It’s the economy, stupid!
April 6th, 2009
We’ve heard that before and we abdicated… and where are we?
Thanks to Jonathan Larson, who never fails to delight with his finds, for this insightful and inciteful piece:
“This article is dedicated to the protestor on Wall Street on 25 September, 2008, who said what everyone was thinking.”
Xcel – Undergrounding in Taylors Falls
April 4th, 2009
Shame, shame, shame, Xcel…
Remember way back when, Chisago II, when then Northern States Power did a deal with the City of Taylors Falls and the City of St. Croix Falls? I won’t forget the cities’ joint siging meeting, because the then Mayor of St. Croix Falls, now a felon, ordered me arrested when I inquired during public comment period about the “Project Mitigation Fund and Committee.” Guess he didn’t want that discussed, didn’t want it questioned… thanks to all the hollering from the audience I didn’t end up with three hots and a cot!
This was a three way deal. Well, Xcel has just unilaterally, without permission of Taylors Falls and St. Croix Falls, altered provisions of the construction specifics that were material terms of the agreement.
From the agreement:
See??? Undergrounding “to the existing dam facility on the St. Croix River…”
Simple enough… but here’s what it says in the PUC Order of February 20, 2008:
… and..
So in the agreement, it is undergrounded all the way to the river, and in the PUC Order, it’s above ground from Hwy. 95 to the river on H-frame structures. EH? Well, what does that look like? Here’s the map:
Off to the right, the wider road where there’s a box pointing downward at the wider road where it says “UG Termination Structures” and the line representing transmission changes to sort of a weird dashed line just after the road, that’s Hwy 95 where just east of the highway, it changes from underground to overhead. If you follow it from Hwy. 95 to the right, east, you’ll see it go over County Road 16, Wild Mountain Road and then over to the St. Croix River.
What does Taylors Falls think about it? They’re unhappy enough to have rattled Xcel’s cage, and got this response from Xcel:
Xcel’s explanation why transmission line was overhead when it was supposed to be underground is… well… read it for yourself:
Oh, right, Xcel, because you got everyone together EXCEPT those who are party to the agreement and they agreed, yeah, seems like it’s OK… uh-huh…
I think a better response: “THAT’S DIFFERENT!”
Should the settlement agreement be amended? Xcel has this to say:
Xcel says there’s no need to amend the settlement agreement and that they’ve “complied with all of the provisions relative to Taylors Falls.” Oh… uh-huh…
St. Croix Falls, the other party to the agreement, is outraged! They took it to Congressman Obey:
Can you hear their eyeballs rolling, hands thrown up in disgust?
And what’s this about the school in St. Croix Falls?????
Xcel is getting a little too big for its britches!
ANOTHER TRANSMISSION PLAN FROM HELL…
April 3rd, 2009
From the folks who brought you CapX 2020, today we get even more…
Here’s a link over to my other site — I’ll post a map and more tomorrow, but for now, go over to www.nocapx2020.info
CLICK HERE: ALL ABOUT THE NEW TRANSMISSION PLAN FROM HELL
How dare they… and on the eve of the CapX 2020 Certificate of Need oral argument and deliberation, whatever are they thinking… I do not understand
New York Regional Interconnect WITHDRAWN!!!
April 3rd, 2009
TRANSMISSION INTERRUPTUS
The New York Regional Interconnect has been withdrawn… withdrawn in the middle of cross-examination… like WOW!
This from a missive from Troy Bystrom, Project Manager for Communities Against Regional Interconnect (CARI) just a bit ago:
WE WON!!! NYRI PROJECT WITHDRAWS APPLICATION!!!
Today following a mid-day break in the Article VII certification proceeding, NYRI announced it will withdraw its application from consideration by the Public Service Commission. Counsel for NYRI explained that in the wake of a decision by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier this week, NYRI’s investors decided to end their pursuit of an Article VII Certificate of Environmental Compatibility and Public Need. Earlier this week, FERC denied NYRI’s request for rehearing in a proceeding relating to the recovery of transmission system upgrade costs.
The announcement that NYRI is withdrawing its application occurred in the midst of cross examination of NYRI Witnesses and immediately following CARI’s cross examination on demand side management and economics.
The presiding officers asked NYRI to confirm in writing their withdrawal no later than Monday, April 6, 2009. The Judges also made clear that if NYRI were to seek approval for a similar project in the future, NYRI would be required to once again start at the beginning of the Article VII process.
Communities Against Regional Interconnect, on behalf of the counties of Sullivan, Orange, Delaware, Broome, Chenango, Madison, Oneida, Herkimer, Otsego and the Upper Delaware Council, Stop NYRI, Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition, Say No to NYRI and the Upstate New York Citizens’ Alliance, would like to thank all of those who participated in opposing this ill-conceived Power Line Project in our region.
Thank you to everyone who sent donations, wrote letters, provided testimony, attended public meetings, County planning departments, communities, legal experts, the Attorney General’s Office, DEC, Department of Public Service, consultants, media, organizations, activists, local, state and federal elected officials who all participated in this unprecedented regional effort.
Together, we made a difference. However, the work is not over! We must secure intervener funding to protect the public interest if similar projects are proposed in the future and make sure the 4th District Court’s decision regarding FERC’s authority is not overturned!
And from Scott Olson, of Susquahanna-Roseland “Route B” fame, here’s a collection of today’s news flashes about it:
* APRIL 3, 2009, 4:21 P.M. ET
NY Regional Interconnect Suspends 190-Mile Transmission Project
-By Ian Talley, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-9285; ian.talley@dowjones.com“FERC’s March 31 ruling essentially admits that the process may be biased, but it chose not to intervene,” the company said in a statement.
Officials from FERC and NYISO weren’t immediately able to comment.
… and on the scene, from the Pike County Courier:
NYRI calls it quits — the flying horse is dead
National Park Service on Susquehanna-Roseland transmission
April 2nd, 2009
Susquehanna-Roseland is but a small part of a much bigger plan:
For more information on the Ssuquehanna-Roseland transmission line, see:
STOP THE LINES
The National Park Service seems to be taking a rational approach — a thorough review of impacts on public lands:
National Park Service plans power line study
bscruton@njherald.com
The National Park Service wants a full environmental impact study done on how construction of new 500-kilovolt electric transmission lines will affect the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, the river itself and the Appalachian Trail, a designated national heritage trail.
Just more than four miles of the proposed route crosses through the recreation area on its way from Susquehanna, Pa., to Roseland in Essex County. The Pennsylvania section is being proposed by PPL and the New Jersey section would be built and owned by Public Service Electric & Gas, the state’s largest power utility.
The National Park Service had the option to cede oversight to the utility-regulating agencies of the two states, but announced that “the NPS will adhere to its own regulatory and approval process” regarding the lines.
The proposed route follows an existing right-of-way which contains 230-kilovolt lines which were built in the late 1920s and pre-dates the recreation area. But when the federal government purchased the properties, it also became the party to the rights-of-way. In addition, to construct the new towers, the utilities will need additional, temporary rights-of-way.
Construction over environmentally sensitive areas along other parts of the route has given rise to much of the public opposition to the project.
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