Legalectric

The Itasca Economic Development Corporation is hosting a “Just Transition Task Force” to look at how the community will deal with the energy transition and loss of the Boswell Cohasset coal plant.

September:

October:

The Task Force’s charge? From their site:

Just Transition Grant Fund

$150,000 was awarded to convene a year-long just transition process for Itasca County, and for the greater northern Minnesota region. The Just Transition Grant Fund supports work to develop an action plan to ensure a thriving economy, supported by an informed community, as we work through our energy transition. The action plan will include a community-driven just transition vision and series of recommended pathways or actions that will allow the region to collaboratively identify and pursue federal funding and other resources in alignment with its vision.

And here’s what they regard as resources, again from their page:

• BRECC Notes
• Community Economic Development Focus on Energy Communities DOHHS
• Community Energy Transition Final Report and Recommendations
• Energy Transition Advisory Committee (ETAC) Plan
• Minnesota’s Power Plant Communities: An Uncertain Future
• Pennsylvania Playbook: Decommissioning and Redevelopment Playbook for the Sunbury Plant
• Public Utilities Commission 2024-2028 One-Pager Strategic Plan
• Public Utilities Commission 2024-2028 Full Strategic Plan
• McKinsey & Co., Rural Rising Economic Development Strategies for America’s Heartland
• Meeting Notes

This one is interesting, and I’m forwarding on to City of Red Wing folks:

Community Energy Transition Final Report and Recommendation

Two of these do concern me, the BRECC Notes because the focus is on a Bill Gates proposal for a nuclear plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming!!! Please, just no… why is this even included??

The second concerning thing is that the Meeting Notes are only from February 26, 2024, and nothing after. What have they been looking at, considering, since then?

Supposedly there’s a draft report, and that’s to be the topic of upcoming “Town Hall” meetings, per KAXE, which notes:

But I looked and looked, and I cannot find this “draft strategic action plan, “and if it’s not public, how can we review it before the town halls and be able to comment knowledegeably?!?! So I sent a request to the IEDC folks on this team, and hope to get it soon, and then I’ll post.

FULL DISCLOSURE: The IEDC deserves close scrutiny due to the decision by its Board to support the Excelsior Energy Mesaba Project and its strident advocacy of the Mesaba Project, including the spread of misinformation and disinformation about coal gasification and the project specifically. It brought the Chair of the Public Utilities Commission into the fray in blatant and bold ex parte contact, despite the clear warning I gave to the Commission’s Asst. A.G. prior to that meeting (I could not believe her lack of concern, saying they’re well aware of the ex parte rules). I also could not believe that Chair Koppendrayer actually showed up … so I had to raise the issue of verboten ex parte contact at the meeting, and Chair Koppendrayer agreed, he confirmed “Ms. Overland has a point,” that it was a valid concern, and that he thought he should not be present — and he got up and left the room!! That was absolutely the right thing to do. Did IEDC think no one would notice, that no one would challenge ex parte contact? Unreal.

• IEDC gets carried away February 15th, 2007
• IEDC on Mesaba Coal Gasification November 1st, 2006

This Just Transition Task Force looks like a better way to operate, though there’s some transparency missing in action. Let’s get those meeting minutes published on the Just Transition page, and let’s get that draft Strategic Action Plan out in the open!

Meanwhile, again, here are the planned meetings: