Oh, there she goes again! This time it was the Northfield City Council, I’m trying to light a stick of dynamite and get someone to show up! If they are concerned, where are they? Not at Committee 1 meetings!

MVC-043S.JPG

It’s one of those “little things,” but why on earth does the list of Rice County’s Committee 1 members show “Randy Peterson” as representing the City of Northfield? He doesn’t work there anymore, he supposedly is there for the meetings (I hadn’t seen him so thought he wasn’t, for sure he’s not contributing to the discussion), no one from the City of Northfield shows up for meetings, that tells me that the the City of Northfield doesn’t give a rhodent’s rump. Does anyone! Arrgh!

Rat's Ass.jpg

Let’s see, 11.5 million square feet of development in the middle of nowhere, in an area where the roads are crappy condition two lane with zero shoulder, no water, sewer or electrical infrastructure, and they’re talking about putting up showroom retail and big warehouses and after that tearing down the Co. Rd. 1 bridge and changing it into a five lane bridge? A FIVE LANE BRIDGE? HERE?

MVC-042S.JPG

Northfield has a “work session” to talk about it. They pass out these huge packets that cost a few trees that don’t even have the relevant information — when Committee 1 started handing out the AUAR draft, well, that’s where the City’s info stopped, it says June 29 (agenda only), so let me see if I understand it, you’ve got folks who haven’t been to the meetings talking about something they know nothing about without the relevant documents that have been passed out at the last two meetings over the last month, things like the massive AUAR draft, the infrastructure update, the traffic report… the train’s rolling down the hill out of control… isn’t it about time somebody started at least designing the brakes, if not ripping up the tracks?

MVC-044S.JPG

What can I say, during the meeting I got a lot of work done on the appeal brief.

Maybe it will look different in the morning… color me tired of going to pointless meetings!

powerlines_links_ATC.jpg

It was Saturday morning, one of those times when I’d just as soon ignore the phone, but it was an Iowa number and I couldn’t resist. Good thing, too, it was one of those calls that makes life worthwhile, Bert and Diane Schou called for a consult on a transmission line going past their house. They’d participated in the Iowa Utility Board hearing, and the Order had just come out, and what an Order it was, as it too often is, dismissing all concerns raised and giving the utility just what it wants:

Here’s the Order of the Iowa Utility Board ALJ!

The Schou’s took an approach similar to that of the Power Line Task Force, which brought in scientific experts including cellular specialist Dr. Martin Blank for Direct Testimony and Rebuttal, and Magda Havas, except the Schou’s witnesses were participating by phone and written statement, and the Administrative Law Judge essentially paid no attention.

Meanwhile, Diane is suffering from electrical sensitivity, as are a growing number of people, and is trying to find relief. The DesMoines Register featured the Schou’s struggle earlier this month:

Cedar Falls woman loses bid to block power line extension

There is a LOT of information out there on EMF, including:

EMF-RAPID report

A pooled analysis of magnetic fields and childhood leukaemia

I’m short on time and can’t find it, but there’s this great HUGE California study… it’s got to be here somewhere…

The best most credible site on EMF, bar none, is Roger Conant and the Power Line Task Force’s Power Line Facts. CHECK IT OUT!

And while we’re on the topic of transmission, David Bly’s just blogged on Electricity: Whiners and Loosers.

us-095_sb_mojave_18.jpg

In early June, there was a suprise announcement that Excelsior Energy had selected a site on Highway 7, past Bovey for it’s “Two Lobbyists and a Wife” Mesaba power plant. Here’s their blurb, and another one that on file with the EQB (at least this second one doesn’t look like my dog wrote it!). Whatever happened to that selling point of developing on the brownfield site in Hoyt Lakes? Whatever happened to that selling point of providing jobs to all those unemployed after the closing of the Hoyt Lakes plant?

Hoyt Lakes map ccpi2_minnesota.jpg

This new site northeast of Bovey in old growth red and white pine bog by pristine Minnesota lakes was disclosed as Itasca County approved support of a bonding bill for Mesaba infrastructure, and around the same time, they hosted tours of the site — why weren’t the landowners included? Here’s a clue for Excelsior Energy — it’s not a good idea to have landowners find out they’re targeted by reading about it in the paper or seeing contractors tromping around the site. Landowners require notice and honesty from project proposers, so they tell me in technicolor.

County seeks state bonding for power plant, MSI


Site list grows for proposed power plant

The STrib did a follow up article a month later:
Coal gas plant may intrude on Minnesota peace, quiet

Here’s the EQB’s main docket site. What I notice is that there are hardly any documents, no site plans, even though the EQB was represented up there on a site tour, and there’s no way to tell where they’re putting it. Well, here they are, and you can see clearly that this is NOT a brownfield site.

MESABA SITE PLANS

Larger site plan – scan of both pages Download file
View image“> Top half of larger site plan
View image“>Bottom half of larger site plan

Close up site plan – scan of both pages View image
Top half of close up site plan View image
Bottom half of close up site plan View image

Here’s where they’re wanting to put this power plant. Does this make any sense? One of the landowners, stunned, says “Is this bizarre?”

Mesaba site map.jpg

But the key to this goes back to the Excelsior Energy blurb above, the one that looks like Kenya wrote it:

Q: Why must Excelsior select its site by mid August?

A: Developing a base load generating plant project is a long and complex task. Excelsior must decide on a location for its first unit by Mid-August to maintain its project development schedule and ensure the Mesaba Energy Project is operational to serve Minnesota?s growing electric energy needs.

Translation by Overland: We need to have this application in to make it look like we’re serious — it’s a hoop to jump through, have an application in, to keep that state and federal grant money rolling in.

Yes. This is BIZARRE. Does anyone else find this a horrifically extreme measure to finance Tom Micheletti’s retirement? Wouldn’t it be more in the public interest, and a hell of a lot cheaper, if the state got Tom and Julie a little get away retreat and a one way plane ticket?

Here’s the contact info for the EQB – get on the mailing list and weigh in:

Environmental Quality Board project docket

Docket No: 05-94-PPS-Excelsior Energy
Project Name: Mesaba Energy Project
Description: Excelsior Energy, Inc. proposes to construct a 531 MW Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) large electric power generating plant (LEPGP) on the Iron Range tax relief area
Subjects: Environmental policy; Power plants
Geographic region: Minnesota; Twin Cities Metropolitan Area; Twin Cities Metropolitan Area
Docket created: March 14, 2005
Contact: Bill Storm, 651-296-9535
Mailing list: register

NOTICE: Just an FYI – in the spirit of open and direct communications, I’ve had the “Comment door” wide open, but just a few hours after cleaning out the morning spam, I’ve got “save my marriage, star wars toys, star wars, dog training and infidelity” all lined up, the good news is they don’t think I need drugs or penis enlargement, but I don’t need any of this, it ain’t MY marriage that needs saving, I’ve NEVER seen ANY Star Wars, my dog’s been to doggie school — I’ve had it — it’s the end! From here on in, to comment, ya gotta register. And please do! … now, can I figure out how to filter it???

Imagine if this happened at the Simon Industries 325MW gas plant proposed for the Waseca area — the one that’s to sit on top of SEVEN BILLION CUBIC FEET OF UNDERGROUND GAS STORAGE!!

Hot off the press — in today’s Waseca County News — a peaking plant turbine blew up:

Jet engine explodes at Xcel electricity site in Faribault

By PAULINE SCHREIBER
Staff Writer

7/14/2005 10:42:00 AM

FARIBAULT — A jet engine exploded in Faribault Tuesday, but it had nothing to do with an airplane.

Faribault firefighters were called to 9:31 a.m. to an explosion at Xcel’s peaking generators, located at 17th Street Southwest and Westward Drive.

“This is a very unusual event. The jet engines that are somewhat similar to those in an airplane are only used during extremely hot weather to generate electricity. There are two such engines at the West Faribault peaking facility,” said Paul Adelmann, an Xcel public relations representative.

The jet engines at the Faribault Xcel peaking facility are only used five or six times a year during hot spells, such as southern Minnesota has experienced this past week, Adelmann explained.

“What happened is that the unit that exploded was being tested. The other unit was not in use,” Adelmann said. “There are safeguards in the engines to prevent what happened Tuesday. However, for whatever reason, the safeguards in this unit did not work and the engine over-revved. Before workers could get to the emergency shut-off switch, it exploded.”

No one was injured, Adelmann said. Debris, however, did fly across the neighborhood.

“Anyone in the neighborhood that had any damage of property from the debris can contact us for compensation,” Adelmann said.

The explosion also did not interrupt electrical service to the Faribault area.

It’s not the Faribault Energy Park, my Waseca client, Nancy Prehn, has been checking and there’s another peaking plant in the southwest part of town. More info when we get it, maybe a photo?