Legalectric

The St. Croix Scenic Coalition has long been working to preserve the St. Croix Wild & Scenic River, a federal and state designation. Just this week, a significant win in Polk County Circuit Court in Wisconsin, land-use, environmental protection, and basic following the rules, Osceola!

In the STrib:

Lawsuit: Planned apartment building along St. Croix River is too tall for protected river

Want to learn more about the Wild & Scenic St. Croix? Videos from the St. Croix Scenic Coalition:

Founding Minnesota –St. Croix Scenic Byway Story:

• Episode 1: Land Euphoria (44 minutes)
• Episode 2: Too Much of a Good Thing (53 minutes)
• Episode 3: Unimagined Wealth (45 minutes)
• Episode 4: River of Pines (60 minutes)
• Episode 5: America Fever (65 minutes) 

And from PBS, The Wild & Scenic St. Croix

And of course, head on up to Wild River State Park and St. Croix State Park on the Minnesota side!!

A comment period has been announced for Minnesota Power & GRE’s “Northern Reliability Project,” which is Public Utilities Commission Docket E015,ET2/CN-22-416 (the Certificate of Need only).

Plenty of time to read and think and write.

This time around, they’re looking for substantive comments regarding whether a Certificate of Need should be granted, so a look at the statutory criteria could be helpful:

CERTIFICATE OF NEED — SEE CRITERIA IN SUBD. 3

What the Public Utilities Commission says it’s looking for is:

As far as the rules are concerned, IF YOU IDENTIFY ANY CONTESTED ISSUES OF FACT, this is the time to request a contested case, essentially a trial, via Office of Administrative Hearings. Any request for a contested case must be made before the end of the comment period.

Here’s the full Notice:

Here we go with yet another transmission line proposed for southern Minnesota — the Wilmarth (Mankato) to North Rochester (N of Pine Island) to Tremval (Wisconsin), featuring another Mississippi River Crossing, but no, they’re using existing towers… so nevermind…

There are now FIVE BIG TRANSMISSION LINES grinding through the permitting process:

• Wilmarth-North Rochester-Tremval – PUC Dockets CN-22-532; TL-23-157 (plus a separate docket for relocation of Dairyland’s Q-3 because they are taking it off the 345 kV towers to double circuit that part).
• Brookings-Lyon County & Helena-Hampton – PUC Dockets CN-23-200; TL-08-1474
• Big Stone-Alexandria-Big Oaks – PUC Dockets C-22-538; TL-23-159
• Itasca County-Big Oaks – Northern Reliability Project – PUC Dockets CN-22-416; TL-22-415
• Lyon County-Sherco – MN Energy CON – PUC Dockets CN-22-131; TL-22-132

I’ve just started downloading and will be posting the balance of the application in a bit, but for now, here’s the application narrative and Appendices A-F… DONE!!!

Well, that was a lot of fun…

Just in — Verbatim from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency:

Second Request for Comments on Planned Amendments to Air Quality Rules – Air Toxics Emissions Reporting

April 1, 2024 Second Request for Comments on Planned Amendments to Air Quality Rules Relating to Air Toxics Emissions Reporting The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) published a Request for Comments (RFC) on planned amendments to air quality rules relating to air toxics emissions reporting in the July 24, 2023, State Register. A second RFC was published in the April 1, 2024, State Register. This rulemaking is referred to as the Air Toxics Emissions Reporting Rule (Revisor ID# R-4599). The RFC includes instructions on how to comment. The public comment period closes at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1, 2024. The main purpose of this rulemaking is to establish new rules for air toxics emissions reporting requirements for facilities located in the 7-county metro area, as directed by Minnesota Session Law – 2023. The purpose of this second RFC is to incorporate the repeal of certain sections of chapter 7007 that allow a Title V air permittee to assert emergency affirmative defense. The EPA has repealed these provisions from the Clean Air Act Title V operating permit program regulations and has set a deadline for states to remove this language, or to seek an extension to remove the language as soon as practicable, by August 21, 2024. The MPCA has applied for an extension and intends to repeal the language with this rulemaking since the air quality rule chapters are already open for air toxics emissions reporting. The notice is also available by visiting the MPCA webpage for this rulemaking. Information about the MPCA’s concepts for amending the rules is also available on the rulemaking webpage. To access information about a particular rulemaking, visit the public rulemaking docket.

INFORMATIONAL MEETING

APRIL 8, 2020 from 5:30 – 6:30

RED WING PUBLIC LIBRARY

Join the fun! (SNORT!) Learn about air permitting — how Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) air quality permitting process works, how to write a comment, and what current and planned emissions are.

Unfortunately, it’s the same time as the City Council meeting. Well, drat… will have to make sure it’s recorded.

A few months ago, I started pushing the MPCA for a meeting here in Red Wing, informational, to let folks know what’s going on. The air permit for this plant expired in 2009, and although Xcel Energy has applied for renewal, the MPCA has not gotten to it yet (nor for so many air permits in Minnesota, Alan filed Data Practices Act Request and got the list, most air permits were waiting in line with nothing happening).

Alan and I have also been on the Red Wing City Council to push for action on this. They did send a letter to the MPCA, urging action, but that was years ago. HOWEVER, progress — they did schedule a meeting! And best of all, during this, we learned that they are working on the air permit renewal! Draft permit isn’t out yet, but maybe soon?

p.s. Here’s the link for Minnesota Air Quality — or lack thereof!