Legalectric

It’s my old neighborhood, and I just had to put my $0.02 in:

Overland Comments – Hiawatha DEIS

Exhibit A – NM-SPG – July 24, 2008

Exhibit B – NSP Petition for CFSR

Exhibit C – NSP/Taylors Falls/St. Croix Falls Agreement

Exhibit D – Chisago County Resolution re: Facilities Surcharge Rider

Exhibit E – Comments of Power Line Task Force – Docket 99-799

Exhibit F – Conductor Specs – from PUC Docket 01-1958, Ex 35 Application, Appendix 7

Exhibit G – Edison Institute – Transmission Property Values Report

Exhibits D and E, oh my, time flies… I’d completely forgotten about those.  And the utilities keep singing the same old tired songs…

Xcel’s Hiawatha Transmission Project, through the heart of the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, was on the PUC’s agenda last Thursday.  I had some deadline or other and couldn’t go, but here’s what happened:

MOES – Comment on Application, Task Force, etc.

Of course MOES thought everything was just ducky…

Midtown Greenway filed a Comment:

Midtown Greenway – Letter

Midtown Greenway – Resolution

There was no Petition for a Contested Case filed, but a Contested Case was ordered because Xcel has taken the mandatory Contested Case route.  There were no Petitions to Intervene… There was only ONE comment filed…

Here’s the PUC’s Order:

PUC Order – May 26, 2009

Here’s the Dept. of Commerce’s view of Scoping for the full-blown Environmental Impact Statement:

Draft Scoping Document

So there we are… Bill Storm of MOES is assuming that it’s an EIS we’re doing, that’s a good thing.  Check the DRAFT scope, though, and note how narrow it is.

There’s a public meeting for scoping (hmmmm… I wonder if I got notice… $50 says no — Bill says yes, and where’s the $50, but, “It would be WRONG,” she says, speaking into the lampshade…):

DOE-MOES – Notice of EIS Scoping Meeting

Thursday, June 18, 2009 – 6:oo p.m.

Midtown Global Market

920 East Lake St.

Mpls, MN

Comments accepted until July 10, 2009

Send to:

Bill Storm, Project Manager

MN Dept of Commerce

85 – 7th Place East, Suite 500

St. Paul, MN  55101

or

bill.storm@state.mn.us

OK, folks, get to work!

• Now’s the time to read the application (Xcel’s Hiawatha Project Page HERE) and draft a Comment about what should be included in the EIS.
  
• Now’s the time to put in your requests to be on the Citizens Advisory Task Force
• Now’s the time to Petition to Intervene! (well, it’s not to late… YET…)
  

HEY MOES, I’D SIGNED UP FOR THE LIST AND AS OF TODAY, 4/28, HAVE NOT RECEIVED NOTICE OF THIS PROJECT APPLICATION THAT YOU’VE POSTED ON APRIL 24!  WHAT GIVES?

Here’s the state’s routing webpage – HERE’S THE LINK FOR APPLICATION AND TO SIGN UP FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

MOES page for Hiawatha Project

Now take a look at this map for the FULL plan, well, at least a larger picture, than what they’re disclosing for the Hiawatha Project.  Here’s the map, and note carefully, from B-C is what they’re calling the Hiawatha Project.  tHIS SECTION IS FOR XCEL’s PAM RASMUSSEN, WHO HATES IT WHEN I PUBLISH THIS MAP, SO I’VE GOT TO BE VERY SPECIFIC WHERE THIS INFORMATION IS COMING FROM AND WHAT CONSTITUTES THE “HIAWATHA PROJECT” and as far as Xcel is disclosing, the applied for Hiawatha Project is “B-C” of this map.  Look below to see where the rest comes from!

Here’s the NM-SPG meeting minutes reporting on the A-B link, the 345kV line from a new substation on Hwy 280 (A) to the new Hiawatha Project substation (B).

Minutes – NM-SPG meeting July 24, 2008

Then there’s “Hiawatha Project” from B-C.

For C, D and E, see the “Minnesota Transmission Owners” 2007 Biennial Transmission Plan, where they list these extension alternatives:

Alternatives. Initial investigation and scoping discussions have led to the development of three potential alternatives:

(1) Construct a new 115 kV line from a new Hiawatha Substation along Highway 55 to a new Oakland Substation near Lake Street and I-35W. The line would then continue south to a new Highway 62 Substation near Highway 62 and Nicollet Avenue. The line would continue to its final termination at a new Penn Lake Substation near I-494 and Sheridan Avenue.

(2) Similar to Option 1, but the final 115 kV line would stretch from Highway 62 Substation to the existing Wilson Substation near I-494 and Wentworth Avenue.

(3) Construct two smaller 115 kV loops with new 115 kV lines running from Hiawatha to Oakland to Elliot Park and a second loop from Penn Lake to Highway 62 to Wilson.

Section 7 of Biennial Transmission Plan, go to Section 7.5 and all the way down to 3rd and 4th to last pages:

CLICK HERE FOR SECTION 7 OF TRANSMISSION PLAN

Another point to note:  the Hiawatha Project is WAY over spec’d.  This is a double circuited ACSS 795kCmil conductor — see what that means and compare it with the claimed 100MW need in the FUTURE!

Ex. 35 – conductors – from SW MN 345kV docket

And now, for today’s STrib article:

Will burying power lines in Midtown bury city, users with $12.6 million bill?

Xcel Energy prefers to route transmission lines along the Midtown Greenway; public officials question the fivefold cost increase of putting them underground.

By STEVE BRANDT, Star Tribune

Last update: April 27, 2009 – 11:27 PM

If Xcel wanted buried power lines along this corridor, they should have expressed that when the greenway project was in the planning … read more stages. They could have accomplished this with a substantially reduced cost. Poor foresight on their part is not the responsibility of the city.

Xcel Energy has told state regulators that it wants its controversial twin high-voltage power lines through the Midtown area of Lake Street in Minneapolis to run along the rim of the Midtown Greenway.

But the utility told the Public Utility Commission that the line could be run either overhead for $3 million or underground for $15.6 million. If it’s the latter, either the city or electrical users in Minneapolis should pay the extra $12.6 million cost, Xcel said.

Some city and Hennepin County elected officials said the proposal represents an opportunity for state regulators to consider a paradigm shift in assessing those costs and whether the utility should bear the expense of installing a new underground line in an urban area. That’s because the lines would penetrate a dense urban area, unlike more typical routing through rural or developing suburban areas, said Minneapolis City Council Member Gary Schiff.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Hiawatha Project, Xcel’s transmission line vision/nightmare for Phillips Community in South Minneapolis, is getting closer, moving forward toward an application.

CLICK HERE for the MOES Docket Page for Hiawatha Project

Go to that page and sign up for notices and info if you haven’t already!

Here’s what just came over the wire from RaeLynn S. Asah, Xcel:

Greetings!

You have been previously contacted regarding the Hiawatha project and have expressed interest in keeping up to date on the status of the project.

We are currently finalizing the Route Permit application for the Hiawatha project and plan to file later this month.

As we have been preparing the application, we have been including input from the community on concerns about the project:

* The application will include four possible transmission line route locations and five design options, including the two underground route options that have been discussed (along 28th Street and 29th Street).
* We are including alternative locations for both the Midtown and the Hiawatha substations.
* We are including copies of the various resolutions in the application that reflect the concerns raised by various entities in the area.

As part of the filing requirements, various City and County staff and representatives receive copies of the application along with copies at the local library. The filing will also be available on the Minnesota Public Utilities Commissions (PUC) web site (Docket # E002/TL-0938) and on our website. However, given your past involvement, we expect you would may a copy of the application.  We would prefer to limit the number of paper copies we print to those that prefer that type of document.  We will also provide a CD version to those who prefer that option.

Xcel Energy is committed to working with the community to the extent possible and fully encourages everyone to become involved in the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) process, which is open to all interested parties and individuals.  The best way to ensure your organization and constituents stay apprised of project developments is to register with the PUC to be on their mailing list.  You can do this by calling the PUC directly as requesting to be included on the mailing list for project docket #E002/TL-0938.

Please contact me as soon as possible to let me know if you would like a copy of the application, the type of document (paper or CD) and the number of copies.

Please feel free to contact me directly, all of my contact information is listed below.

RaeLynn S. Asah |  Permitting Analyst  |  Siting and Land Rights  |  Transmission, Flr 8  |  Xcel Energy  |  250 Marquette Ave  |  Minneapolis MN 55401  |  o:  612-330-6512  |  fax: 612-573-4011

Tomorrow a.m., at too early o’clock, there’s a “Breakfast with Gary” panel discussion on Xcel’s Hiawatha Project.  Gary Schiff is the 9th ward council rep, here’s the map. Xcel’s proposed Hiawatha Project runs right through the heart of the district — their preferred route is the Midtown Greenway — great, wonderful idea — whatever are they thinking?!?!?!

Moi is on the agenda, so I’ll be up at “even more too early o’clock” to get there, and from the looks of it outside, Ken and Krie might get hitched to a sled.  Snow is letting up, and the guy across the street in Wadley’s old house is blowing snow.

Breakfast with Gary Schiff

Panel discussion of Xcel Energy’s Hiawatha Project

Friday, February 27
7:30 to 9 a.m.
Mercado Central
1515 East Lake Street
Bloomington and Lake in Minneapolis
(remember Antiques Minnesota?)

Be there or be square!!