CRVC’s hearing on Development Agreement suit
October 7th, 2010
(really, that’s their “site plan” — how informative!!)
It’s in the news, Concerned River Valley Citizens’ suit against LS Power, Lent Township and Chisago County had a hearing last week. Short version:
Judge Hoffman said he wanted to be armed with sufficient information to make a decision. He asked for just one thing – a written transcript of the legislative discussion that preceded the adoption of the legislation regarding the tax exemption in 2009, specifically subdivision 92 pertaining to the obtaining of the development agreement.
He asked the attorneys to write a letter to the court when it is provided and then he will make his decision.
The judge believed this information is important and he can’t be obligated to make a decision until he knows what the legislation said about approval of a development agreement “before” the start of construction.
Most committee meetings now are available online, and the legislative library provides tapes. One problem is that the legislative intent is rarely conveyed in the committee meetings, and all the behind the scenes doings aren’t going to see the light of day.
The statutory section at issue – Minn. Stat. 272.02, Subd. 92.
Here’s the Summons and Complaint from last June:
For more info, go to www.stopsunriseriverplant.com
From ECM Post Review:
Judge asks for one thing in power plant civil case
CRVC sues over Development Agreement
July 4th, 2010
Really, this is their “site plan”
Remember LS Power’s proposal to build an 855MW gas plant by the Chisago County substation? And Xcel’s Mikey Bull’s statement that Xcel isn’t going to be needing this power and isn’t going to be needing any power for a while? There’s no Power Purchase Agreement in sight, no Certificate of Need application or Site Permit application to the PUC, but they do have a legislatively mandated utility personal property tax exemption thanks to Rep. Jeremy Kalin and Sen. Rick Olseen, and they do have a Development Agreement thanks to Lent Township and Chisago County, though they’ve yet to sign the Chisago County one…
And now they’ve got a lawsuit on their hands:
This was filed June 30 in Chisago County — Chisago County, Lent Townshiip and Sunrise River Energy, LLC have 20 days to file their Answer.
Overland’s Comments on Hiawatha Project
March 10th, 2010
It’s my old neighborhood, and I just had to put my $0.02 in:
Overland Comments – Hiawatha DEIS
Exhibit A – NM-SPG – July 24, 2008
Exhibit B – NSP Petition for CFSR
Exhibit C – NSP/Taylors Falls/St. Croix Falls Agreement
Exhibit D – Chisago County Resolution re: Facilities Surcharge Rider
Exhibit E – Comments of Power Line Task Force – Docket 99-799
Exhibit F – Conductor Specs – from PUC Docket 01-1958, Ex 35 Application, Appendix 7
Exhibit G – Edison Institute – Transmission Property Values Report
Exhibits D and E, oh my, time flies… I’d completely forgotten about those. And the utilities keep singing the same old tired songs…
LS Power’s Sunrise River plant voted DOWN!
February 17th, 2010
It’s nice to win sometimes, even in absentia…
Tonight the Chisago County Board of Commissioners, on a 3-2 vote, voted NOT to approve their proposed Development Agreement with LS Power for an 855MW (give or take a few hundred, depending on their mood, what they ate for lunch, whatever) natural gas electric generating plant. Like WOW!
Congratulations to Concerned River Valley Citizens for a job well done, and thanks to Tom Dunnwald who filled in for me tonight, but this is no time to let up — the work’s not over — there’s still the matter of the need for an Overlay Essential Services Ordinance that addresses generating plants and whatever other noxious infrastructure somebody might come up with.
This LS Power mess is the PROCEEDING that Concerned River Valley Citizens intervened in, under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, and were shut out by the County Attorney, Janet Reider (bad idea), and we just filed another Notice of Intervention yesterday or today.
There were some interesting comments, like “we’ve done the best we can in the time we had” indicating some sort of train schedule that has now been derailed. They tried to prevent attorneys from speaking, and the worst of that came from Commissioner Ben Montzka, who is an attorney himself! He should know better…
In the packet for tonight’s meeting:
It’s all on video, so we’ll have that soon. I can’t wait to see the snippets on YouTube!
Here’s from KARE 11:
(it’s not up yet)
More later
Lent Twp voters say NO! to LS Power
December 17th, 2009
From ECM article…
On Monday, citizens of Lent Township organized a Special Meeting, as allowed under statute, and told the Town Board what they thought of LS Power’s Sunrise River Energy Station. The hands raised you see in the photo is the vote telling the board that they should not approve a development agreement with LS Power.
The people say NO, but the township, the following day, went ahead and approved the Development Agreement:
Power Plant Gets Township Approval
And a view from the trenches:
And here’s the report from the Post Review:
Citizens’ vote was to nix power plant
The folks were divided by Lent residency and non-residency.
There were separate sign-in sheets and designated seating areas.
First order of business was the Pledge of Allegiance.
Milles went on to read the resolution.
All of the above was accomplished Monday night.
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