And now, for BSI and BS II update
December 14th, 2006
This is a little holiday cheer from CURE, the “other” CURE, Clean Up the River Environment, who are doing grassroots work on Big Stone II.Â
And on the Big Stone I front, this is from my Sierra Club cohort, attorney Bruce Nilles, who is working on the Big Stone I air permit in a federal venue:
There is no way the Big Stone II coal plant will start construction in 2007, even were we to lose at every step, which ain’t gonna happen. No construction can commence without a final and effective air permit.
The state of South Dakota operates its air permit program under a delegation agreement from USEPA. This means that an air permit is a federal permit and our appeal option is directly to the US EPA Environmental Appeals Board. Under this system, once the state issues a final permit decision and the permit is appealed to the Environmental Appeals Board, the effectiveness of the permit is stayed. That is, no construction may commence during the appeal process. The appeal process takes any where from 9 months to as much as three years. Sierra Club and our allies have had significant success before the Board appealing permits issued in Illinois. For example, the Indeck permit was issued 10/2003 â?? the Board issued its final ruling (remanding the permit back to the state) in 10/2006. Indeck is now back to square one in the permitting process.
It appears that South Dakota/Otter Tail Power have finally realized they have a serious problem with the air permit. You will recall that the state issued the draft air permit in mid-2006. We submitted extensive comments opposing the issuance of the air permit. The state took the unprecedented step of withdrawing the draft air permit. Now the state has applied to USEPA to change its entire permit program so that air permits in SD are no longer federal permits, but state-issued permit through a state-approved permit program. Specifically, the state wants to eliminate the current bar on commencing construction while an appeal is pending. The state is pressuring USEPA to quickly approve this change â?? USEPA has told them the earliest they would propose to approve such a change would be in the Spring of 2007. The first step in the approval process is for USEPA to put out a notice in the federal register that it is proposing to approve the program changes. At that time we can submit comments opposing the change â?¦ and depending on the strength of our comments, USEPA may take months/years to make the change. All the while the state of South Dakota has not issued a final air permit and construction may not commence.
In addition to this serious problem, we have also filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue over ongoing clean air violations at BS1. We expect to file in federal court in January/February. If we are successful in this litigation it knocks out the validity of the air permit for BS2 which is premised on OTP taking credit for â??voluntaryâ? pollution reductions at BS1.
BS1 is the second dirtiest NOx polluter in the Nation â?? right after the Riverside plant in MN, which is on tap to be repowered w/natural gas shortly. The NOx emission rate from BS1 is more than 20 times higher than a coal plant w/modern pollution controls. So when they say they wonâ??t increase air pollution with the addition of BSII it should not give anyone any solace.
Let me know if you have any questions about any of this and feel free to share any of this with others.
Bruce
Done, it’s shared!.
Stolen from GRHR – Excelsior’s new office at the Peterson Funeral Home in ColeraineÂ
Oh, my, there he goes with that “L” word again…
Micheletti said that would not be the case.
â??Theyâ??re lying,â? he said.
Uh-huh…
Excelsior opens local office, spurs more debate
Than Tibbetts
Herald-Review Staff Writer
Thursday, December 14th, 2006 11:47:13 AMExcelsior Energy officials opened their new offices in Coleraine Monday amidst a flurry of energy related activity around the region.
Excelsiorâ??s open house attracted several dozen visitors, some looking to welcome CEO Tom Micheletti and company and others stopping by looking for answers about their property values, pollution and other concerns surrounding the project.
Excelsior wants to build a $2 billion coal-fired power plant near Taconite, which would attempt to demonstrate the latest cleaner-coal burning technologies.
The projectâ??s supporters say the power plant, known as the Mesaba Energy Project, would bring much-needed jobs and economic stimulus to the region, while opponents of the project cite a number of issues, most prominently the environmental effects of pollution from the plant on the areaâ??s lakes air quality.
Before entertaining some spirited discussion about the project, Micheletti characterized some of his companyâ??s opponents as â??opposed to developmentâ? and questioned why his project was getting so much flak.
â??You never heard a peep during Boswell Four,â? he said, referencing Minnesota Powerâ??s Boswell Energy Center in Cohasset.
Coincidentally, Minnesota Power Executive Vice President David McMillan spoke at the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerceâ??s monthly luncheon and talked about major upgrades planned for the Boswell facility.
He said the company is planning on spending more than $200 million to reduce emissions at the plant.
â??We are reinvesting in the jobs in the area,â? he said.
McMillan also presented information saying that after the upgrades, Boswellâ??s Unit Three would be in the same neighborhood of low emissions as Excelsiorâ??s proposed plant.
Micheletti said that would not be the case.
â??Theyâ??re lying,â? he said.
Excelsiorâ??s Vice President of Environmental Affairs Bob Evans said those number were probably based on projected goals.
â??In reality, youâ??re not going to get better than what weâ??re going to do,â? he said.
Continuing the energy activity on Tuesday, Members of the Citizens Against the Mesaba Project held an informational session at Itasca Community College.
Approximately 100 people attended the groupâ??s two-hour-long presentation, which touched on topics ranging from mercury concerns to economic impacts on the region.
Earlier on Tuesday, Micheletti met with former state Sen. Doug Johnson, who is working with Excelsior Energy, and four Iron Range legislators â?? Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook), David Dill (DFL-Orr), David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm) and Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids) â?? behind closed doors. Micheletti gave the legislators a short overview of the project before the â??strategy meetingâ? was closed to the public.
The public will have a chance to submit comment in Excelsiorâ??s case before the stateâ??s public utilities commission next week. The commission will determine whether Xcel Energy will be forced to purchase power from the Mesaba Energy Project.
Look for more on the Excelsior Energyâ??s Mesaba Project in Sundayâ??s Herald-Review.
Pawlenty Energy Plan – send in the shovels
December 14th, 2006
Pawlenty shoveling it at MN Soybean Growers biodiesel plant – stolen from Ag Innovation News
First, a little background. The Midwest Ag Energy Network Summit was the handiwork of the Joyce Foundation funded Great Plains Institute. The Great Plains Institute, as you may recall, have their “Coal Work Group” to promote coal gasification, and their junkets for coal gasification in 2003 and 2005.
And so you’ve got Gov. Pawlenty introducing his “Next Generation Energy Initiative” at the same time that the Great Plains Institute is delivering its propaganda about … well, take a guess:
A great meal with a huge side of IGCC propaganda. Surprise, surprise, in the Coal part of the meeting, they deliver a rah-rah coal gasification, and at the Brookings meeting, thankfully there was a Russian present who had worked on coal gasification and knew they didn’t have a clue what they were talking about and knew they had no business presenting it as a panacea. Funny how that works. But the problem is that at these Great Plains Institute “Town Hall Meetings” where they SAY they want input from the public, well, they really don’t, and they’re pushing that coal gasification agenda without regard for the actual costs and environmental detriment of IGCC, oh, but wait… remember that Joyce Foundation funding? What did they get that $$$ for? Oh, yeah:
Great Plains Institute for Sustainable Development
Minneapolis, MN $437,500
To support the efforts of its Coal Gasification Working Group. (21 mos.)
PROMOTION OF COAL GASIFICATION. $427,500 buys a few junkets to Europe, a few Town Meetings (Spirit Lake, Iowa tonight) and an Ag Energy Summit or two… and here they are promotiing it, and haven’t incorporated the information from Mesaba that shows that not only is it $6.38/kWh WITHOUT capture and sequestration, but that the overnight cost is $3,259/kW, ummmm… hello, earth to mars, this doesn’t sound like a good idea. So be sure to check out the “Center for Climate Strategies” promotion of coal gasification — search the doings in the states listed, and you’ll see IGCC — not in MY state!!!
… and so anyway, now there’s Pawlenty and his “Next Generation Energy Initiative” and it makes me wonder if there are naming rights for the Gov’s policy packages, sort of like the way there are with legislation, i.e., C-BED the legislation and C-BED the Crocker entity that puts up a different front on the C-BED website.
Pawlenty and Coal Gasification — rumor has it he has said that under the terms of his Next Generation Energy Initiative, Excelsior’s Mesaba project may have to be “grandfathered in.” Oh, so then if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean that the Mesaba Project defacto does not produce the benefits that they’re touting? If it has to be “grandfathered in,” what’s the point? Hmmmmm…. somebody better check that out at the public hearings next week, eh?
Excelsior’s Mesaba Project is contrary to the basic points of Pawlenty’s plan, which focuses on more renewables, increase conservation, and aggressive cuts to CO2 emissions. The Mesaba Project isn’t renewable, it’s construction generation and making Xcel buy electricity it doesn’t need and that we don’t need, and each year it spews over 6,300,000 tons of CO2 into the air.
Somebody better let Pawlenty know that the Excelsior Project isn’t a happenin’ thang… and clue him in on the political consequences of association with this boondoggle… if you have any doubts, just check the Mesaba Project Siting Docket. zzzzzzzzzzzz, shhhhh, don’t wake it up!
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GOVERNOR PAWLENTY INTRODUCES NEXT GENERATION ENERGY INITIATIVE
— December 12, 2006
Governor Pawlenty today announced his Next Generation Energy Initiative that will result in more renewable energy, more energy conservation, and less carbon emissions for Minnesota.
In an address to the Midwest Ag Energy Network Summit today in St. Paul, the Governor outlined his proposals that will build on Minnesotaâ??s nation-leading per capita renewable fuel use, while increasing energy cost saving measures and developing a sound approach to emissions.
More Renewables
In his remarks today, the Governor announced his proposal to move the state closer to his 25xâ??25 strategic goal – 25% of all types of our energy will come from renewable sources by 2025.
* Expand and improve the stateâ??s Renewable Energy Objective (REO)
Under the current REO, Minnesota electric utilities to are expected to generate at least 10% of the electricity they supply consumers to come from renewable resources by 2015. Governor Pawlenty is proposing that the REO increase to 25% of the electricity Minnesotans use should come from renewable resources by 2025. In addition, a financial penalty for non-compliance would be imposed if the goal is not reached.
â??The obligation should be firm enough to ensure we reach our goals, but flexible enough to allow utilities and regulators to respond to changing markets, consumer demand and regulatory conditions,â? Governor Pawlenty said.
* E85 Everywhere
To continue Minnesotaâ??s leadership in E85, Governor Pawlenty is proposing the E85 Everywhere program which would quintuple the number of E85 pumps in the state by 2010, an increase from 300 now to 1800 in four years. In addition, the Governorâ??s proposal will help retail station owners with grants to partially offset the cost of E85 pump installations.
* Promote the development of cellulosic ethanol and advanced biomass technologies in Minnesota
Financial resources should be available to assist and encourage the growth of Next Generation biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, and advanced bio-gas (gasification of biomass) technologies to offset natural gas use in the state, with a special focus on farmer ownership.
â??I believe this will be Minnesotaâ??s next bio-energy home run,â? Governor Pawlenty said.
More Energy Conservation
â??We have among the nationâ??s best conservation and energy efficiency programs in the country. We can build on this success and save significantly more energy in the coming years,â? Governor Pawlenty said. â??Energy conservation saves Minnesotans real money on their energy costs, while reducing the environmental impacts of our energy use.â?
* Reduce Minnesotaâ??s fossil fuel energy use
Governor Pawlenty set an aggressive energy saving goal for Minnesotans to reduce use of fossil-fuel energy by 15% by 2015. The Governor said that the goal is achievable through increases in energy efficiency and renewable resources.
* Transition the Conservation Improvement Program (CIP) from a spending requirement program to â??energy savedâ? program
The amount of electricity and natural gas we save each year can be significantly increased through additional energy efficiency and conservation measures. Governor Pawlenty is proposing to change Minnesotaâ??s utility energy conservation program from a spending program to an energy savings program and by requiring utilities to reduce their retail sales by 1.5% annually.
â??We should also increase the accountability and transparency of utility conservation activities,â? Governor Pawlenty said. â??Together, these reforms will effectively double the amount of electricity we save and increase natural gas savings by 50%.â?
* Set as a goal of 1,000 Energy Star commercial buildings in the state by 2010
Currently, Minnesota has 87 schools, office buildings, and churches that have received the Energy Star award. Governor Pawlenty is proposing that 1,000 building become Energy Star certified throughout the state.
â??More Energy Star rated buildings will save money, improve the environment and make working in them more enjoyable,â? Governor Pawlenty said.
Less Carbon Emissions
â??Our global climate is warming, at least in part due to the energy sources we use,â? Governor Pawlenty said. â??Minnesotans did not create this problem, nor can we solve it by ourselves, we need an effective national and international effort. That said, we should identify and take a number of reasonable and fair steps that will reduce our greenhouse gas emission, just as we did with our nation-leading mercury emissions reduction legislation.â?
* Establish stakeholder process
Governor Pawlenty is inviting the nationally recognized Center for Climate Strategies to Minnesota to conduct a wide-ranging and inclusive stakeholder process and to develop a plan to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Minnesota over the coming years.
* Utility offset
â??Minnesotaâ??s electric utilities should prepare for the future by offsetting carbon emissions from new fossil-fuel generation sources,â? Governor Pawlenty said. â??As we look to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, we should not make the situation worse while we try to make it better.â?
* Climate Exchange
Governor Pawlenty is proposing that the State of Minnesota join the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) or some other national registry that will helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from state operations. The CCX is a greenhouse gas (GHG) emission registry, reduction and trading system. Members make a voluntary but legally binding commitment to reduce GHG emissions.
â??The Next Generation Energy Initiative provides the pathway to that better energy future,â? Governor Pawlenty said. â??Taking these steps will be good for the environment, good for rural economies, good for national security, and good for consumers.â?
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The test question: Who put together the Chicago Climate Exchange? Who benefits from commodification of CO2 and its trade in this market?
Bonus question: How does trading a) shift emissions and b) reduce emissions?
Diane Schou – Electro Magnetic Sensitivity
December 13th, 2006
This is an aerial map that was produced by Cedar Falls Utilities of the Schou’s property — CFU had applied for a permit to build a transmission line along Ridegeway Road, the horizontal road in the middle of the photo. The farm site is the Schou’s home, barn and outbuildings, but the home, right up against the road, and a really big barn, were “disappeared” from the photo. This is the same utility that failed to report that there was a registered landing strip just to the west of Schous. That’s how much attention to detail they devoted to this line… and the permit was just rammed on through.
Diane sent this article on her experiences with electro magnetic sensitivity — it’s in her home town paper!
C.F. woman seeks relief from tech-crazy world
By Stephanie Abel
12/9/2006 12:00:00 AM
Diane Schou sits inside her and her husband Bertâ??s RV surrounded by printed research studying electromagnetic sensitivity. The RV sits inside their metal shed located only feet from their house. Her small spaceâ??s windows are lined with foil-covered visors for protection. She and her husband spend their time together in this cramped space because Dianeâ??s condition keeps her confined there.
Holiday fever is in the air, and while shoppers search for the best deal and families travel to share evenings in front of warm fires, Cedar Falls resident Diane Schou will not be able to join.
Instead, at the edge of Cedar Falls, she sits in a 10-by-20-foot aluminum- protected RV inside an aluminum shed on her property where her home, too unsafe for her to be inside, sits only feet away.
Diane Schou believes she is electromagnetically sensitive (EMS), and she needs her shell of aluminum to protect herself from the outside electromagnetic waves.
Her condition, which she refers to as â??technological leprosy,â? causes her extreme head aches, face rash, ringing in the ears, blood sugar elevation and extreme tiredness.
â??For those with EMS, anything with an electrical current is extremely toxic,â? says Diane. â??Itâ??s almost like having radiation sickness.â?
Dianeâ??s symptoms started in 2003 when a large cell phone tower was built not even a quarter mile from her home. At the time, she ran the home office for her husbandâ??s agricultural research business.
Diane fondly remembers being able to work on projects. One day, while travelling, she was hit with a stabbing headache. Unsure of the cause, she dismissed it, but when the headaches reoccurred, she went to the doctor.
â??The doctor was perplexed,â? says Diane, â??but my son was very alert to what might be going on.â?At the same time, Diane began to notice her headaches would worsen around highly charged areas, her son, Paul, was studying for his American Radio license and had done extensive research with different types of radio and electromagnetic waves. The Schous began to wonder if the cell phone tower was causing Diane electromagnetic wave sensitivity, so they moved to their farm down the road.
But it may have been too late.
â??The headaches became more constant and then all the time, to the point where I couldnâ??t even be in my own home,â? Diane says fighting back tears. â??I stay out here now because itâ??s gotten worse.â?
Diane is confident that the constant, high-powered emissions from the cell phone tower caused her condition. Her lifestyle has become sedentary as a result, and the only pain-free place for her, she believes, is a place without cell phones, microwaves, digital communication and wireless Internet.
â??Just as people can become overexposed to any unnatural part of the environment and get cancer or be sick, I got sick,â? she says. â??Iâ??ve been to George Wyth Park, Waverly Campgrounds, rural areas in Clarksville, searching for some relief. I stay there for a few weeks or months until somebody comes around with a cell phone or they decide to put up more towers – then I have to leave.â?
In search of a symptom-free environment, Diane and her husband Bert also traveled to Nicaragua and Sweden.
â??I did have relief there for quite some time,â? Diane says of her overseas travels. â??But in Nicaragua, where we went, thereâ??s hardly even running water or good roads to travel through there, which makes it difficult to live.â?
At home, the couple sleep and eat together in their small space dimly lit by the light of a unique non-florescent bulb.â??He comes home from work and comes in here,â? says Diane. â??Itâ??s small, but I miss and love my husband. He wants to be here for me.â?
During 2004 and 2005, Diane found some comfort again in Queen Valley, Ariz., where she lived during the winter months deep in the valley where people had limited to no access to cell phones.
â??I could go to church, attend quilting groups and do what I wanted,â? she let out a deep sigh. â??Then a cell phone booster antennae was installed and I got radiation sickness again and had to leave.â?
Although documented research is limited, especially in the U.S., it didnâ??t stop Diane from writing to representatives, senators, medical journals and hospitals, hoping to spread the word about EMS and prompt some action.
â??It is not just me who has experienced this,â? says Diane as she shuffles through e-mails of her correspondence with others in her same condition. â??There are more people around the United States Iâ??ve been in contact with. Now, Iâ??m talking to people right here in Cedar Falls who are dealing with this. Cell phones and electromagnetic waves are everywhere. Where are people with EMS supposed to go?â?Even though Diane is still searching for the answer, she knows there is hope in numbers and awareness is the only key.
â??I understand that this is so unheard of yet around here,â? says Diane frustrated. â??But there are other countries where most people are very aware that this condition exists.â?
Early in 2006, Bert traveled to Benevento, Italy, for a World Health conference on EMS. There, the city has made significant investments to ensure that its residents are protected from an overgrowth of cell phone towers.
â??This condition exists,â? states Bert. â??Itâ??s just not widely recognized in the United States. Weâ??ve tried contacting people and authorities here to help us, and we experienced absolutely no protection.â?
In Stockholm, Sweden, the Schous were in touch with Rigmor Granlund-Lind and John Lind who authored the book, Black on White: Voices and Witnesses. Based on documents submitted to the Council for Work Life Research in Sweden in March 2000 from more than 400 electro-hypersensitive sufferers, their relatives, doctors and engineers, the book provides a unique insight into the condition.
â??During my travels, Iâ??ve come across some people who canâ??t tolerate a watch powered by a tiny battery in the room or in adjacent rooms,â? says Diane. â??It just depends on how overexposed they were to begin with.â?
Ultimately, Diane hopes that increased awareness will start a grass-roots campaign that will help those with her condition and educate the medical community, pastors and teachers to recognize this exposure-response correlation.
â??Ideally, I want to live at home like everyone else,â? Diane says. â??I want to be able to see the beautiful perennials grow that I planted so long ago. My son wants his Mom to have a home. I donâ??t enjoy waking up everyday saying, ‘It hurts here. How am I going to find protection today, tonight and tomorrow?â?
For more information on EMS, visit www.electrosensitivity.org or contact the Schous at EMS-holiday@wavr.org, 277-4338 or via mail at P.O. Box 249, Cedar Falls 50613.
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Here’s a PDF version that Diane sent with all the photos:
C.F. woman seeks releif from tech-crazy world
Today in the Hibbing Daily Tribune:
Melissa Cox
The Daily TribuneTuesday, December 12th, 2006 08:07:54 AM
HIBBING â?? A group in opposition to Excelsior Energyâ??s proposed coal gasification power plant will hold a meeting tonight in Grand Rapids regarding the project.
The informational session, which will be hosted by Citizens Against the Mesaba Project (CAMP), will focus on impacts of the Mesaba Energy Project and recent developments relating to it, according to Charlotte Neigh, co-chair of CAMP.
â??We just want to do our best to inform the public so they understand all the ramifications of this project,â? said Neigh. â??It is important for people who have concerns and reservations about this project to see that many of their neighbors do too. It is encouraging to be part of a group rather than an isolated individual wondering it anybody else has the same opinion.â?
CAMP is a group of local citizens who have looked into the proposed project and concluded it is not beneficial to the area or its residents.
Representatives of CAMP have been holding meetings and giving presentations across the region since July.
â??The main purpose for our meetings is to educate the public and encourage people to share their concerns with their elected officials and others in a position to influence the fate of this project,â? said Neigh. â??We hope to make people understand what the consequences of this are for the environment and for their health, and we also want to encourage people to turn out on December 20 for the public hearing in Taconite.â?
Public Hearings regarding the power purchase agreement with Xcel Energy are scheduled on Dec. 18 in St. Paul, on Dec. 19 in Hoyt lakes and Dec. 20 in Taconite. In December of 2005, Excelsior Energy submitted a petition to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) for approval of a power purchase agreement with Xcel Energy. If the agreement is approved, then Xcel would be required to purchase power from a base load power generating facility to be located near Taconite or Hoyt Lakes.
â??This is a chance for them to come and see for themselves what is going on and give their input in a meaningful way,â? said Neigh.
The public is invited to attend the informational meeting hosted by CAMP being held at 7 p.m. today at the Davies Theater on the campus of Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids. The gathering will feature a presentation and opportunity for public participation.
â??Anybody who wants an update on the status of the project and on all the information that we have managed to put together should attend,â? said Neigh.