Legalectric

Remember this post about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement?

Prairie Island cask DEIS released

October 31st, 2024

Yes, it’s true! Tempest ist a fugiting, and comments on this DEIS are due next week:

Friday, December 6, 2024

Per the Dept. of Commerce — a few ways to comment:

For more info, for the full docket, go to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission site: mn.gov/puc (https://mn.gov/puc). Select eDockets, and at the bottom, select eDockets again, then enter the PINGP docket’s year (24) and the docket number (68), and select “Search,” and fill in like this:

You can also check the Minnesota Department of Commerce project page, but keep in mind that not all of the documents filed in eDockets are here: eera.web.commerce.state.mn.us/web/project/15425

Once more with feeling, here’s the DEIS Narrative, and the rest in links below:

Lukewarm off the press, the USG air permit is up for renewal. It’s regarded as a “major emitter:”

…so it’s important to pay attention if you’re concerned about air quality here in Red Wing, and who isn’t, eh? This is on the MPCA’s website, and from there, hit “Review Documents” that you’ll see in green:

Comment period ends at 4:30 on December 26, and their procedure for comments is pretty specific, an “I don’t like it, I don’t want it” won’t do it, so if you want your comment to count, here ya go:

Procedure for public participation
As stated in Minn. R. chs. 7000 and 7001, there are three formal procedures for public participation in the MPCA’s consideration of this matter. Interested persons may:

1) Submit written comments on the draft permit.
2) Petition the MPCA to hold a public informational meeting.
3) Petition the MPCA to hold a contested case hearing.
Submitting written comments
Comments may be submitted:
1) Online at https://mpca.commentinput.com/comment/search; or
2) By U.S. postal mail to the following address:
Benton Campbell
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
520 Lafayette Rd
Saint Paul, MN 55155
Submitted comments or petitions must state:
1) Your interest in the permit application or the draft permit.
2) The action you wish the MPCA to take, including specific references to the section of the draft permit you believe should be changed.
3) The reasons supporting your position, stated with sufficient specificity as to allow the MPCA to investigate the merits of the position.

Here;s their NOTICE PAGE, as above, and I’ve also downloaded the documents here:

And the Draft Permit:

And last but most is the Technical Support Document, which won’t make sense to most people, BUT this is what the Draft Air Permit is based on, sooooo… here it is:

Oh my… looks like I fell asleep at the switch. I’m working on getting back up to speed on transmission, making sure all the Power Plant Siting Act Reports are posted, and yikes, I don’t see the 2023 NERC Long-Term Reliability Assessment here on Legalectric. Here it is, quick before the 2024 LTRA comes out:

Short version – we’re not short now and won’t be for a while — we are NOT going to freeze in the dark in an incubator without a job:

Here’s the caveat, per that MISO link, page 39 of the LTRA, where things start not adding up:

It’s always been the claim that building all these BILLIONS of dollars of transmission, that WE pay for, means that we can get electricity from a wider range of sources and that the reserve margins would DROP. Yet look at that chart, lower left. It starts at ~16% (above 15%) and instead of going down, it’s ramping up to above 20%! Were they lying then or are they lying now.

Another thing to keep in mind is the “prospective” number is low because of the definition of prospective, that it required a firm development threshold beyond an interconnection agreement, purposefully reducing prospective generation:

Bottom line — take those reserve margins with a grain of salt, both the rising reserve margin over time, and the reduce prospective generation additions.

To check out NERC Reports through the ages, go here:

NERC Reliability Assessments

Just got notice yesterday of the 2024 Annual Power Plant Siting Act Annual Hearing. I was going to post the statute, 216E.07, except that no longer exists, it’s now 216I.15:

Anyway, here we go:

And the PPSA Annual Hearing Reports from 2000 – 2023, not that the EQB, or now the PUC, has ever paid any attention:

2000 Summary of Proceedings

2000 Report EQB

2001 Summary of Proceedings

2001 Report EQB

2002 Summary of Proceedings

2002 Report to EQB

2003 Summary of Proceedings

2003 Report to EQB

2004 Summary of Proceedings

2004 Report to EQB

2005 Report to PUC

2006 Report to PUC – Docket 06-1733

2007 Report to PUC – Docket 07-1579

2008 Report to PUC – Docket 08-1426

2009 Report to PUC – Docket 09-1351

2010 Report to PUC – Docket 10-222

2011 Report to PUC – Docket 11-324

2012 Report to PUC – Docket 12-360

2013 Report to PUC – Docket 13-965

2014 Summary Report– Docket 14-887

2015 Summary Report – Docket 15-785

2016 Summary Report – Docket 16-18

2017 Summary Report – Docket 17-18

2018 Summary Report – Docket 18-18

2019 Summary Report_Docket 19-18

Summary Report – Docket 20-18

2021 Summary Report – Docket 21-18

2022-Summary-Report_Docket 22-18

Today was declared “America Recycles Day” by President Biden:

But do we? Not nearly enough. And more importantly, what are we doing to generate less? Not nearly enough. City of Red Wing is in the garbage burning business, with Xcel, taking in garbage from Ramsey and Washington Counties. Given that, there’s no incentive to do more.

There have been a couple introductions of a “Zero Waste Act” in Congress, but it goes nowhere.

Omar-Zero Waste Act Download

Let’s get with it folks, it’s not that difficult.