Legalectric

Invenergy has sold Freeborn Wind, LLC, to Xcel Energy, well, Northern States Power Company – Minnesota. Sooooo, now they’ve asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to approve the acquisition.

On or about June 14, the day of closing, Invenergy, the developer/old owner, TERMINATED 34 leases and good neighbor agreements covering over 4,470 acres of land.

What does that mean? Well, the project, and project approval, was based on 17,435 acres of leased land, and 4,470 is over 25% of the leased land. In the contested case, it was questionable whether the project had enough land, and there’s even a notation that Invenergy was working on acquiring more land, and we were told over and over again that there wasn’t enough room to make any adjustments, to move any turbines even a little bit! So now, at 75%, can they even build this?

Meanwhile, Xcel/NSPM has said they’ll be requesting a permit amendment, because they’ll be changing 32 Vesta V116 to Vesta V120, larger turbines, longer blades (needing larger 3 and 5RD setbacks) and longer blades equals more noise. They’ve said they’ll file new noise study, shadow flicker, and site plan.

In short, the project permitted December 19, 2018 and May 10, 2019, is not the same project.

Now this is NOT the same project… there are substantive, material changes… PUC doesn’t seem to care, Commerce doesn’t seem to care…

Association of Freeborn County Landowners is trying to wake up the Commission:

Xcel/NSPM has asked for approval of the acquisition, and the Commission announced a comment period, so here we go:

And read EERA’s Comment — good grief, blinders on the wrong end of the horse:

PUC will take a look at this sometime soon, but likely the NSPM amendment request will come in, IF they file it as planned, before that, as they expected to file in July. We shall see.

For years, ever since we got our pop-up in 2015, we’ve been using it as a portable office, PUC hearings, client meetings… here’s from a stay in Big Bog (worst ever!) for the Great Northern transmission line road show, I think this was the DOE EIS public hearings. Such intense rain that the Rainy River was overflowing its banks, some roads closed, and then, after the rain, the bugs, worst ever, black flies and mosquitoes so thick that their carcasses are still stuck in the windows!

Myre-Big Island State Park very convenient for Freeborn Wind doings:

Fast forward to 2019, after 170+ days in the pup, we’ve gotten more than our $$$ worth, and I’m wanting longer trips and longer distances, if timing works out, maybe heading south for some of the winter… maybe a chance to do some work with asylum seekers at the border? Sooooo… a new portable office?

YES!!! A 2012 Starcraft AR-ONE 15RB! I’ve been looking for quite a while, figuring out what works and what doesn’t (a 2004 R-Vision Cassette does not, but sold that easily, WHEW!) so now I can buy something. These 15RB’s are rare, and I’ve been ready to leap, but the only reasonable ones were in Indiana, then one popped up in Iowa, and it sold in a couple hours! Then Thursday, one posted late, so I sent a missive, it was just after they closed, and then early Friday, we headed up to Little Falls. Pretty much hook & book! It’s ours!

Time for the best of all worlds, a 15RB is light, self-contained for a quick “jump in and snooze” on the road to somewhere, and when settled in, an easy fold-out tent bunk for that camping feel, and it’s as large as the pop up when the bunk is folded out. The front dinette is at least a foot longer, and maybe a foot wider too. AC for days like yesterday! I mean really, what does 122 feel like? I don’t want to know!

So if this rain ever stops, and it probably won’t be today, we’ll figure out what goes in this trailer, what we don’t need, and how this will work, and then get the pop-up ready to sell. That will be hard, I’m SO attached, but this one will be easy to get used to!

It’s Little Sadie approved, although the rainstorm is NOT! We’ll see how this works!

Here it is, the Complaint in ACLU’s suit, and others, challenging the tRump administration’s slashing of right to seek asylum.

Donate to ACLU! CLICK HERE!

Words fail me — stopping aslyum — HOW DARE YOU!

Official release in Federal Register today 7/16/2019

LOOK AT THIS – it says “COMMENTS NOT ACCEPTED“

And in STrib: Trump moves to effectively end asylum at southern border

Call your U.S. Representative – contact info HERE

Call you U.S. Senator – contact info HERE

For Minnesotans:

Sen. Tina Smith: (651) 221-1016

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (651) 727-5220

CD2 Rep. Angie Craig (202) 225-2271

Donate to ACLU HERE.

This just over the wire:

And effective immediately. Making legal immigration illegal. Pulling the rug out, taking away this lawful means of entry.

“Notice and comment on this rule, along with a 30-day delay in its effective date, would be impracticable and contrary to the public interest. The Departments have determined that immediate implementation of this rule is essential to avoid a surge of aliens who would have strong incentives to seek to cross the border during pre-promulgation notice and comment or during the 30-day delay in the effective date under 5 U.S.C. 553(d).”

Emoluments??? Foreign Emoluments 101

In light of the Emoluments case tossed out on standing recently, do check out this one where standing HAS been established, interlocutory appeal shot down, and onward!

Blumenthal, et al. v. Trump – info and pleadings HERE!!!