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Tuesday, April 08, 2008

ELWYN TINKLENBERG HAS BEEN AGGRESSIVELY LOBBYING AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, OVER TIME, FOR TACONITE TAILINGS.

This is Elwyn Tinklenberg's version of the Hard Rock Cafe. The Mesabi Hard Rock, he calls it. He calls it that while lobbying at the federal level. All of his denials of being a lobbyist at the federal level are proven false. He knew the truth when he took the microphone in Anoka that one Sunday, and he did not tell the truth. He split hairs over the meaning of "lobbyist" as commonly understood, vs. as used in a statute. The question was whether or not the man is a revolving door lobbyist, for cash. NRRI gave him $94,280.00, in fees, and here's one of his required reports. I call it "The Tinklenberg Smoking Gun Lobbying Proof."

Please ask the man what he would call it.



It is short.

It is to the point.

Elwyn personally went to DC. He went there to lobby.

Many interesting words in such a short item. My take on the most interesting - use of forms of the word "continue," or other language such as "still interested" all evidencing an ongoing thing, as in, this is not the first time it's happening, folks:

In June 2007, The Tinklneberg Group staff continued work on advocating at the congressional level on behalf of the Mesabi Hard Rock project providing congressional updates, coordination with Congressman Oberstar's office, and attending meetings in Washington D.C. Elwyn Tinklenberg traveled to Washington, D.C. for the MN Traisportation Alliance Fly-In and met with several key leaders about the project, including Congressman Jim Oberstar and Bill Richard, who continue to be supportive of the efforts. Additionally, Elwyn met with Jason Tai from Congressman Lipinski's office to discuss work with the Illinois Department of Transportation. Congressman Lipinski continues to be supportive of the concept of the Illinois DOT using Iron Range aggregate. While Illinois is having a difficult legislation session, IDOT has indicated to Elwyn that they are still interested in doing something this year using Iron Range aggregate in a demonstration project.


It is interesting how the name Jim Oberstar shows up in Tinklenberg communication with people who are paying him money or who he wants to pay him money. Twice in one paragraph in reporting to NRRI. NRRI is paying him money.

The man is also lobbying the Corps of Engineers, more federal level lobbying of the kind he says he's not been up to, and his aim is to induce the Corps to use the ill-tested stuff in its massive public works projects. What's he envision? Ship it off the Iron Range to New Orleans, to rebuild the levies?

Again the word "continue" interestingly shows up:

Conslutants at The Tinklenberg Group continue to explore additional avenues and markets for the Iron Range aggregate, and have met with [...]


Also, we learn that Twin Cities residents have cause for worry.

This:

Additionally, staff from The Tinklenberg Group has been meeting with contractors, construction companies, aggregate users and others who are considering using the product in a major demonstration project in the Twin Cities metro area.


Okay Mr. T, We are not "fools" anymore. So give some disclosure - WHAT major demonstration project in the Twin Cities metro area is being cooked up? Bedding rock along the Northstar Commuter Rail line? At that Northstar stop you are trying to snag for the city council in Ramsey? Bedding rock for the Twin Harbors - Twin Cities high speed rail, Duluth to metro, with rail bed "improvement" needed if high speed is part of the selling? Something else? Paving in the I-35W bridge rebuild?

What about that three year health study that has just started at NRRI? Shouldn't it be concluded first?

Isn't that what the precautionary principle is about?

Finally, here is text of an email urging urgency in getting to me even more recent reporting of Tinklenberg Group to NRRI. The newest stuff is expected to fit into this item's general scenario, like a hand in a glove.

And this is no - glove don't fit you've got to aquit O.J. scenario. The man is nailed dead to right, by his own hand-in-glove effort for cash. Here is my email to NRRI public data disclosure officials.

PUBLIC DATA REQUEST -- I apologize for pressing but I believe the most recent TTG reports, as they stand, might be very relevant

Susan McKinney & Denise Endicott, NRRI-

The subject line says it all.

See the attached.

It is a smoking gun - Elwyn Tinklenberg is lobbying aggressively at the federal level and has publicly denied this in the course of running for Congress.

With a DFL endorsement convention days away, it is crucial that I get the most recent Tinklenberg Group reports they made to NRRI on as expedited basis as possible.

That means detataching and providing the Tinklenberg Group reports from the currently pending full draft item, as Susan and I have discussed in earlier email. That would not involve anything Larry Zanko would need to have input on, and hence would not involve unjustifiable delay. It is an existing record, NRRI holds it in a convenient form to provide me later today, and the need to see it is manifest.

Doing that - cutting loose the most recent Tinklenberg Group reporting to NRRI -would scuttle any and all question over whether Elwyn Tinklenberg and his campaign people are being given a chance by NRRI at rewriting history.

That should be important to the integrity and credibility of your campus people.

There is no reasonable cause for delay.

Moreover, there is no cause to believe more recent activity of TTG and its principal is not in line with the confessed lobbying the man has personally been doing, while he and his campaign are denying his actual status. Again, see attached.

Thank you for your immediate attention and help. Note I am cc'ing this. I will probably post the attached on the Internet. I intend that option for the other things I now request on an expedited basis. I will leave any notice to the press from either of the congressional campaigns to their discretion. I am affiliated with neither of them. I am a voter in Minnesota's Sixth District, and I would like the DFL to have every chance to avoid error. Again, thank you.

Eric Zaetsch

cc: Tinklenberg Campaign
Olson Campaign
Jerry Hiniker


And may all this grow legs with the mainstream media. It should. It is a true public interest question. Perhaps Miles Lord or some other responsible person could do some pushing. There are charities and advocacy groups concerned with mesothelioma. It deserves circulation and attention beyond the blogs.