Legalectric

Xcel’s Mankato-Mississippi transmission line, a/k/a Wilmarth-North Rochester-Tremval, is moving forward, so it was time for planning and strategizing and yes, we’re MOVING FORWARD too!

I’m working with the Prehn Family, they’ve joined NoCapX 2020 in commenting on this project. They live smack dab in the middle of the underground natural gas storage dome south of Hwy 60 and along/under Hwy 13, and have substantive, real, concerns about the potential for this project to traverse the gas dome.

Xcel did not even mention the natural gas dome in its application, applied for April 2, 2024, and didn’t bother to chat with CenterPoint until May 2 — how can that be?

Having a meeting with the Prehns is a good excuse for camping at Sakatah Lake State Park — the dome extends under Hwy 60 and encroaches on the park – there’s a monitoring station on park land north of Hwy 60! It’s a good opportunity to test out my solo camping set-up, with a smaller tent, smaller than the Wawona 6 and much easier to set up and tear down. PLUS the Prius isn’t stuffed to the gills.

Sakatah is an OK park, the sites are GREAT, but it’s so noisy, between the trucks and their jake brakes coming “down the mountain,” and airplanes headed to MSP. Only one startling owl catch, likely a screaming chipmunk. Anyway, will do a State Park review for my camper group.

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We’ve been working on this project. Here’s the map we put together a couple months ago through hours of reconnaissance (for the record, somehow we missed some transmission that goes from east to west from Hwy 13 north of the CenterPoint pumping station heading west to Co. Rd. 73, so I need to update the map):

We had a good couple of hours to hash things over and get ready to dive in.

Speaking of hash, I had a new camp cooking experience, cooking over an apple wood fire. It’s been decades, and back then it was hot dogs/hamburgers at Camp Tonadoona or church retreats — YUCK! This was a good first attempt with salmon rubbed with pepper/lime, and rice and veggies too. Yeah, I’m bragging:

Stay tuned and we’ll have more on this transmission project. Until then, here’s a cicada fresh into the world: