Legalectric

“Our” CD2 Rep. Jason Lewis does not represent me (nevermind that he doesn’t even live in this Congressional District!!).  He demonstrated at his “Town Hall” meeting that he is clueless about so much.  He hasn’t held Town Hall meetings and is obviously afraid of his “constituents.”

Don’t be distracted by procedure, his ticket lottery, or the attempts to shut up and shut down constituents.

What’s important about this is taking note of the issues he’s most vulnerable on as displayed at the “Town Hall:

• Harsh positions on immigration position without recognition of role and work of immigrants in CD2;
• Food stamp work requirements without recognition that Minnesota already has work requirement laws and that people working at minimum wage qualify for food stamps and child care must be available for people to work (and cost of child care is often equal to pay for low wage jobs).
• Spouting the “anti-college” mindset, when it’s not binary. We need to have all educational options available and accessible to anyone who wants to learn, whether a trade, a B.A./B.S, and/or grad school — I’ve been to all of the above, and could never have gotten a B.A. without 916 VoTech and truckdriver training!  Anyone who can make the grade should be welcomed. Education is the key to economic stability — well, coupled with home ownership so people can weather economic crisis and invest in community.
• He talks around climate change and rather than address cutting emissions, he promotes nuclear and Yucca Mountain. Yucca Mountain was proven unworkable, what, a decade ago?
  
• Statements about “what’s causing the shootings?” and going on about mental illness and mentally ill should not own guns.  Earth to Mars, that’s not the issue.  It’s about mental dysfunctionality and white supremacist ideation at the root of nearly all mass shootings.

Jason Lewis, it’s time for you to go.

(viewable map linked below)

Red Wing has a email newsletter now, and it’s most helpful.  Here’s the poop on the upcoming elections, which is BIG news here, what with a bunch of resignations from City Council.  Cut and pasted from the RW “City Beat” newsletter:

This is your time. You can do this.

Interested candidates

must file between

May 22 – June 5, 2018

Today was the deadline for filing Exceptions to the Administrative Law Judge’s Recommendation for Line 3 Certificate of Need and Route.  Here’s the ALJ’s Recommendation:

Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Recommendation

I quick filed an Exception on behalf of Association of Freeborn County Landowners, objecting to inclusion and objecting to any consideration of “System Alternative 04” or SA-04, because no notice was given to landowners in Freeborn County, and well, to any of the landowners along SA-04.

Association of Freeborn County Landowners_ Exceptions to Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Recommendation of ALJ

Friends of the Headwaters proposed SA-04, the only “System Alternative” proposed in the Certificate of Need proceeding.  … sigh…. foisting it elsewhere is not a good strategy.  Search their Exceptions for more info on their rationale – do a search for “SA-04” of this filing:

20185-142900-04_Exceptions – Friends Of The Headwaters

Are there others advocating for AS-04?  Looking… it’ll take a bit.

System Alternative SA-04 is noted 139 times in the ALJ’s Recommendation, and is first mentioned on p. 24:

And the Public Utilities Commission accepted it for further evaluation, but no notice was provided:

But no meetings in the area — and still no notice:

… sigh… on it goes…

And regarding the DNR’s take on SA-04 (will find DNR comment):

Here are all the other references to SA-04 in order — the ALJ does reject it, saying it is not a viable alternative:

And then the ALJ considers comments:

The DNR comments are troubling:

Here’s the actual DNR Comment:

201711-137640-01_DNR’s  Comment (SA-04)

The DNR said about SA-04:

And back to the ALJ’s mentions of SA-04:

Update on Bent Tree.  Filed earlier, Notice of Settlement Agreements:

FILED_Bent+Tree+WPL+Settlement+Agr+-+Hagen

FILED_Bent+Tree+WPL+Settlement+Agr+-+Langrud

And today:

20185-142656-01_Settlement Specific Comments

And yesterday from EERA-Commerce:

20184-142562-01_EERA_Commerce_Comments

As for process going forward, Commerce recommends:

From WPL yesterday:

20184-142555-01_WPL_Response Order Show Cause

Next up – Public Utilities Commission meeting, the sooner the better.