CURE Statement on the Potential of an ICE Detention Center in Appleton

People & Communities

CURE stands with clergy, immigrant leaders, and community allies in strong opposition to the reopening of the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, MN, as an ICE detention center. Reopening this prison—owned by CoreCivic, a private prison corporation with a history of reports of mismanagement, unsafe conditions, and detainee abuse—would violate our deepest humanitarian and spiritual […]

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Erik Hatlestad honored for vital work on rural clean energy & electric co-ops 

CURE Press Releases, Energy & Innovation Press Releases

Last week, CURE’s Director of Rural Cooperative Energy, Erik Hatlestad, was named to the 2025 Grist50 list for his work on rural clean energy and electric cooperatives. This honor reflects Erik’s efforts helping design and pass the New ERA program that provides the largest investment in rural electrification in U.S. history. New ERA funding enables

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CURE Field Notes

Demanding Accountability from Minnesota Power Over Boswell Coal Ash Spill

Field Notes

Minnesota Power is violating federal coal ash rules! And, now, CURE has joined with Sierra Club and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) in letting the utility know. In July 2024, Minnesota Power’s Boswell coal plant suffered a 5.5 million gallon coal ash water spill, and the company has still not come clean about how bad the

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Duluth Night Skyline

Protect Minnesotans and the environment, reject the BlackRock buyout of Minnesota Power

Energy & Innovation Press Releases

Minnesota PUC must put public interest first by denying private equity greed The final comment period closed for the proposed private equity acquisition of ALLETE, parent company of Minnesota Power. Under the proposed acquisition, ALLETE would no longer be a publicly traded company and would be sold to two private equity investors, the Canadian Pension

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Electric High Wires

Why the ALLETE/MN Power Acquisition Settlement Fails the Public Interest Test

Energy & Innovation

Re: In the Matter of the Petition of Minnesota Power for the Acquisition of ALLETE by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Global Infrastructure Partners, Docket Nos. E-015/PA-24-198 and E-015/M-24-383 CURE submits these initial comments to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) regarding the questions posed in the July 18, 2025, Notice of Comment Period on

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CURE Field Notes

Private Equity or Public Power: The proposed sale of ALLETE/Minnesota Power to BlackRock

Field Notes

 A critical battle for our energy future and the role of private equity in our essential services is playing out in northern Minnesota. And CURE, along with our allies, had a significant victory along the way to a final decision.  ALLETE/Minnesota Power is the target of a proposed acquisition by powerful private equity interests, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and the Canadian

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Boswell Energy Center Sign

Environmental Organizations Demand that Minnesota Power Comply with Wastewater Rules at Boswell Plant One Year After Massive Coal-Ash Wastewater Spill

Energy & Innovation, Energy & Innovation Press Releases

Today, Sierra Club, CURE, and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) sent a letter to Minnesota Power demanding that the company address problems associated with storage and management of coal ash wastewater at the coal-fired Boswell Energy Center, which violate the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and associated federal regulations. Under a federal rule governing management of coal ash

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Kelsey Olson

Kelsey Olson

Director of Environmental Stewardship

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Kelsey Olson (she/her) joined CURE in 2025 as its Director of Environmental Stewardship. As a skilled environmental naturalist, Kelsey’s work focuses broadly on environmental education and advocacy with a keen focus on rural land use and how that use impacts our environment and climate. Working Lands, how land is used to support agriculture and forestry, is a key focus of her work. She brings 15 years’ experience in public communication, environmental education, and rural community engagement – strong communication strategies are core in her work. This includes two terms of service with AmeriCorps in the VISTA program in Oregon and Maryland and a nearly 10-year career as a naturalist followed. She recently worked on communications and marketing for rural economic development.

Kelsey lives in New London, MN, with her young children, husband, dog, and two cats. They enjoy spending time together outside and finding small treasures in nature. Visits to Minneapolis often include visits to one of their favorite historical museums, the Minnesota Swedish Institute. Kelsey enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, whether this is canning local produce, making kombucha, or other treats!