Legalectric

Lynn Schoen, Wabasha City Council and frac sand activist who has devoted years to this, tells the House Mining Committee exactly what’s what.

This committee is so skewed, and as Lynn Schoen notes, they are there to represent us. That’s not happening, and it’s the mining industry being given the committee time.

Here’s the whole hearing:

Video is acting a little funky, ??

Here’s the Committee emmails to let them know what you think about regulation of silica sand mining and their industry-based focus. They need to hear from a broader spectrum, oh yes, that means YOU:
rep.tom.hackbarth@house.mn, rep.dale.lueck@house.mn, rep.david.dill@house.mn, rep.mark.anderson@house.mn, rep.tom.anzelc@house.mn, rep.jack.considine@house.mn, rep.tony.cornish@house.mn, rep.jerry.hertaus@house.mn, rep.brian.johnson@house.mn, rep.deb.kiel@house.mn, rep.eric.lucero@house.mn, rep.denny.mcnamara@house.mn, rep.carly.melin@house.mn, rep.jason.metsa@house.mn, rep.barb.yarusso@house.mn

Mining and Outdoor Recreation Policy Membership 2015 – 2016

Meets: Tuesday and Wednesday at 2:45 p.m. in Room 10 of the State Office Building.

Tom Hackbarth (R) Committee Chair
409 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-2439
E-mail: rep.tom.hackbarth@house.mn

Dale Lueck (R) Vice Chair
423 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-2365
E-mail: rep.dale.lueck@house.mn

David Dill (DFL) DFL Lead
311 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-2190
E-mail: rep.david.dill@house.mn

Mark Anderson (R)
579 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-4293
E-mail: rep.mark.anderson@house.mn

Tom Anzelc (DFL)
317 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-4936
E-mail: rep.tom.anzelc@house.mn

John (Jack) Considine Jr. (DFL)
323 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-3248
E-mail: rep.jack.considine@house.mn

Tony Cornish (R)
369 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-4240
E-mail: rep.tony.cornish@house.mn

Jerry Hertaus (R)
403 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-9188
E-mail: rep.jerry.hertaus@house.mn

Brian Johnson (R)
421 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-4346
E-mail: rep.brian.johnson@house.mn

Debra Kiel (R)
537 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-5091
E-mail: rep.deb.kiel@house.mn

Eric Lucero (R)
515 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-1534
E-mail: rep.eric.lucero@house.mn

Denny McNamara (R)
365 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-3135
E-mail: rep.denny.mcnamara@house.mn

Carly Melin (DFL)
315 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-0172
E-mail: rep.carly.melin@house.mn

Jason Metsa (DFL)
313 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-0170
E-mail: rep.jason.metsa@house.mn

Barb Yarusso (DFL)
307 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St Paul, MN 55155
651-296-0141
E-mail: rep.barb.yarusso@house.mn

Committee Staff
Administrator: Stephanie Lamphere 651-296-5528
Legislative Assistant: Claire Leiter 651-296-4272
Non-Partisan Staff Assigned to the Committee
Research Analysts: Janelle Taylor 651-296-5039 and Christopher Kleman 651-296-8959

Yes, electrical infrastructure, substation, transmission — that’s Michelle Robinson’s work — check it out:

Today we were before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, moi and my clients, Residents of Getty and Raymond Townships, asking that the Commission reconsider its permit amendment for the Black Oak and Getty wind projects:

Residents of Getty and Raymond Twps_Motion for Reconsideration

Given Staff’s position, well:

Reconsideration_Staff Briefing Papers

So yeah, that was a unanimous refusal to reconsider, and then a unanimous vote to deny.  But there was a ray of sunshine this morning!  Chair Heydinger did indeed recuse herself.

Imagine living on the farm right there in the middle of this in Section 18?  And it’s not “just” people who live there, but bald eagles too.  We’ll see what US Fish & Wildlife has had to say, my FOIA request to them is slowly-at-a-snail’s-pace moving forward:

Hot off the press, here is the Zip Rail Scoping Decision and Alternatives:

Final Scoping Decision Document	Reports	Jan 20, 2015		3 MB
Final Scoping Decision Document Appendix A	Reports	Jan 20, 2015		22 MB
Final Scoping Decision Document Appendix B	Reports	Jan 20, 2015		21 MB

Sign in sheets for meetings are in Appendix A.  Comments received are in Appendix B.

In addition to the requisite “No Build Alternative,” the route options they’re looking at in the EIS will include:

I wonder if they’ve considered the big natural gas pipeline that runs across Hwy. 14 along the pink/purple route between Dodge Center and Rochester?

Also looks like a potential problem by Cannon Falls and Hwy. 19… Wild & Scenic River designation, sandwiched in between the Byllesby Dam, Hwy. 52 and the City of Cannon Falls.  Can’t see how that would work, particularly with that CapX 2020 transmission line right there and the DOT restrictions on putting that through.  I… DON’T… THINK… SO…

The Draft EIS is supposed to be completed in 2015.  Something tells me that’s a bit overambitious…

Interesting letter arrived today:

GNTL_Invitation to Consult

It says that “DOE is contacting you because you submitted comment(s) related to cultural resources during the open NEPA public scoping period for the proposed GNTL project.”

RRANT Scoping Comment

???

So what does that mean? What’s involved?  Sending info to them?  Sending more Comments?  Attending meetings? A free trip to D.C?  A self-funded trip to International Falls in February?

“Consultation” is a term of art in federal permitting, and is required with all Indian tribes, of which there are several in the area of the project.  In this case, they also specify “the State Historic Preservation Officer” and “the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation,” and also “certain individuals and organizations…”

Here’s the  National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA)

Working with Section 106

Energy Development, Transmission and Historic Preservation

Are “historical resources” all that they’re concerned about, is there a special category for “cultural resources?”  Or are different people invited to consult on different categories?

And if this is something I want to do, and it is, I have to “include information about your demonstrated legal or economic relation to the undertaking” … (odd word, that)… ” or to properties potentially affected by the proposed GNTL project…”

Guess I’d better figure out what I said in those comments first!