Legalectric

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Update - got a call from him in response to our call #3, or maybe it was the facebook missive, and he said he’d have it hauled away today, Thursday.  There’s 47 minutes left of Thursday, but something tells me he’s not following through again…

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On Monday, we had Eric Eichorn (Eichorn Installation, LLC, P.O. Box 562, Red Wing, MN  55066) remove the old awful floor in the kitchen, and put in a nice new one.  He did a great job.  Except when it was done, and there was a pile o’ crap on the deck, and he was packing up to go, I pointed at the pile and said, “That’s going too?” and he said removal wasn’t covered in the estimate.  When setting it up, I’d left a message asking for verification that removal was included, and then forgot about it… grrrrrrrrr… so we agreed that I’d pay an extra $20 and he’d remove it, and he committed to bring his trailer the next morning and take it away.  That was Monday.  That was three days ago…

Here’s the side yard now, THURSDAY!  It’s still there!  Now it’s a wet mess.  Alan left a message Wednesday morning (651-301-3029) after it didn’t disappear Tuesday, I left a message on Wednesday afternoon, and I’ve left a message this morning.  He’s not returning calls, he’s not taking the crap as promised and as paid to do.

I’ll take this down when he takes the pile o’ crap!

Learn something every day… there’s a day and night relay going on right now along Hwy. 35 in Wisconsin, it’s called the RAGNAR Relay.  They run day and night in teams doing a relay until they’ve made it from Winona to Minneapolis or drop dead in the process… Check this route:

HA!  I love it when this happens.  Just before National Park Service public hearings (schedule below), PSEG screws up and an application gets tossed back in their face!

I’m representing Stop the Lines against PSEG”s Susquehanna-Roseland transmission project in New Jersey.

PSEG thought they’d be “smart,” and given the length and intensity of process for the federal environmental review of its proposal to cross the federally designated Wild & Scenic Delaware Water Gap with massive transmission…

… they tried to divide the line in half for its News Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection wetlands application and other DEP applications too.

First the DEP rejected that maneuver, short and sweet, and rejected their wetlands application:

PSEG Deficiency Letter July 28, 2010

Here’s the meat of it, first the funny part:

… and then, the substantive issue…

So then, PSEG withdraws their other DEP applications:

PSEG Letter of Withdrawal July 29, 2010

I love it when that happens… and what great timing.  Bring on the National Park Service hearings!

Here’s an Alert from the New Jersey Sierra Club:

Urge the National Park Service to Select the “No Action” Alternative!

The National Park Service will be hosting 3 public meetings to present the Preliminary Alternatives for the Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line as part of its NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) review for this project. The meetings will consist of an “open house” portion where information will be available and NPS staff can answer questions and a formal “public hearing” portion. The meetings will be held:

Tuesday, August 17
Fernwood Hotel and Resort
US 209 North
Bushkill, PA
Open House: 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Stroudsmoor Country Inn - Terraview
North 4th St
Stroudsburg, PA
Open House: 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 19, 2010
Farmstead Golf and Country Club
88 Lawrence Road
Lafayette, NJ
Open House: 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Public Hearing: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

The proposed alternative routes can be viewed here.  Click on the “Preliminary Alternatives Newsletter” for details and mapping of the 6 proposed routes.

Please come to these meetings and voice your support for the “No Build Alternative”!  If you are unable to attend the hearings, comments can be submitted online here.  NPS will accept comments on these alternatives August 8- September 7.

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And word is getting out:

Opponents of powerline upgrade are happy that project is delayed

BY COLLEEN O’DEA • STAFF WRITER • August 5, 2010

Opponents are cheering the news that Public Service Electric and Gas Co.’s transmission line upgrade will be delayed by three years because of problems with environmental permits.

But they are still urging people to comment on the National Park Service’s proposed alternatives to the line, which would span 47 miles in New Jersey. Some of those options would bring the line south into areas of Morris County that are more congested.

The utility had hoped to begin work this summer to add 500-kilovolt lines on towers as high as 195 feet, along its existing 230-kilovolt Susquehanna-Roseland line. It received approval from the state Board of Public Utilities and was awaiting OKs from the state Department of Environmental Protection and NPS.

Last week, PSE&G’s second quarter earnings statement disclosed that the utility would not complete work on the eastern half of the line, from Hopatcong through portions of Morris County to Roseland, until 2014 and on the western section to the Delaware Water Gap until 2015.

Read the rest of this entry »

The  “Beige Book” report for the 9th Federal Reserve District, HQ’d in Minneapolis, is out.  It’s a bunch of anecdotes put together for the economic whizzes — what I don’t understand is what use  such an informal compilation of snippets would be?  If they’re looking for guidance in making their decisions, I would think they’d want something with greater substance?!?!?!  Or if they want “info light,” just go for a drive around the district!

The name, “Beige Book,” on its own draws analogies to depression of another variety — maybe whoever came up with that wasn’t thinking beyond this little task, but it leave us with no doubt what’s in between those covers!  Pass the Prozac!

Beige Book - Minneapolis - 9th District

Three sentences stood out:

In contrast, a heavy infrastructure contractor in Minnesota and Wisconsin saw improvement in its market segment.
… and…
An engineering firm that supports the mining and energy sector noted an increase in activity.
… and…
A Minnesota energy management consultant noted an increase in orders.

HERE’S THE LINK TO THE ENTIRE REPORT

There’s a piece in Finance & Commerce that should not go unnoticed:

Xcel study envisions $20B in electric lines by 2029

Oh how depressing, can it be? Things have been bubbling up, but I figured they’d get their corporate heads screwed on straight and figure out it’s not needed and it would go away.  Silly moi!

SMART Study Presentation - Final - 10-06-09

Here’s their site:

www.smartstudy.biz

Geiger’s report puts Xcel Energy in the drivers’ seat, but what I see is a list of the biggest coal companies around:

Sponsors

I’ll update this some more tomorrow — this is making me nauseous…