It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

The Power Plant Siting Act annual hearing, a la Minn. Stat. 216I.15, is the time to let the Public Utilities Commission know what works and what does not work in the Commission’s siting of power plants, transmission, wind, solar, and even pipelines!

Here’s the problem — all they have to do per the statute is “advise the public of the permits issued by the commission in the past year.” What happens after that, well, it goes to the PUC but that’s about it. It is a good time to vent, and get on the record all the horrible things that have happened over the year, and the historical trends, such as elimination of the Advisory Task Force.

Here’s the decades old law providing for Advisory Task Forces:

And this session, after the Public Utilities Commission and their OAH ALJs were denying, denying, denying after so many Advisory Task Force Petitions over so many years — simply repealed, eliminated:

It’s GONE! And eliminating the reference of Task Forces as an aspect of public participation:

Ja, we “Public Participants” get the PUC’s message loud and clear:

Public participation via the Public Utilities Commission? Remember the Report of the Office of the Legislative Auditor?

Public Utilities Commission’s Public Participation Processes – OLA-Report

Fat lot of good that did. Instead of improving public participation, we hear the Commission Chair saying, “What can we do to make this faster for you?” and “What can we do to speed this permitting up?” and that whole “streamlining” effort, which is really STEAMROLLING. Fast tracking permitting, denial of interventions, failure to have project proponents witnesses at hearings for questioning…

PUC Strategic Plan

Here are the reports from the last 20 years — often they hold it on my birthday, but not this year. You can see that year after year, it’s the same issues:

2000 Summary of Proceedings

2000 Report EQB

2001 Summary of Proceedings

2001 Report EQB

2002 Summary of Proceedings

2002 Report to EQB

2003 Summary of Proceedings

2003 Report to EQB

2004 Summary of Proceedings

2004 Report to EQB

2005 Report to PUC

2006 Report to PUC – Docket 06-1733

2007 Report to PUC – Docket 07-1579

2008 Report to PUC – Docket 08-1426

2009 Report to PUC – Docket 09-1351

2010 Report to PUC – Docket 10-222

2011 Report to PUC – Docket 11-324

2012 Report to PUC – Docket 12-360

2013 Report to PUC – Docket 13-965

2014 Summary Report– Docket 14-887

2015 Summary Report – Docket 15-785

2016 Summary Report – Docket 16-18

2017 Summary Report – Docket 17-18

2018 Summary Report – Docket 18-18

2019 Summary Report_Docket 19-18

Summary Report – Docket 20-18

2021 Summary Report – Docket 21-18

2022-Summary-Report_Docket 22-18

And last year’s Report from the 2023 hearing, held on December 20, 2023:

There’s a trend… And here we go, on Tuesday, another year of banging heads against the wall.

It’s no work of art, but in the scenario this proceeding is in, with Prairie Island Indian Community and City of Red Wing deep in it with or working on agreements with Xcel Energy, there’s not much we can do, little impact, as they’re the players, and also, AAAAACK, I just didn’t have time.

The DEIS did grossly misrepresent the history and status of Xcel’s Utility Personal Property Tax payments to local governments, so I did include the City of Red Wing comment in the IRP (below page 13, Attachment A).

The main purpose of this is to push for reworking of the “low-dose” radiation exposure modeling using Aaron Datesman’s cutting edge Three Mile Island “shot noise” work to correct for the GIGO current modeling and more accurately characterize the risk.

Sooooooo, anyway, here’s what I filed:

Today, the STrib reports another high-speed option between Metro and Rochester:

A 700-mph tunnel between Twin Cities and Rochester? Group wants $2M from Met Council for ‘hyperloop’ study.

Haven’t they learned anything from Zip Rail?

Zip Rail’s dying gasp…

Apparently not here. And the federal Department of Transportation has issued guidance!

HYPERLOOP STANDARDS DESK REVIEW
Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technology (NETT) Council

Back in 2020:

San Francisco To L.A. In 35 Minutes? Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Moves Closer To Reality

Closer to reality? Not quite… Though Musk’s hyperloop did not go far, it just so happened to go belly up at the end of 2023!

The hyperloop is dead for real this time

So now, those workers are looking to move on???

A couple of sentences here caught my attention, and I’m wondering…

Hyperloop One to Shut Down After Failing to Reinvent Transit

DP World, the Dubai-based conglomerate, has backed Hyperloop One since 2016 and owns a majority stake. The startup’s remaining intellectual property will be transferred to DP World, a person familiar with the situation said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-12-21/hyperloop-one-to-shut-down-after-raising-millions-to-reinvent-transit

Is DP World involved in this reincarnation of the failed Musk Hyperloop?

Just NO! Do we need to go through this again?

Who cares about the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s eDockets system? We all should care! It’s the best way to keep up with what’s going on in the docket, what others are filing, what issues are being raised, what’s the status, and to track all NOTICES, which will tell you of hearings, comment windows, orders, and pay particular attention to those from PUC, OAH (Office of Administrative Hearings), and EERA and DER (Commerce). Also look for comments from individuals and note their concerns.

How to get to eDockets? First go to the PUC’s Main Page (see above) at https://mn.gov/puc then click “eDockets” and you get this and click “eDockets” again:

Then you’ll get to this screen:

At “Docket number -Select” scroll to “22” (the year) and at “Number” enter “131” for Certificate of Need, or “132” for Route docket (and for other dockets, same routine, enter the year and docket number, and there you are!). And for sure look at both. Then click “Search.” (when there are multiple dockets, as with the MN Energy CON, be sure to check both dockets, one at a time). This works for any docket, like the 800MW RFP docket, E002/CN-23-212, plug in year “23” and Number “212” and there you go! Spend some time playing with it to get acquainted, it’ll become second nature soon.

When you get to the docket, as below, click on the far left link in a row to get that filing in that row. Do it a few times, and it’ll be quick and easy! If in active for a while, it will boot you out and you get to start over.

Also, “subscribing” is important to keep up to date on what’s being filed. When there are multiple dockets, be sure to subscribe to both!

To subscribe, when you get to the docket, note the column for Subscription and boxes, as in lower right here:

Click one of the boxes in that subscribe column, any one (above on lower left), and then click the link above “Subscribe” and you’ll go to this screen:

Enter your email address, and for “Type of Subscription” enter “docket” and then you’ll have to enter the docket(s), and then “Add to List.” You’ll get a confirmation email, click and confirm, and there you are!!

When you get emails about the docket, it will have the docket number, and as they come in, pay particular attention to Notices, as there will be dates that are important, meeting/hearing dates, deadlines for comment, etc.

Now, get to it. LOTS of reading, and as you go, you’ll get familiar with it and the process. IT WILL GET EASIER!!

Now for the fun part — FILING IN eDOCKETS! Why file in eDockets? When you file in eDockets, you know what you’ve submitted has been received and is part of the record, and so others can know what your concerns are — it’s SO important to know you’re not alone in this!

To file, first you have to register. In that first eDockets screen go to upper left corner:

Where it says “eFiling”, register by clicking on “Request Registration.” You’ll get this screen:

Fill it all out, click for electronic service — Do not get into paper in these dockets, it is a royal pain, and sending out paper copies to everyone is EXPENSIVE. Click “Submit” and you’ll get confirmation email, confirm, and you’re all set.

To eFile after you’ve registered, click “eFiling Home/Log In” and follow the directions.

WHEN THERE ARE MULTIPLE DOCKETS, BE SURE TO FILE IN BOTH! For the MN ENergy Connection, be sure to write “route” comments with those on-the-ground issues you know best because you’re right there, and also be sure to write comments on “need” because that’s the overarching issue — if the Commission determines it is not needed, it won’t be built — and if it IS deemed needed, it’s a matter of where, and routing is an ugly mess and can devolve into a “STICK IT THERE” struggle. Always address the (lack of) need issues, as that’s the only real way to stop a project.

If you need help on eFiling, contact the Commission’s Public Advisor Charley Bruce — charley.bruce@state.mn.us

Once you take the time to sign up, and get familiar with it, you’ll see how easy it is to keep up with what’s going on, and how easy it is to eFile — and last minute!! So easy, I’d be lost but for eDockets and eFiling, you have no idea how awful it was to make paper copies of all filings, and mail them to everyone, whew, it was beyond difficult, and so expensive. Now, it’s a “work from home” easy-peasy process, the best ever change in PUC process, and pretty much everywhere across the country, in administrative proceedings like this, and in most every court system too. Participating, practice, was so much harder before.

FYI: MN PUC – How To eDockets

The last two weeks have been scoping meetings for the Environmental Impact Statement for the “MN Energy CONnection.” Per Xcel’s site, “You can read the Certificate of Need filing here and the Route Permit application here.” I don’t see the word “REVISED” on this…

Here’s the REVISED Certificate of Need application:

And here’s the Route Application:

Route-Application App C are the maps — TOO LARGE — see eDockets

So many people getting notice of the “MN Energy CONnection” transmission line have CapX 2020 in their yard, and they are PISSED! It was standing room only last night in Litchfield, 100 of my flyers gone and folks were still filing in. Again this morning in Monticello, over 100 again:

Several this morning brought up EMF and the magnetic fields. The magnetic fields from the “REVISED” application are cause for concern — look at their modeling levels shown for the edge of the Right of Way:

Anyway, there’s a lot tocomment about, things that should be included in the EIS. But now’s not the time to write. More later.