MN Court of Appeals questions PUC’s missive!
October 3rd, 2011
Today the Minnesota Court of Appeals issued an Order that was just what I’d been looking for, questioning the Public Utilities Commission’s actions in pushing filing of appeals by intervenors in the AWA Goodhue Wind Project docket. Here’s the Order:
It seems that our inclusion of the PUC’s letter of September 13, 2011 got their attention, it seems that our explaining that this was why we were filing appeals at this early date (dare I say premature?!?!) got their attention, because the PUC pushed those appeals with this letter, the likes of which I’ve never seen before — READ THIS:
In essence, they threatened us, saying that we’ve got to appeal by September 22, 2011, or we lose our chance to appeal. So we had best appeal, because if we didn’t and waited until the customary time, within 30 days of their FINAL decision regarding our Reconsideration filings, if we’d waited, we’d be fighting their Motions to toss us out for an “untimely” appeal, missing the date, and we’d be arguing uphill. And that’s what I love about our spot right now, because we’re in, and the court is looking at it, saying, “HUH? Whatever were they thinking?”
The PUC has the uphill battle now. I love it when that happens…
Here we go. By October 11, we get to write a Memorandum with our responses to four questions, just the right four questions that I want them to address:
(a) Is the MPUC required to publish a notice in the State Register of a decision granting a permit to construct an LWECS?
(b) If the answer to (a) is yes, should the time to file a motion for reconsideration within ten days after the decision or order under Minn. Stat. § 14.64 be construed as ten days after notice of the decision is published in the State Register?
(c) Was a timely request for reconsideration filed regarding the MPUC’s decision dated August 23, 2011?
(d) If the answer to (c) is yes, should these consolidated appeals be dismissed as premature, to return jurisdiction to the MPUC to rule on the request for reconsideration?
FYI, I’ve checked the State Register and the PUC has not published notice regarding their AWA Goodhue decision.
ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?!?!?!?! Could this order get any better???
District Energy’s biomess plant fined for air permit violations
October 2nd, 2011
The MPCA has announced that they’ve fined District Energy in St. Paul for air permit violations to the tune of $55,000.00. It’s a start. This is something that’s gone on for so long, their air permit had expired years ago and the MPCA did nothing. Now they have done a little something, well, it was a while ago, but somehow a story about the MPCA’s 2nd quarter reports popped up while I was on the STrib today:
Here’s the MPCA press release:
St. Paul District Energy Operation Pays $55,000.00 Environmental Penalty
And there’s also this one for Progressive Rail:
For the full 2Q report:
Glustrom booted out of CO PUC proceedings!
October 2nd, 2011
WTF?!?! Leslie Glustrom has been denied intervention status by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission! Shades of what happened to me in Big Stone, and almost in the CapX 2020 Certificate of Need! She made her Petition/Motion to Intervene, and Xcel objected and the PUC booted her out. (I’m searching for the Order).
The story gives a pretty careful description of what happened, what’s missing is information on all the good work Leslie has done over the years, contributing to the record, helping come up with a better result, and now this…
Here’s Leslie at Nancy’s wedding a few years back:
Boulder energy watchdog kicked out of Xcel dockets at PUC
RNC deja vu all over again
October 2nd, 2011
Watch this video, cops are leading them onto the traffic part of the bridge, and, a la RNC, TRAPPED! It’s the kind of thing that really gets my knickers in a bunch:
After watching this video, read the Washington Post article… does this make any sense:
700 arrested after swarming NY’s Brooklyn Bridge
“Multiple warnings by police were given to protesters to stay on the pedestrian walkway and that if they took roadway they would be arrested,” said Paul Browne, the chief spokesman of the New York Police Department.
… swarming the bridge my ass…