IGCC Kemper plant lawsuit
August 6th, 2014
Thanks to John Blair, Valley Watch and Bruce Nilles for the heads up on this IGCC project settlement. We fought off one here, the Excelsior Energy Mesaba Project, which took a lot of people, a lot of groups, a lot of approaches and a lot of coalition, and thanks to all, we do not have a coal gasification plant in Minnesota.
What’s disturbing is that they get to run this boondoggle $5.2 billion dollar project (initially billed as $2.6 billion) at all, though they are shutting down older coal plants and converting to natural gas. It’s the most expensive power plant in history, and guess who’s paying for it?
Progress on West? Another old tree down…
August 6th, 2014
OH NOOOOOOOO… We’re losing another big beautiful tree today. Diesel fumes are particularly intense. The noise these days is unreal, industrual-strength jackhammer on a bucket breaking up rock and digging down to build the wall foundation. They’re getting down, all right!
Zip Rail – Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authority
August 1st, 2014
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For those of you interested in how we got to where we are on this, take a look at what the Olmsted County Regional Railroad Authority has been doing:
Board Packets & Minutes
Regional Railroad Authority
| Meeting Date | Packets | Minutes |
| June 23, 2009 |  Packet (117KB) |
Minutes (13KB) |
| January 19, 2010 | Packet (38KB) |
Minutes (9KB) |
| June 22, 2010 | Packet (11KB) |
Minutes (10KB) |
| December 14, 2010 | Packet (43KB) |
Minutes (8KB) |
| January 18, 2011 | Packet (49KB) |
Minutes (13KB) |
| September 27, 2011 | Packet (837KB) |
Minutes (11KB) |
| October 25, 2011 | Packet (69KB) |
Minutes (29KB) |
| November 22, 2011 | Packet (23KB) |
Minutes (14KB) |
| January 17, 2012 | Packet (65KB) |
Minutes (8KB) |
| February 21, 2012 | Packet (60KB) |
Minutes (12KB) |
| April 24, 2012 | Packet (26KB) |
Minutes (15KB) |
| September 25, 2012 | Packet (1140KB) |
Minutes (51KB) |
| January 22, 2013 | Packet (28KB) |
Minutes (9KB) |
| August 27, 2013 | Packet (161KB) |
Minutes (17KB) |
| January 21, 2014 | Packet (296KB) |
Minutes (17KB) |
| June 24, 2014 | Packet (36KB) |
Minutes |
Zippy Kenyon Zip Rail meeting!
August 1st, 2014
Nearly 400! And asking questions that need to be asked, and expecting answers about a project that could have immense impact and even more cost! “The people” get it.
For more info, see www.goziprail.org and Midwest High Speed Rail Association.
Comments due by August 6, 2014. Send comments to:
info@goziprail.org or
MN DOT Passenger Rail Office ATTN: Zip Rail 395 John Ireland Boulevard, MS 470 St. Paul, MN 55155
So last night, I’m at the Zip Rail meeting, blasted down from Red Wing, greeted everyone at the door, handed out some flyers, didn’t have nearly enough, and was standing in the back listening to the same ol’, same ol’ rap, on and on. Chuck Michael, then Garneth Peterson, then Chuck again, yawn… and getting irritated hearing the song and dance with little of substance, so I went into the commons, the meeting was broadcast out there, writing out a few things to hand in, zzzzzzzzzzz … it’s pushing 7, meeting end time, and I’m following the discussion, nothing exciting, winding down, so I hit the road. I felt good about getting some questions and info on how to comment into people’s hands. All in a day’s work…
But DAMN! Left too soon!!! This meeting, the people stood up and let them know what they were thinking!
Here’s the report in the Post Bulletin:
Fireworks erupt at Zip Rail meeting in Kenyon