Minnesota Power spills ~ million gallons of coal ash wastewater
July 17th, 2024
Great, just great. “About” a million gallons of Minnesota Power’s Boswell coal plant’s coal ash wastewater dumped into Blackwater Lake (appropriate name!), a pond connected to the Mississippi River, a pond where the plant’s cooling water is drawn from, and also a pond where people fish!
The good news is that MP didn’t do an Xcel and wait for MONTHS to disclose. It appears that MP got on the horn almost instantly after the spill was discovered and reported it.
There’s supposedly a press release, but it’s not posted on their “Press Release” page, so I asked about it. MP did get back to me and shared its statement — THANK YOU!
From KAXE:
1M gallons of coal ash wastewater spilled at Cohasset coal plant
Here’s what the STrib has to say:
One million gallons of coal ash wastewater spill at Minnesota Power coal plant
By Walker Orenstein and Chloe Johnson Star Tribune
MPCA is investigating the spill, spokeswoman Andrea Cournoyer said in a statement.
Sand – UNEP’s report
May 7th, 2019
![](https://legalectric.org/f/2014/12/sandblowing.jpg)
Here in Red Wing, and throughout southeast Minnesota, and along the other side of the river in Wisconsin, sand has been a major issue. Many communities were dragged into this issue when an epidemic of silica sand mines, processing, and transloading facilities sprang up to support fracking for oil. Sand interests got Red Wing’s Mayor ejected when he was both Mayor and Executive Director of sand mining industry’s Minnesota Industrial Sand Council:
Sand was also an issue as Minnesota attempt at, though I’d say avoided, developing sand mining rules:
Someone explain rulemaking to the MPCA
As to sand as a resource, that’s not really been a part of the discussion in these parts. And on that note, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) has released a report:
And in the STrib: UN environment agency warns of effects of rising sand use
Check it out!
Yesterday at PUC – Freeborn Wind TABLED!
February 16th, 2019
Yesterday, Freeborn Wind, the Applicant, had its wind project permit tabled by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. How’d that happen!?! SNORT! I heard there was an audible gasp from that side of the room when it happened.
This latest round started with a bizarrely attempt to get more than what they got:
Yeah, it sure got them more!! Great idea, disclosing an “agreement” with Commerce and MPCA after being granted a permit by PUC after the ALJ Recommendation that the permit be denied (and in the alternative, that they be granted time to demonstrate that they COULD comply):
So what did Freeborn say in its Request4Clarification?
Freeborn Wind requests the Commission clarify its Site Permit to adopt Section 7.4, as
proposed by Freeborn Wind and agreed to by the Department and MPCA, in place of the current Sections 7.4.1 and 7.4.2, to both ensure consistency with the Order and avoid ambiguity in permit compliance.Freeborn Wind’s September 19, 2018, Late-Filed proposal for Special Conditions Related
to Noise outlines the agreement reached between Freeborn Wind, the Department and the MPCA on this issue.[fn omitted] The letter indicated that Freeborn Wind had carefully reviewed the proposed Sections 7.4.1 and 7.4.2 from the Staff Briefing Papers, and was concerned they “create[d] ambiguity and would lead to significant compliance challenges.” [fn omitted] Instead, Freeborn Wind offered “proposed alternative language addressing pre-construction noise modeling and postconstruction noise monitoring special conditions” which is “specific to this case” and would “achieve a similar level of noise regulation, but in a manner that can actually be measured following the applicable rules and standards.”
p. 1-2, 20191-148986-02_Freeborn Wind’s Request4Clarification (emphasis added).
SNORT! Really, they said that! It was good to see confirmation of the orchestration I’d observed at the September 20 PUC agenda meeting, being in the middle of the full court press of Freeborn Wind, Commerce and MPCA (why exactly was MPCA there, they have no jurisdiction). Oh, about MPCA’s jurisdiction, the letter of Kohlasch explains that well:
So we responded to that Freeborn Wind Motion:
I’d sent Data Practices Act Requests to MPCA and Commerce:
And on receiving Data Practices Act Requests from MPCA, which showed some of the behind-the-scenes going on, filed this:
And the moment I filed it, and went to email to check filing status, get confirmation, and I see an email from Wachtler, Commerce-EERA, which is included in this, filed the following day:
They produced NON-O-T-H-I-N-G! Nothing at all!
So off we went to the PUC, and the meeting was bizarre. The Commission did not take up the Many Motions, Motions to Strike, Motions for Reconsideration, Motions for Remand, Motion after Motion, it was dizzying. Admissions of “confusion” were heard, and can’t have Commissioner confusion. Methinks that there was confusion at the September 20, 2018 meeting, which was why the permit was approved with the conditions offered and haggled over just a bit. The video, do check it out, scroll down to #3 at link, starting at 16:43:
TABLED! We have 14 days to provide language for the permit conditions, 7.4; 7.4.1; 7.4.2. Then another Agenda meeting date will be set, ostensibly to deal with Motions, language, etc.
Another Freeborn last minute filing! And AFCL response
September 19th, 2018
Freeborn Wind at the PUC tomorrow.
Watch on line HERE: Live Webcast
ANOTHER LATE FILING!!! This last minute flurry is indicative of their desperation! So I guess it’s a good thing, but hey, I’ve got to get ready for the Wind Rulemaking docket that I’ve been trying to get before the Commission for how many years? Oh well… one thing at a time…
Freeborn Wind’s “Late Filed — Proposed Special Conditions Related to Noise _20189-146486-01
And our response just filed:
Oh yeah, we’re going to have fun at the PUC tomorrow. Watch on line HERE: Live Webcast
And background, yesterday and day before:
AFCL reply to Freeborn Wind’s Motion to Exclude
Freeborn Wind files Motion to Exclude!!
AFCL reply to Freeborn Wind’s Motion to Exclude
September 18th, 2018
Whew, quick response to Freeborn Wind’s Motion:
Here’s their Motion:
20189-146448-02_Motion to Exclude Untimely Filing of Frank Kohlasch
From here, it looks like they’re trying to weasel their way into a 1 dBA “wiggle room” to add onto the state’s 50 dBA limit. Ummmmmm, no! No way is that supported by the record, and really, there’s already a 3 dBA “margin of error” built in, supposedly, well, so says Freeborn Wind’s expert Hankard!
Here’s the MPCA letter they’re so up in arms about, but wait, it’s nothing new!!!!
Freeborn, you know all about ambient sound noise modeling, we discussed it for how many hours in the hearing? Good grief…
Here are the MPCA’s noise standards: