Legalectric

Bob Norgord, a founding CAMPer, died suddenly on Sunday night.  There will be a drop-in memorial gathering for him today, like right now:

4-7 p.m.

Trout Lake Town Hall

24951 County Road 10

Bovey, MN  55709

I knew Bob Norgord through his work against the Mesaba Project.  Bob was always ready at the drop of a hat to get to an important meeting, go out to the Excelsior site in the woods to meet visitors, an enthusiastic, positive and hard-charging and effective.   An amazing guy… he will be greatly missed.

From the Grand Rapids Herald Review:

Robert “Bob” Norgord

1942 – 2009
Published: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 5:31 PM CDT

Robert “Bob” Norgord, 66, of Trout Lake Township near Bovey, died Sunday, June 21, 2009 at the Grand Itasca Hospital in Grand Rapids.

Robert was born in 1942 to Theodore and Dorothy Norgord in Trout Lake Township.  He grew up in the Trout Lake community and attended schools in Grand Rapids, graduating from Grand Rapids High School in 1960, after which he entered the U.S. Navy.  He later worked in residential construction until he was employed by Blandin Paper Company as a pipe fitter. After 30 years of service for Blandin, Robert retired in 1997. Robert was a supervisor for Trout Lake Township and a member of A.R.D.C., C.A.M.P. and was on the Western Mesaba Mine Planning Board.  He enjoyed fishing, hunting, woodworking, and traveling with his wife.

Yes, Tom Micheletti and Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Project had another rough time at the Public Utilities Commission yesterday.  The PUC was deciding on Excelsior’s Motions for Reconsideration in “Phase II” of the proceedings:

Excelsior’s Motion to Suspend, for Reconsideration etc etc etc

Staff Briefing Papers – 5-28-09

It was fast, the tone seemed to say that the PUC had had enough of it, and wanted to be done.  Deny, deny, deny, the end.

So, now what?  I don’t know, because Charlotte Neigh, of Citizens Against the Mesaba Project, had inquired with Richard Hargis, of the DOE, as to the status of the EIS in the siting docket, scheduled to be released in June (yeah, right, as if…).  He said:

Ms. Neigh,

I don’t think this affects the issuance of the FEIS.

Richard Hargis

Huh… so now what?  Haven’t a clue.  My client, mncalgasplant.com, was an intervenor in this case, beginning nearly five years ago.  Will this thing end some time in my lifetime?  I’m starting to wonder…

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This morning, at “Coffee and Potica” or Minnesota Morning with Senator Amy Klobuchar, who should be there but Tom Micheletti! Yes, Excelsior Energy’s Tom Micheletti was there.  And he was there on the eve of the DEADLINE, the day before the PUC said it would pull the plug on Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Project.

The legendary Alan Muller, Green Delaware, was in Amy’s office this morning too!  He got there, and “the only other person I knew in the room was Tom Micheletti.”   Too weird.   And here I had to stay home and dogsit.  DAMN!  I could have used the aerobic exercise of duking it out with Tom again.

Sen. Klobuchar’s energy staffer, Charlie Moore, said he wasn’t in on the conversation between Micheletti and Klobuchar’s chief of staff, Alan said they were huddled together for quite a while.  Moore also said that he didn’t know that there was a May 1 deadline.  Oh, really?  Not good.  It’s bad enough that we have to worry about what Micheletti might be saying, but now we’ve also got to be concerned about what he isn’t saying.

And sorry, no photo, yes, I’m MOST disappointed, oh well… but there’s a photo of Sen. Klobuchar with Alan in his Neighbors Against the Burner shirt.

Will it happen?  Will they pull the plug?  They sure better, they’ve been stalling long enough.

Here’s Excelsior Energy’s filings in their attempt to keep the PUC from FINALLY pulling the plug on the Mesaba Project:

Excelsior Energy’s Last Gasp – Motion April 27 2009

So let’s just let this thing die.  Xcel doesn’t want it, the Minnesota municipal utilities don’t want it, the PUC doesn’t want it, and mncoalgasplant.com sure doesn’t want it and neither does Citizens Against the Mesaba Project.

EEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAA!  A big stake in its slimy little heart…

Hot off the press from Sierra Club and Clean Water Action, who have been working tirelessly against Otter Tail Power’s Big Stone II coal plant, the Big Stone II air permit is upende

Big Stone II – EPA Objection to Air Permit

Here’s their press release in toto:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Virginia Cramer, Sierra Club 804-519-8449
Darrell Gerber, Clean Water Action 612-802-5372

Date: January 23, 2009

Big Stone II Sent Back to the Drawing Board
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Concerned About Pollution, Global Warming

Washington, DC – Less than three days after the Bush Administration left office, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has overturned the State of South Dakota’s approval of the massive Big Stone II coal-fired power plant.  The EPA’s decision comes after the state failed to require state-of-the-art pollution controls for the coal plant that would address concerns about harmful soot, smog and global warming pollution.

“This is a great day not only for clean energy and people’s health, it’s a victory for the rule of law,” said Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s Move Beyond Coal Campaign. “EPA is signaling that it is back to enforcing longstanding legal requirements fairly and consistently nationwide,” added Nilles.

As the first major coal plant decision by the EPA since President Obama took office, this decision signals that the dozens of other coal plant proposals currently in permitting processes nationwide will face a new level of federal scrutiny. Sierra Club and Clean Water Action have been working to stop the Big Stone II project and ramp up clean energy investments in for more than three years.

“Today EPA took the first step toward restoring science and integrity to its work and recognizing the very real need to reduce air pollution from coal-fired power plants,” said Darrell Gerber, Clean Water Action Program Coordinator.  “Downwind residents and the region’s natural resources will be better protected.”

This decision likely spells the end of Otter Tail Power’s Big Stone II coal plant.  While for the past eight years the Bush Administration has refused to regulate global warming pollution, even after being ordered to do so by the US Supreme Court, President Obama has pledged that the US will cut global warming pollution and do its part to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. With coal-fired power plants accounting for almost 30% of our nation’s carbon dioxide emissions, burning less coal and investing in clean energy such as wind and solar instead is a common sense approach to helping meet global warming pollution reduction goals. The proposed Big Stone II 500-megawatt coal plant would have emitted more than 4 million tons of global pollution annually.

At a minimum, Otter Tail Power will have to go back to the drawing board and redesign the project to incorporate the best and maximum available control technology for pollution like soot and smog.  Sierra Club and Clean Water Action will be pushing for EPA to set limits also for carbon dioxide, the main contributor to global warming.

“Otter Tail Power will now have to be responsible for the cost of its pollution,” said Nilles. “We hope that this increasing cost of coal will encourage Otter Tail Power, along with Governors Pawlenty and Rounds, to harness the clean and affordable wind resources available in the region. Minnesota and South Dakota should be leaders on the path to renewable energy independence, not laggards proposing 19th century coal plants.”

###

Now, can we get them to end Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Project?

Julie Jorgensen says the focus of Excelsior Energy’s sales pitch will now be Municipal Utilities…  MMUA is sponsoring Mesaba dog & pony shows to Municipal Utilities… torturously long dog & pony shows about Mesaba…  selling Mesaba… pushing Mesaba… arm twisting about Mesaba?  WTF???  Well, we all know how much Pawlenty loves the Mesaba Project.

OK folks, let’s connect the dots  between Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Bill Glahn, Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, Excelsior Energy’s Mesaba Project… and how does Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association fit in (could Kadermas be back there?  Naaaaaaah…)???

We all know about Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the Green Chameleon:

Governor Pawlenty announces Bill Glahn as Director of Minnesota Office of Energy Security.

…  nevermind, that’s a different “Bill Glahn” (ain’t google fun?)

We know the Minnesota Office of Energy Security, MOES, the part of Commerce that’s now charged with doing Power Plant (and xmsn) siting (Press Release – Gov. Pawlenty Announces Energy Initiatives, Jan. 17, 2008):

Prior to MOES, Bill Glahn was, according to the press release above, at Minnesota Municipal Power Agency.

MMPA Link

And that means he was also Dahlen Berg:  CLICK HERE FOR BILL GLAHN CV

From Dahlen, Berg’s site, here’s their explanation of their relation to MMPA:

Management Services
Dahlen, Berg & Co. serves as Agent for and performs all management and operational functions for the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA). Some of the functions we perform for MMPA include: day-to-day and long-term management and planning services, schedule and dispatch of the MMPA’s resources, billing, and accounting.

Toadies all.  It’s like Minnesota Rural Electric Association’s connection with CapX 2020 and GRE…

So Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association is doing dog & pony shows trying to sell Mesaba.  HOW STUPID DO THEY THINK MUNICIPAL UTILITIES ARE?   They can read the Mesaba Project ALJ’s decision, they can understand the meaning of TOO RISKY, they can understand the meaning of COSTS WAY TOO MUCH, they can understand the meaning of NOT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.  The Mesaba Project is a real DUH!  IT’S TOO ABSURD TO EVEN CONSIDER!

ALJ Decision – Mesaba Project April 12, 2007

And knowing that Green Chameleon Tim Pawlenty is a toadie for Excelsior Energy and Excelsior’s Mesaba Project, knowing the extent to which he’ll promote this stupider than words can convey project, does anyone know why?  What’s in it for him?  What do they have on him?  Why would he risk credibility and reputation supporting this utter bullshit project?  What’s the rest of the story here?