Legalectric

Seeing so many drought posts, photos of the Mississippi River at such low levels, looking at the Elephant Butte reservoir and the Rio Grande, drought affecting bird migration through California, essentially drought throughout much of U.S., particularly east of the Mississippi:

… and as I was deleting files, cleaning up computer as I clean up hard copy boxes and boxes of old files (i.e., the Mesaba Project, glad to be putting that one away), I found a report on water needs of power plants, it’s old, but I’d guess relevant, eh?

Here’s the 2011 update:

2011 Update: Estimating Freshwater Needs to Meet Future Thermoelectric Generation Requirements

Interesting that a search doesn’t turn up anything newer!!! Another from 2011:

A Review of Operational Water Consumption and Withdrawal Factors for Electricity Generating Technologies

There is this, so July 2022, must need other search terms???

NETL Co-Develops New Model for Sustainable Freshwater Use by Power Plants

When boats are having a hard time getting around on the Mississippi River, what does this mean for all the power plants dependent on the Mississippi for their water supply? Even our lovely garbage burner here on the river, not to mention Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant!

EXCELSIOR ENERGY’S MESABA PROJECT

PARTIAL DOCUMENT REPOSITORY

Well, a bit more than 20 years ago… January 15, 2002, just after the start of the legislative session, I was at an energy committee meeting, Senate? House? I think Senate was first, then heard again at House, and the following year they got their legislation through as a part of the 2003 Prairie Island bill.

• The Excelsior Energy link I’m using is compliments of waybackmachine. Note that now, if you plug in “excelsiorenergy.com” it becomes “excelsiorcapital.com (Excelsior Energy Capital).” essentially at a marina at 21960 Minnetonka Blvd.! Related?

Anyway, there was a presentation back in 2002 about the greatest thing since sliced bread (NOT!), a coal gasification project proposed for “somewhere” on the Range. Here’s what they presented:

Note the parts about “brownfield” and “existing infrastructure.” LIES, it’s that simple. Here’s what their site looked like, this was at the DOE and locals site visit in 2005:

Starting in 2005, I was representing “mncoalgasplant,” landowners and residents near the proposed project, joined in tandem by Citizens Against the Mesaba Project (CAMP) (site circa 2013 with live links, thanks waybackmachine!). We had such active folks, every hearing was PACKED, and eventually the project faded, never formally declared dead, but piece by piece, it went away.

HOWEVER, Excelsior Energy did manage to get an save passed by the legislature for a natural gas plant:

Week before last, I picked up files from a cohort who shall remain unnamed, and am scanning in boxes of files, to post here, and recycle hard copies for biomass (UGH, but that’s what Red Wing does. Thanks, Xcel Energy!). I’ll be posting them, some interesting stuff if you’re into energy and political and capital intrigue, some purely inside baseball that no one will care about.

MONEY TRACKING – Spreadsheets and invoices to IRRB for reimbursement

Various Contractor Invoices (some redacted)

What a pain in the patoot that was — TWO ENTIRE WASTEBASKET OF SCANNING!

Today, Comments were due (1:30 p.m., whew, just under the wire):

This is regarding the Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s Application Filing Requirements. To look at the docket, go HERE – DOCKET SEARCH and search for 5-AFR-100.

It looks like other than DATCP (DATCP Comments) and ATC (American Transmission Company Comments on Proposed Application Filing Requirements for Transmission Line Projects), I’m the only one filing comments.

HOW CAN THIS BE?

Oh, but wait, look at this on the notice:

Here’s the full notice:

The National Park Service and the Federal Aviation Administratio, have announced an open period for Comments on its “air tour management plan.” And here is the scoping document with “potential alternatives for public comment,” rather short and sweet as these things go:

AIR TOUR MANAGEMENT PLAN

The “No Action Alternative” would be to continue air tours as have been happening, to recap:

Here’s the park, not that the tours are staying in the “North Unit” and not venturing into the “South Unit” operated jointly by the National Park Service and Oglala Sioux Tribe:

Check out the alternatives — what do you think?

Comments are due by 11:59 p.m. on October 6, 2022, and there’s no email option. Comments may be sent online using the park’s system at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/BadlandsATMP

… or use the form at the end of the plan, and send in writing to:

I have a soft spot for the Badlands, having been there in my “formative years,” and a few times since. When thinking of the Badlands, what floods into my brain is what a struggle it was for us, moi at 8 years old, to set up our BIGLY HUGE family tent trailer, “Sunny,” in a torrential rain, in the dark, with mud up to our ankles.

It was such a mess, wind soaking the tent, and blowing it around as we tried to set up. I remember my father trying to pound stakes into the mud, the wind blowing and we were all soaked… maybe that’s part of why my lil’ bro’ hates camping, and yet it fascinates me?!?!?! The Badlands can be so hellishly hot, but for sure that was NOT our August 1964 experience!!

From the photos and google earth, I’m guessing we were at the Sage Creek campground.

On the way to the Badlands, circa 2007, lots of white butts…

And 2016, even closer:

Lots of these cute little guys:

And of course nearby in Custer State Park, VERY nearby, close enough to be wary:

And don’t forget the Minuteman Missile National Historical Site, Interestate 90 at the 131 exit, where you can push the nuclear button:

Rio Tinto Press Release from February 2022 about its Talon mine (Talon Metals, Talon Nickel, whatever…):

DOE backs Rio Tinto led team to explore carbon storage at Tamarack

Did we learn nothing from the Mesaba Project and their bogus “carbon capture and storage” scam? Apparently not, here we go again…

Tesla will buy nickel from planned Talon Metals Minnesota mine

Here’s Talon’s June 2022 powerpoint:

This project is planned for the area around Tamarack, north mostly.

The Talon application to “continue” the “exploration plan” was approved earlier this year by the DNR, on April 12, 2022 (scroll down at link), less than a month after it was applied for!

The initial “exploration plan” was approved by the DNR on April 5, 2021:

Oh, but wait, that’s NOT the initial plan, there were two earlier applications to the DNR, also approved, oh, make that FOUR: