Legalectric

Oh, the joys of this part-time job called health care.  After two 4 hour diagnostic sessions at the U of M (because couldn’t find dentist that would take a new UCare patient), and with help of a great dental student we had finally a “Treatment Plan,” I learned that the U of M does not work with South County, the new UCare replacement.  Utterly screwed.

And today I get a notice that I would have no coverage at all because I hadn’t selected (which I HAD, and chose the wrong plan!).  The Notice of Health Plan Enrollment said that I could “change to a different health plan at any time, for cause, including lack of access to services and providers…”

YES!

So today after 3.5 hours of fartin’ around, facebook and reading the STrib, and filing all this medical crap in the medical files while on hold, I’ve now got Medica coverage, coverage which is accepted by U of M confirmed by both Medica and U of M, and now have the joy of yet another appointment, appointment booked, this time for actual, and not imagined, torture in the dental chair.

There’s something very sick about being gleeful to get coverage straightened out for such pain.

Here’s the decision:

Line 67 ruling Dec 2015

This decision is important because it is not just this pipeline — because the basis for it is the Presidential Permit, and the notion that issuance of a Presidential Permit may not be appealed applies to the Presidential Permit for the (Not-so) Great Northern Transmission Line too!

Hillary, it’s time to withdraw.  You and your employees and toadies have gone too far in attempts to trash Bernie Sanders’ campaign.  It didn’t work.  And now it’s time for you to accept responsibility for those acting in your interests and withdraw from the race for President.  You’ve failed in the character and ethics department.  You’re disqualified.

(And for the record, Aharon Wasserman says he is NOT related to Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.)

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Lawsuit filed in Federal Court — here’s the Complaint:

Contact the DNC at 202-863-8000 or email info@democrats.org

Message: “Release the Bernie Sanders Campaign data and stop punishing the messenger. Give Sanders the voter file.  NOW!”

Tuesday night, the Onalaska Plan Commission took up the revised Comprehensive Plan.

Onalaska Comprehensive Plan Final Draft – 12-07-2015

Here’s where you can check out the new Comprehensive Plan (search for “transmission” and you’ll find not much):

City of Onalaska 2015 Comprehensive Plan Page

The current Zoning map (click for larger version):

Future:

Do you see any transmission lines on that map?  Any pipelines on that map?  The City doesn’t have a map of transmission lines, or pipelines, yet it’s a prominent feature of Onalaska, just drive up Hwy 35 or Hwy 53 and you’ll see what I mean.  The City Land Use & Development Director said in the meeting that they don’t have one, it would be very difficult to put together and that this info can be regarded as “proprietary.”  Not quite, it could be “CEII” information, but when you see it driving down the road, when you look at google and there it is, there’s no reason the City can’t draw a line on the map!

There’s a lot of transmission through Onalaska, lining both sides of the highways, in the middle of the city bottlenecked in-between the river and the bluffs (like Red Wing), and it runs right through the heart of the city.  Here’s ATC’s “map” of transmission:

Here’s WI-PSC’s map:

As you can see, it’s not rocket science to put a map together of transmission through Onalaska and its potential expansion areas.

Dairyland is wanting to tear down its old line on the west side of Highways 53 and 35 and virtually double the height of the towers and the capacity.  That’s not updating or maintenance, that’s “tear down the old line and build a new one” construction.

NOW is the time, because there’s not yet a Dairyland application, and because Xcel’s line on the east side of Highways 35 and 53 is also old, they’re going to want to “upgrade” soon too.  The routing of transmission through Onalaska in light of Wisconsin’s adoption of its Electrical Code which prohibits construction under a line, means that new construction should be carefully reviewed.  And right now, rebuilding, tearing down and new construction of something much bigger, shouldn’t be allowed over and next to homes and businesses.  What to do?  It’s a narrow area with a lot of transmission!  But this is what “planning” is all about.  Looking into the future and figuring out what they want the City to look like, how they can address the extreme impacts of transmission, and if they can minimize or mitigate these impacts.  Here’s an example of it running through people’s back yards, stars indicate pole placement in people’s back yards, and the white/red lines are access roads through people’s back yards!

On behalf of No CapX 2020, I sent the Planning Commission and City Council these comments:

NoCapX2020 Comment_OnalaskaCompPlan

At Tuesday’s meeting, there were few commenters, and they quickly wrestled with the issues raised, and sent it back to the Committee for consideration of transmission issues and impacts.

THANK YOU, ONALASKA PLAN COMMISSION!