Minneapolis emails reveal staff tracked anti-incinerator activists

A stack of Freedom of Information Act emails shows that Hennepin County staff monitored local activists working to close a waste incinerator in north Minneapolis.

The documents, released to the Zero Burn Coalition and the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table, detail how county employees collected information on environmental justice leaders. The county then shared that intelligence with the waste industry and used it to block state legislation.

The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, or HERC, burns 365,000 tons of trash each year. It is located in a low-income area of north Minneapolis and emits pollutants, including PFAS, into the surrounding neighborhoods. Advocates argue the facility is aging and should have closed nearly ten years ago.

Much of the alleged surveillance ran through Joe Vital, the county’s environmental engagement coordinator. Vital was hired by the county in 2021 and previously served as chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Worker Party Native Peoples Caucus. He had worked with local groups to oppose the Line 3 pipeline and other polluters.

Advocates viewed Vital as an ally. In June 2023, he attended a public Zoom meeting for the coalition to plan the next steps of their campaign. The group screens attendees for industry or political opponents, but did not flag Vital. He sent a detailed dossier to his supervisors, listing attendees including a state representative and a former city council member, along with their planned activities.

The emails show that the information was shared with Rosemary Lavin, the county’s energy and environment director. Lavin and other supervisors planned to report the findings to Lisa Cerney, a top public works official. Cerney has made public media statements supporting the incinerator.

In a separate instance, county employee Mallory Anderson joined an advocates' email list without their knowledge. In March 2024, she forwarded emails about a state bill to David McNary, a county official who also sits on the board of the Minnesota Resource Recovery Association. McNary passed the emails to Tim Steinbeck, president of the HERC operator, and an industry attorney. The bill, which would have allowed cities to phase out polluting land uses, was defeated.

Audua Pugh, a Minneapolis organizer who was surveilled, asked county leadership during a board meeting this week why public resources were being used to monitor community members. She questioned why staff time was directed toward organizing efforts to shut down the facility.

A county spokesperson said the allegations mischaracterize the county’s community engagement work. The spokesperson stated that officials routinely attend public meetings and participate in social media to listen and learn. They described the actions as ordinary functions of government.

Vital did not respond to requests for comment. However, in a recording provided to the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table, he suggested he was working for the activists to gain intelligence on county officials. Nazir Khan, the executive director of the Minnesota Environmental Justice Table, said Vital offered little valuable information and that the group does not believe his claim of allegiance. Khan said activists let down their defenses because the county used people seen as part of the community to build relationships and gather information.