Legalectric

Which nuclear wonk mentioned this? The Nugget File, edited by Robert D. Potter.

I had to find it, and I quick grabbed one at abebooks.com. It’s both very scary and hilarious. Unfortunately, it was published by Union of Concerned Scientists in 1979, which is unfortunate, as so many really stupid human scientific tricks have happened since.

We’ve had warning though. For example, on page 6, “Runaway Fuel Handling Crane — Improper Design.” It seems a “grapple hoist” for irradiated fuel handling “ran away” due to an electrical short, “and caused the grapple hoist to operate in its upward movement at maximum speed.” The plant is “unidentified,” and this nugget was referenced as “1965-68 #28.”

That reminds me of the time when a crane at Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant here in Red Wing was putting a cask into the pool, and it went up, and got stuck, and a multi-ton empty cask was twisting in the wind, well, no wind, but hanging up there for quite a while. OOPS!

There are two more of these books at abebooks.com.

Electric rates in Minnesota used to be among the lowest in the nation. Now, it’s UP, UP, UP! Why? Because we’re paying for all those billions of dollars of transmission lines going UP, UP, UP!

Here’s an example, from the West Central Tribune — note in the article below, the issue of whether it’s to bring energy “into the area” was deftly dodged. This line is about MONEY, it’s NOT about bringing energy into the area.

Willmar Municipal Utilities reaches $100,000 net gain benchmark on transmission investment

The Willmar Municipal Utilities Commission on Monday heard an update from staff electrical engineer Jeron Smith regarding its transmission investment in the Grid North Partners project.

By Jennifer Kotila

November 15, 2024 at 5:17 AM

WILLMAR — Willmar Municipal Utilities has realized a net gain from its investment in the Upper Midwest transmission project formerly known as CapX2020, the Municipal Utilities Commission learned this week.

Willmar Municipal Utilities invested $550,000 in what is now known as the Grid North Partners project, making its last payment in 2012. Thus far, Willmar Municipal Utilities has realized a net gain of $101,000 from the investment, according to staff electrical engineer Jeron Smith, who presented an update to the commission during its regular meeting Monday.

Willmar Municipal Utilities and 14 other municipalities entered into an agreement with Central Municipal Power Agency/Services for the 250-mile Brookings line — a transmission line from Brookings County, South Dakota, to Hampton, Minnesota, located just south of the Twin Cities.

The transmission line was constructed for a double circuit, with only one circuit being installed when it was completed in 2015.

In January 2024, the Utilities Commission approved investing an additional $550,000 in the project to install the second circuit, which is currently in progress with an expected completion date of Sept. 15, 2025.

Willmar Municipal Utilities owns a percentage of the transmission line and shares in operating and management costs for its share of the line, according to Smith.

Owners are also responsible for roughly 10% of the cost for substations that want to interconnect using the transmission line, and the costs are allocated by each member’s percentage of ownership.

Currently, there are three new substations in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator generator interconnection application queue to interconnect with the transmission line, according to Smith.

“If those come to reality, we could potentially have more expenses in that, but we’ll keep you informed as they come along and materialize,” Smith told the commission.

Commissioner Bruce DeBlieck asked if the additional transmission is to assist in bringing more renewable energies into the area.

“It’s part of the larger MISO transmission expansion plan, but yes, that’s the bulk of it, to replace the carbon generators that are being shut down and bring more renewable energy into our area,” Smith said.

According to the Central Municipal Power Agency/Serviceswebsite, it sponsored 11 public power utilities in Minnesota and four in Iowa in the CapX Brookings/Grid North transmission project 10 years ago in order to allow public power to make transmission investments on the same basis as investor-owned utilities.

The municipal power agency and its participants own 3.9% of the 345-kilovolt line along with Xcel Energy, Great River Energy, Otter Tail Power Corporation and Missouri River Energy Services.

The investment by Central Municipal Power Agency/Services in the CapX Brookings/Grid North transmission line was a strategy to hedge future MISO transmission usage rate increases, according to the website.

During the 40-year life of the CapX Brookings/Grid North project, Central Municipal Power Agency/Services participants are projected to earn a return of $17.8 million in excess of their expenses in the form of distributions and savings from the $32 million investment to construct the line, according to West Central Tribune archives.

Got that rooftop sign taken down with Complaint #1.

Here we go. Got over the prima facie determination hurdle for Complaint #2, and on to the Probable Cause hearing, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on December 9, 2024.

And here’s Complaint #3 (Notice & Complaint here) Prima Facie Determination:

p.s. FYI, yesterday, they did take down the (#3 Complaint) sign on the trailer that was parked on Main Street:

Well, here we go again!

First, a Complaint against Gary Iocco, Iocco for Red Wing Mayor Campaign, because he’s not been held accountable for the sign on the roof.

It’s a problem because acceptance of a corporate donation and not reporting that donation is a violation of Campaign Finance law. It’s been filed, Notice sent by OAJ, and it’s been assigned to ALJ Kimberly Mittendorf, the same ALJ who handled Complaint #1.

The email of this Notice did not include the Complaint, so here it is:

Next up, Complaint #3 against Gary Iocco, Gary Iocco for Red Wing Mayor Campaign, because right after taking down that sign per a settlement with Dehn Oil, this sign on corporate property on a company trailer on one of the main intersections in the heart of Red Wing!

Great idea… It went up on Halloween, and so now that’s eleven (11) days.

I have a feeling that as with the sign on Dehn Oil property, the absentee corporate property owner in Hudson, WI hasn’t a clue that the trailer and sign is there on their lot. Also note it’s a “Will-Do Truckin'” trailer, but Will-Do’s filings at the Secretary of State are history, and it’s a subset of Wylie Wilson Trucking, Inc., another corporate donor. And guess what? It’s not just “Will-Do Truckin'” that’s MIA. None of the four entities under the “About Us” tab on the Wylie Wilson site has an active registration with the Secretary of State!

That’s not really surprising. It seems to run in the family, as Wilson Oil SoS filings as of today STILL have not been updated since the September 19, 2024 Probable Cause hearing where Mike Wilson seemed surprised that Wilson Oil, Inc., “sold” in 2017, was still in his name, and hadn’t been changed for, what, SEVEN years?!?!

From the rough transcript of that September 19, 2024 hearing, is this bizarre or what:

Ms. Overland, do you have any information that Mr. Wilson owns Wilson Oil?

Overland: Yes, I enclosed the Secretary of State’s Registration and it shows that Dehn Oil did a assumed name, but the registration for Wilson Oil still reflects that Mike Wilson is the primary person. It’s in the Complaint, I can look it up, and that the address is the 2355, it has not been changed to a P.O. Box. That will be… OK, the screen shot of that, Chief Executive Officer, and this is current with the Secretary of State says Mike Wilson, 2355 Old West Main, Principle Executive, at the address 2355 Old West Main, that’s not been changed at the Secretary of State.

ALJ: Mr. Wilson?

Wilson: Yes? …[long pause] …I don’t know why that would be. I’d have, I’d have to check with my attorneys and see why that would be. I say I sold the business seven years ago. It’s paid in full, not owing from Dehn Oil. I don’t have anything, I’m just the lonely Mayor of Red Wing now, that’s all I’ve got left.

ALJ: Thank you, let’s move on…

SOURCE: https://legalectric.org/f/2024/09/Sept-19-Probable-Cause-Hearing_Partial.pdf

The trailer with the sign is still there tonight, as of 11/10/2024 @ 17:18:55! It did come loose in a recent storm, but they got right out there and put it back. So much for an act of God!!

I note that I did forget to include in the Complaint the corporate donation of not just the trailer, but cost of the truck and labor, time to drop the trailer off at the lot, plus there’ll be the cost of use of the truck and time to hook and book!

Maybe they need help and I could use my Class A CDL to get that thing GONE!!! SNORT!