Legalectric

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The Power Purchase Agreement docket for Excelsior’s Mesaba Project is ramping up to a delightfully warm level. Yesterday, our Rebuttal Testimony was due, and I got it done with a couple hours to spare, finally managed to get in on the discount rate at the local copy shop, left for the airport Post Office before dark, and got a couple hours of sleep the night before even — hey, life is good!

mncoalgasplant.com has been blessed with two great witnesses, Ed Anderson, M.D., and Ronald R. Rich, and here’s what they have to say:

Ed Anderson, M.D.

mcgpandersonrebuttal.pdf

anderson-exhibit-2-price-of-pollution.pdf

anderson-exhibit-3-environmentalcostsofdiseasesdisabilities-davies.pdf

anderson-exhibit-4-environmental-pollutants-and-disease-in-american-children.PDF

anderson-exhibit-5-hg-impaired-waters-tmdl-um-biotox-06.pdf

Ronald R. Rich

mcgprichrebuttal.pdf

Exhibits are too big — will link to them

Ex. 5 – Environmental Footprints and Costs of Coal-Based Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle and Pulverized Coal Technologies

Ex. 6 – The Economics of CO2 Storage

Ex. 7 – Carbon Dioxide Capture and Geologic Storage

Ex. 8 – richrebuttal-exhibit8arguscoaldaily.pdf

Ed and Ron are a treat to work with, and it means so much more when they not only are the perfect witnesses in their areas, but they literally have a stake in the geographical area in question. This community means a lot to them and they are playing an important part of making sure the record is built about the impacts of this proposed project. Ed is one of the Co-Presidents of CAMP, Citizens Against the Mesaba Project, and Ron, of Atmosphere Recovery, Inc. fame, is an active member of the Swan Lake Association. Both have contributed comments and testimony for the DOE Scoping process and the “agency formerly known as the EQB” (maybe a glyph contest is in order here, this mutant agency needs it!), and Ed was on the Citizens Advisory Task Force, as perverted a public process as I’ve ever seen. Those who were part of real task forces in the past wouldn’t recognize it as a Task Force! Anyway, they’re both actively part of this PPA docket, and will be testifying in November’s hearing. We’re so fortunate to have them drop out of the sky, the right people at the right time.

As for the rest of the testimony, I’ll get that posted next. It is real kick-ass stuff, Xcel and Minnesota Power and even Commerce — NO Ed Garvey testimony this time! Given where it’s at now, I cannot imagine a scenario where this would be approved. Yeah, yesterday a good time was had by all, except Excelsior, I imagine. Great Testimony. So sit there on the edge of your chairs… naaaaaah, get comfortable, because it may be a while. And if you’re looking for the latest testimony in the enviro’s case, well, don’t hold your breath, MCEA, Fresh Energy, and the Waltons didn’t file any. And they didn’t file any Dispositive Motion, didn’t file any response to either of our Summary Judgment Miotions that were made, and didn’t bother to show up at the hearing to argue them. So next time you see them, ask them what they’re doing to STOP Mesaba…

I guess the best we can hope for is that they keep out of the way. I mean really, we’re the ones who entered “The Price of Pollution” into the record — this is a cost docket after all, an appropriate place for it! Is something wrong with this picture?