December 10, 2024 was the Power Plant Siting Act Annual Hearing. It was before ALJ Christa Moseng, and there were very few commenters. I’m not seeing any minutes, and don’t know if they’ll ever be posted. There were only two of us commenting, myself, and Dan Wanbeke, who has a CapX 2020 line on his land. If the proposed MN Energy CON line is built, he could be surrounded by transmission.

Wanbeke gave a detailed description of his experience and takeaways, one of the most important was a comment of the PUC’s Bob Cupit (since retired):

There are winners, and there are losers.

A very interesting part of Wambeke’s testimony was regarding the stray voltage problem, all the water in their farm was energized, and the shower tested at 15 VOLTS! The local utility has been out many times, and when Capx 2020 was down for a brief time, no stray voltage, and when it was again energized, the stray voltage was back. He testified about induction current, that when there’s a distribution line running parallel to a massive transmission line, there can be induction current (this also happens with pipelines), and the distribution lines are indeed parallel with CapX transmission. This is NOT rocket science, and the CapX utilities better deal with this. If meeting minutes come out, I’ll post, though the thought occurs to me that this was a “hearing,” so it will probably be a top secret transcript. Will keep an eye out.

These next two tidbits were handouts at the hearing:

And now on to comments filed since:

FYI, the DOT “Policy of Accommodation” that should be entered in every docket, because it sets out how utilities can interact when projects are proposed near roads — I’ve observed cases where the utility paid no attention to DOT comments and landowners nearby were screwed with little notice because utility had to quickly alter plans because DOT would not allow planned placement:

On to the regular folks, so far just two of us!

I’d made oral comments at the hearing (via web), but had to put it in writing to be more specific, because the changes are immense, and there needs to be a record. As I said in my Comment, not for the first time, “I’m disgusted, frustrated, incensed, and committed to showing up before the Public Utilities Commission until I drop dead someday in the large hearing room.” I had to file a corrected version, was bleary-eyed and found typos, missing words and punctuation, and FYI, the first one below has been corrected:

This one, from Kristen Eide-Tollefson for CURE, Communities United for Responsible Energy, is important because she’s seen the changes over the decades, THREE decades, of dealing with the Power Plant Siting Act. Now it no longer exists, hence Eulogy for the PPSA:

Let’s trot out this one again, we’re overdue for a Transmission Transition:

Here it is, and I’ll point out a few things — I really don’t have the stomach for digging into this too deeply, it’s that nauseating.

MTEP24 FULL REPORT

Here is the list of the above projects, with named substations, voltages, and estimated costs (p. 163):

More on this later… I cannot bear to go over this in any detail. 765kV through Minnesota?? URP!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

The Power Plant Siting Act annual hearing, a la Minn. Stat. 216I.15, is the time to let the Public Utilities Commission know what works and what does not work in the Commission’s siting of power plants, transmission, wind, solar, and even pipelines!

Here’s the problem — all they have to do per the statute is “advise the public of the permits issued by the commission in the past year.” What happens after that, well, it goes to the PUC but that’s about it. It is a good time to vent, and get on the record all the horrible things that have happened over the year, and the historical trends, such as elimination of the Advisory Task Force.

Here’s the decades old law providing for Advisory Task Forces:

And this session, after the Public Utilities Commission and their OAH ALJs were denying, denying, denying after so many Advisory Task Force Petitions over so many years — simply repealed, eliminated:

It’s GONE! And eliminating the reference of Task Forces as an aspect of public participation:

Ja, we “Public Participants” get the PUC’s message loud and clear:

Public participation via the Public Utilities Commission? Remember the Report of the Office of the Legislative Auditor?

Public Utilities Commission’s Public Participation Processes – OLA-Report

Fat lot of good that did. Instead of improving public participation, we hear the Commission Chair saying, “What can we do to make this faster for you?” and “What can we do to speed this permitting up?” and that whole “streamlining” effort, which is really STEAMROLLING. Fast tracking permitting, denial of interventions, failure to have project proponents witnesses at hearings for questioning…

PUC Strategic Plan

Here are the reports from the last 20 years — often they hold it on my birthday, but not this year. You can see that year after year, it’s the same issues:

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

And last year’s Report from the 2023 hearing, held on December 20, 2023:

There’s a trend… And here we go, on Tuesday, another year of banging heads against the wall.

Who cares about the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s eDockets system? We all should care! It’s the best way to keep up with what’s going on in the docket, what others are filing, what issues are being raised, what’s the status, and to track all NOTICES, which will tell you of hearings, comment windows, orders, and pay particular attention to those from PUC, OAH (Office of Administrative Hearings), and EERA and DER (Commerce). Also look for comments from individuals and note their concerns.

How to get to eDockets? First go to the PUC’s Main Page (see above) at https://mn.gov/puc then click “eDockets” and you get this and click “eDockets” again:

Then you’ll get to this screen:

At “Docket number -Select” scroll to “22” (the year) and at “Number” enter “131” for Certificate of Need, or “132” for Route docket (and for other dockets, same routine, enter the year and docket number, and there you are!). And for sure look at both. Then click “Search.” (when there are multiple dockets, as with the MN Energy CON, be sure to check both dockets, one at a time). This works for any docket, like the 800MW RFP docket, E002/CN-23-212, plug in year “23” and Number “212” and there you go! Spend some time playing with it to get acquainted, it’ll become second nature soon.

When you get to the docket, as below, click on the far left link in a row to get that filing in that row. Do it a few times, and it’ll be quick and easy! If in active for a while, it will boot you out and you get to start over.

Also, “subscribing” is important to keep up to date on what’s being filed. When there are multiple dockets, be sure to subscribe to both!

To subscribe, when you get to the docket, note the column for Subscription and boxes, as in lower right here:

Click one of the boxes in that subscribe column, any one (above on lower left), and then click the link above “Subscribe” and you’ll go to this screen:

Enter your email address, and for “Type of Subscription” enter “docket” and then you’ll have to enter the docket(s), and then “Add to List.” You’ll get a confirmation email, click and confirm, and there you are!!

When you get emails about the docket, it will have the docket number, and as they come in, pay particular attention to Notices, as there will be dates that are important, meeting/hearing dates, deadlines for comment, etc.

Now, get to it. LOTS of reading, and as you go, you’ll get familiar with it and the process. IT WILL GET EASIER!!

Now for the fun part — FILING IN eDOCKETS! Why file in eDockets? When you file in eDockets, you know what you’ve submitted has been received and is part of the record, and so others can know what your concerns are — it’s SO important to know you’re not alone in this!

To file, first you have to register. In that first eDockets screen go to upper left corner:

Where it says “eFiling”, register by clicking on “Request Registration.” You’ll get this screen:

Fill it all out, click for electronic service — Do not get into paper in these dockets, it is a royal pain, and sending out paper copies to everyone is EXPENSIVE. Click “Submit” and you’ll get confirmation email, confirm, and you’re all set.

To eFile after you’ve registered, click “eFiling Home/Log In” and follow the directions.

WHEN THERE ARE MULTIPLE DOCKETS, BE SURE TO FILE IN BOTH! For the MN ENergy Connection, be sure to write “route” comments with those on-the-ground issues you know best because you’re right there, and also be sure to write comments on “need” because that’s the overarching issue — if the Commission determines it is not needed, it won’t be built — and if it IS deemed needed, it’s a matter of where, and routing is an ugly mess and can devolve into a “STICK IT THERE” struggle. Always address the (lack of) need issues, as that’s the only real way to stop a project.

If you need help on eFiling, contact the Commission’s Public Advisor Charley Bruce — charley.bruce@state.mn.us

Once you take the time to sign up, and get familiar with it, you’ll see how easy it is to keep up with what’s going on, and how easy it is to eFile — and last minute!! So easy, I’d be lost but for eDockets and eFiling, you have no idea how awful it was to make paper copies of all filings, and mail them to everyone, whew, it was beyond difficult, and so expensive. Now, it’s a “work from home” easy-peasy process, the best ever change in PUC process, and pretty much everywhere across the country, in administrative proceedings like this, and in most every court system too. Participating, practice, was so much harder before.

If you want to learn how to navigate the PUC’s eDockets system:

MN PUC – How To eDockets

I’m working on an overview of “need” for the “MN Energy CONnection” transmission project, Xcel’s latest effort of shifting costs of preserving “valuable interconnection rights” at the Sherco coal plants’ substation. They’ve come up with a plan to run a radial line, yes, RADIAL, from Lyon County up to Sherco, 160-180 miles, AT A COST OF $1.14 BILLION! It’s a brilliant idea, gotta admit… Xcel is the GOAT at planning, BUT it’s such a scam. I do hope we can change the trajectory, get the focus on Xcel, and not be dumping this on the backs of ratepayers and landowners.

Ahhhhh… Xcel’s MN Energy CONnection… In the midst of extreme weather events, I spent time over the last two weeks, seven meetings over four days, for scoping of the Environmental Impact Statement for this project. Here’s the Notice:

Yesterday in Monticello, MN, it was up to 54 degrees! At each of the seven meetings, at least two people waxed histrionically that climate change was not real. How can this be? Granted, 54 degrees and El Nino is “weather” but we all know of the weather extremes, drought, intense storms, that are obvious signs of climate change. Even insurance companies, due to weather extremes, our home insurance doubled (!), and the company said they were doing that for all Minnesota customers (Minnesota focused because we’re in Minnesota!). In Florida, insurance companies are refusing to offer coverage, California too. That article has this pie chart from insurance industry:

Granted, it’s focused on perception of when your “home” will be affected, and not LIFE, but according to the insurance industry, so many say “no effect” and I’ve heard enough denial of climate change lately to think that the pie chart is credible. Insurance companies make money on their gambles, and if you’re insuring anything, you’re betting against the house.

Sherco 3 IS closing. Xcel wants to build this transmission below, and have ratepayers and landowners pay for it. The purpose of this is to preserve Xcel’s “valuable transmission interconnection rights” at Sherco.

I don’t think so…