Legalectric

The Environmental Impact Statement for the Lava Ridge wind project, proposed by Magic Valley Wind, is now available — get it here:

BLM page for Lava Ridge

I’d first learned about this when we were on the way from Craters of the Moon National Monument …

… to our next stop, which took us through Jerome, Idaho, and to the Minidoka National Historic Site.

That’s a “new” historical site, where a Japanese internment camp was located. And as we were learning about it online between the two sites, the Lava Ridge wind project popped up — turns out that the wind project as proposed would be adjacent to the historical site! Check the first map above, hunt for “Hunt” Idaho, and here’s Minidoka in relation to “Hunt.”

And from there, Friends of Minidoka popped up, and their advocacy to protect the site, so we’d learned some before we got there:

Friends of Minidoka has an excellent “Comments” page — written suggestions for EFFECTIVE and SUBSTANTIVE comments, and scroll down for a youtube (see also National Trust for Historic Preservation Action campaign), as does the linked BLM pate. From that Friends of Minidoka page:

How to Submit Effective Comments

Effective comments will produce actionable items for BLM. How to Write Substantive Comments provides tips and examples. As per Kasey Prestwich of the BLM, it is important to:

* Focus your comments on the proposed project and what is being analyzed.

* *Describe the significance of the potential impacts and how they affect you, others, places, and activities.

* Provide any new information that is relevant to the project (e.g., potential affected resources).

* Discuss modifications to existing alternatives or suggest other reasonable alternatives with justification.

* Provide detailed information and references to back up your comment.

If your comment includes a statement that describes your opposition or support for the project, ensure you describe specific elements of the project or specific potential impacts that are influencing your position. Position statements must include enough information to help the BLM inform reasonable changes to the alternatives or revisions to the assessment of potential impacts. Avoid comments like “I don’t like this” or “I do like this.”

Identical comments are treated as one comment, including form letters.

Get to work on comments!

For decades now, I’ve been arguing that transmission isn’t “needed,” it’s wanted, and we’ve got so much in the way of transmission “incentives” that it’s hard to believe transmission lines are being approved. Updates, yes, most of the electrical grid was built and nothing since, and there’s so many reasons, so many millions of dollars of reasons, to underground transmission and distribution lines. Climate change extreme weather that’s downing lines makes this a priority, and then there’s substation domestic terrorism — it’s no longer the squirrels taking out substations!

Squirrel causes brief power outage for 9,500 customers in Minneapolis

But this — this is what the building push, infrastructure and more infrastructure, is all about — EXCESS CAPACITY! It’s not about “need” for more electricity, or building it at or near load so the system isn’t vulnerable to storms and/or domestic terrorists of any sort. It’s about SELLING EXCESS CAPACITY!

Xcel’s 2022 3Q SEC Filing

Next time you hear a utility “NEEDS” transmission, do remember this, and remind them that you know it’s not about need, it’s about facilitating marketing and bulk power sales.

Flashback…

In Grist today: Transmission Lies

February 3rd, 2009

Filed and served, Complainant Carol A. Overland’s Initial Brie — all the Respondents’ briefs are due next Friday, January 20:

And the Complaint from last November:

And an interesting aside, I’m in fb jail for posting this below, the photo is cover of “The Ku Klux Klan in Minnesota.” Exactly 100 years ago there was a huge Klan push, and today…

While MN statewide elections went well, in our state Senate District 20 and House 20A, “we” elected self-described America First “Stop the Steal” candidates. 100 years ago the Ku Klux Klan was strong here, that influence is strong today in Goodhue County. We need to learn this history (i.e., “Red Wing Klan Mecca: Thousands Assemble for Big Klan Meeting” Call of the North, Sept. 28, 1923). As people repeat those themes today, we must recognize the meaning, expose it, and say NO! (Ed. changed title from “History on Parade”)