strike and any vote on closure, though plans remain uncertain.