Hiawatha Transmission Project Update
June 2nd, 2009
Xcel’s Hiawatha Transmission Project, through the heart of the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, was on the PUC’s agenda last Thursday. I had some deadline or other and couldn’t go, but here’s what happened:
Of course MOES thought everything was just ducky…
Midtown Greenway filed a Comment:
There was no Petition for a Contested Case filed, but a Contested Case was ordered because Xcel has taken the mandatory Contested Case route. There were no Petitions to Intervene… There was only ONE comment filed…
Here’s the PUC’s Order:
Here’s the Dept. of Commerce’s view of Scoping for the full-blown Environmental Impact Statement:
So there we are… Bill Storm of MOES is assuming that it’s an EIS we’re doing, that’s a good thing. Check the DRAFT scope, though, and note how narrow it is.
There’s a public meeting for scoping (hmmmm… I wonder if I got notice… $50 says no — Bill says yes, and where’s the $50, but, “It would be WRONG,” she says, speaking into the lampshade…):
DOE-MOES – Notice of EIS Scoping Meeting
Thursday, June 18, 2009 – 6:oo p.m.
Midtown Global Market
920 East Lake St.
Mpls, MN
Comments accepted until July 10, 2009
Send to:
Bill Storm, Project Manager
MN Dept of Commerce
85 – 7th Place East, Suite 500
St. Paul, MN 55101
or
bill.storm@state.mn.us
OK, folks, get to work!
- Now’s the time to read the application (Xcel’s Hiawatha Project Page HERE) and draft a Comment about what should be included in the EIS.
- Now’s the time to put in your requests to be on the Citizens Advisory Task Force
- Now’s the time to Petition to Intervene! (well, it’s not to late… YET…)
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:24 am
Carol, you apparently signed up to be on the project contact list (since your name/address appeared on the docket’s list). Notice of the public meeting is sent to persons whose names are on the project contact list (Minn. Rule 7849.5260, Subpart 2). The notices went out last week; can I have my $50.00 now :^)~
Xcel Energy elected to file under the Full Permitting Process, under this process a Contested Case Hearing is required; therefore there is no reason to petition for such a hearing.
A Scoping Decision HAS NOT been released; I have posted a draft scoping document to aid the public in understanding the “scoping process” and so that they may have an opportunity to see the general “topics” that I plan to cover in the EIS.
Solisitation letters for the ATF went out last week, check with the LUG, political subdivision or NGO listed in the PUC Order for information on whom they are planning on nominating.
June 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 am
It IS referred to OAH, I missed that!!! There is an automatic contested case. BUT, there are no Petitions for Intervention yet…
Bill says I did get notice, I’ll run to the P.O. Box and check. However, $50 would be probably bribery, corrupt in some way, oh well… but you’re right about that, Bill!!!
Note that I posted DRAFT scoping, and noted it was DRAFT. That DRAFT is something for people to look at and comment on! I’ll add “DRAFT” to each description, I see one where it doesn’t say “DRAFT.”
Gotta be correct here!