Legalectric

Wednesday!!! It’s that time again — time for the Annual Power Plant Siting Act Hearing! The Power Plant Siting Act is Minn. Stat. 116C.51-69. Here are links to all of Chapter 116C.

This year it’s a little “different,” as Minnesotans say, because the folks working on power plant siting have been through a few “changes” and… well, we’ll just call it “the agency formerly known as the EQB.” One of the changes is that the hearing will be on a weekday and only during the day.

Bring treats to share, that part of the Power Plant Siting Act will NOT be disappeared by the Pawlenty administration! I’ll fire up my big coffee pot.

The Power Plant Siting Act covers all large energy infrastructure, from power plants to nuclear dry cask storage to transmission — all those projects that provide me and countless others with unending entertainment.

State of Minnesota

Public Utilities Commission

Public Hearing
Annual Review of Energy Facilities Permitting Programs

121 7th Place East
3rd Floor Large Hearing Room
St. Paul, Minnesota

December 14, 2005 2:00 PM

AGENDA

I. Introductions

II. 2005 Legislative Changes
A. Transfer of authorities to the Commission from the EQB
B. Role of the Department of Commerce

III. Projects Review
A. Discussion of projects completed in the past year
B. Identification of pending and anticipated projects
1. Generating Plants
2. Transmission Lines
3. Wind Projects

IV. Public Questions and Comments – Opportunity for the public to submit oral
comments and ask questions of agency staff

V. Adjourn

What’s the point? The primary point of the hearing is to provide an opportunity for the public to be heard. This is our opportunity to tell them what we think about the shift of the Power Plant Siting group to… to wherever they are now… and what we think of the ways the rules work, what we think of the Biennial Transmission Plan, what we think about the minimalized “Buy the Farm” eminent domain provision, and what technical corrections we want and need to make the Power Plant Siting Act work.

116C.58 Annual hearing

The commission shall hold an annual public hearing at a
time and place prescribed by rule in order to afford interested
persons an opportunity to be heard regarding any matters
relating to the siting of large electric generating power plants
and routing of high-voltage transmission lines. At the meeting,
the commission shall advise the public of the permits issued by
the commission in the past year. The commission shall provide
at least ten days but no more than 45 days’ notice of the annual
meeting by mailing notice to those persons who have requested
notice and by publication in the EQB Monitor and the
commission’s weekly calendar.