What’s become of Excelsior Energy?
December 16th, 2018
Remember Excelsior Energy‘s boondoggle Mesaba Project? Go to the PUC’s search page and search for “05-1993” and “06-668” for the dockets.
A little birdie flew by today, cocked its shiny eye and said…
So following up… Does anyone find it strange that as of August 3, 2018, the registered office of Excelsior Energy and its agent, CEO, and Principal Executive Office Address of Tom Micheletti, is THE ABOVE STORAGE UNIT at 4630 Quebec Avenue North, New Hope, MN 55428?
Last known address: 708 1st St., #421, Minneapolis, sold 2017 for $749,900(verified in Metsa for Congress report, 3/9/2018 donation)… and then there’s Orono: Tom & Julie’s house is for sale.
Did you know that Excelsior Energy got their regulatory perks extended until 2025?!?! Really, look at this, Minn. Stat. 216B.1694, Subd. 3(b)(1), a 2017 legislative boondoggle!
Yes, Excelsior Energy was doing their lobbying in 2017.
Julie Jorgensen has been hustling with Greenmark, our good friends Mark Andrews and Red Wing’s ex-Mayor Dennis Egan. Three Musketeers? Three Stooges?
Then there’s Excelsior Energy Capital. What’s that?!?! Well, a Delaware corp registered in Minnesota in August of 2017, and inquiring minds found out their HQ is a BOAT SLIP at 21950 Minnetonka Boulevard, #210, Excelsior, MN.
Really. Could google maps be wrong? It’s not international waters, but assuredly … ummmm… well, bizarre! Look at their TEAM (can you say photoshopped?). I can’t find direct connections to our friends at Excelsior Energy, but with an operation like this, it’s got to be there! Searching…
Remember AWA Goodhue’s office? And Secretary of State lets them get away with this?
Failure of “clean coal” in The Guardian
March 2nd, 2018
Yes, we know it doesn’t work. Learned that in stopping the Mesaba Project:
There were IGCC – coal gasification – plants proposed all over the country, and they fell, one by one. Some not fast enough, the Kemper project, in today’s Guardian, is an example of protracted misrepresentations to keep that money coming in to fund the scam:
The best thing that came from the failed Mesaba Project was the information about the technology that hadn’t been disclosed before. We were able to use this information all over the country to stop these plants, and stop this one before Minnesotans were utterly and hopelessly screwed as they were in Mississippi with Southern’s Kemper and Indiana with Duke’s Edwardsport. Read the rest of this entry »
Responses to Excelsior Energy articles in DNT
August 24th, 2011
For background on this Excelsior Energy scam known as the Mesaba Energy Project, just search on that link and here on Legalectric for Excelsior, Mesaba, gasification, boondoggle, etc.!!!!
If you search their site, what is most noticeable is the changes, lots is missing, for example, on their “About Us” page, their “Our Team” is missing a lot of people. Here’s what it used to say:
Excelsior Energy | ![]() |
Excelsior’s executive team has significant utility and power plant experience including all of the following aspects of large energy projects, planning, development, engineering, financing, permitting, construction and operation.
Executive Team Julie Jorgensen Co-President and CEO Thomas Micheletti Co-President and CEO Thomas Osteraas Senior Vice President and General Counsel Dick Stone Senior Vice President, Development and Engineering Robert Evans Vice President, Environmental Affairs Kathi Micheletti Vice President, Government Relations William Ruzynski Vice President, Development Mary Day Controller
Additional Senior Personnel
The following senior industry experts work with Excelsior Energy on a regular basis
Stephen Sherner Sherner Power Consulting Bruce Browers Browers Consulting
It’s just a remnant of its former self.
Anyway, the Duluth News Tribune articles were published:
Millions in public money spent, but Iron Range power plant still just a dream
Iron Range energy project seeks lifeline in more funding, new fuel source
… and then came some responses, first from the paper’s editors standing up against this boondoggle (finally!), and then from Julie and Tom:
Published August 23, 2011, 12:02 AM
Our view: Taxpayers have right to answers on Excelsior
What happened to our more than $40 million?Even then, what was reported often was incomplete.
And, perhaps most pressing of all to taxpayers, what happened to our more than $40 million?
Here’s what Julie Jorgensen and Tom Micheletti had to say in response:
Published August 24, 2011, 12:00 AM
In response: Excelsior Energy project is an important energy option for state
By: Julie Jorgensen and Tom Micheletti, Duluth News TribuneThe Mesaba Energy Project, under development by Excelsior Energy, is a unique public/
We at Excelsior Energy take our obligations under our
The project is nearing the end of this complex governmental-
Julie Jorgensen and Tom Micheletti are co-CEOs of Excelsior Energy Inc.
Duluth News Tribune on Excelsior Energy scams
August 24th, 2011
For years and years, I represented mncoalgasplant.com opposing this wretched boondoggle of a pipe-dream of “clean” and “green.”
The project lingers on, on life-support, and pulling the plug is long overdue.
The good news is that the Duluth News Tribune is finally paying attention, and looking into the financial irregularities. Duluth News articles are here, and next will be some responses.
It started with an article in Duluth News Tribune, first in a series, the second below:
Published August 21, 2011, 09:40 AM
Millions in public money spent, but Iron Range power plant still just a dream
By: Peter Passi, Duluth News Tribune
Yet Micheletti said he’s stopped making predictions as to when Excelsior will build its first plant.
How much more pay Micheletti and Jorgensen have received since 2006 has not been publicly disclosed.
Part II of the Duluth News Tribune series on Excelsior Energy:
Published August 22, 2011, 12:30 AM
Iron Range energy project seeks lifeline in more funding, new fuel source
By: Peter Passi, Duluth News Tribune
* EARLIER: Millions in public money spent, but Iron Range power plant still just a dream
Gone are state funds, including:
# $10 million from the Minnesota Renewable Development Fund.
“We’ve got staying power to see our way through this,” he said.
Sen. Tom Bakk, D-Cook, supported Excelsior’s request.
“There’s much less risk from an investor standpoint,” he said.
But Anzelc said Excelsior still lacks one essential: a customer.
“To my knowledge, no on in the power business is supportive of this project,” he said.
Even the revamped natural gas plant plan could be a tough sell, however.
Minnesota Power’s Mullen described what he considers “a flat market” for power generation,
But he’s not counting Excelsior out.
“You have to give them credit for their tenacity,” Mullen said.
The IGCC pipedream continues to fizzle
June 16th, 2010
A little birdie has been looking around at Mesaba — but first…
Here’s a report of an obvious problem with IGCC from John Blair, Valley Watch— the pipedream is just that, and the truth that those of us in the midst of coal gasification know too well is finally coming out publicly:
Carbon capture plans failing – IEA
“Much greater effort will be needed to meet future deployment levels,” it said.
Meanwhile, the little birdie… We’ve been in this odd and unenviable place, a big horrible coal gasification plant, the Mesaba Project, promoted by Excelsior Energy, a shell corp with nada for assets, which demanded a Power Purchase Agreement then denied by the PUC, and yet inexplicably granted a siting permit for not just “one” but TWO projects totalling over 1,000MW of IGCC! OH… MY… DOG! So it’s in limbo land, and we’re wondering how on earth this thing stays on life support as it rots away…
The little birdie had this report:
Excelsior Energy was supposed to have filed a new air permit, and the MPCA was supposed to have reviewed the 2006 air permit application “to assure that the protocol was acceptable to federal land managers.” Well, that didn’t happen, the “review” by MPCA OR the filing of the new air permit, which was supposed to have been filed last week.
… and the little birdie while looking around found this in their “Frequently Asked Questions” on their site, then scroll down to “View common transmission misconceptions” to p. 2:
Myth: The Mesaba Project will force wind energy off from the transmission grid.
Hmmmmmmmmm…
And this “Myth” section is a lot like their letter to Commerce regarding EIS Scoping Comments:
Anyway, I’d like to see this blog posting they’re referring to! Misinterpreted? Naaaaaaah, it’s all the interpretations of those presenting and reviewing at the MAPP meeting. Their claims are sorta like the matter of using a site with existing infrastructure:
I wonder what it was that blew their dress up… could it be:
So now it’s deliverable??? SWAG! January 9th, 2007
They caaalll Mesaaaba liiiars… November 25th, 2006
It’s all about this study — READ IT FOR YOURSELF:
Anyway, their air permit application was submitted, and it is a mess. The rules have changed. We’re waiting for the next Air Permit application, which will be… when???