My LTE of the month in the bEagle
March 25th, 2017
This week in the Republican Eagle:
Letter: Why an exemption from overtime?
To the editor:
Sen. Mike Goggin’s SF899 takes advantage of workers’ tenuous H2A status.
No, let’s be clear. What employee wouldn’t prefer overtime? This exemption is for the employer. It legislates lower wages for the employer. Hours and length of employment is specified in the H2A employment contract.
The only “choice” left to employees is to work hours the employer wants or lose their job and leave the U.S. if they can’t find another job immediately. That’s not “choice,” it’s extortion.
Most of us have worked “at will.” Employers set the hours and work is “at will” on the employer’s terms. You are “at will” to comply, quit, or be fired “at will.”
Goggin works for Xcel, which has a high pay rate and likely pays hourly workers overtime for over 40 hours a week. H2A workers must have an employment contract, are covered by federal wage laws, and employers must meet specific employment and reporting requirements to recruit and hire H2A workers, including declarations that they can’t find U.S. workers.
From Leviticus 19:33-34: “When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.”
The senator should instead promote equity and a legislative mandate of overtime pay for over 40 hours weekly.
Why exploit H2A guest workers? Is SF 899 the Christian thing to do?
Carol A. Overland
Red Wing
Xcel Energy’s Peak Demand – nowhere’s near 2007
February 27th, 2017
Xcel Energy has released its 2016 SEC 10-K, and here is the number I care most about, the peak demand, incorporated into the chart above:
“Peak Demand” is the number they use to attempt to justify “need” for all sorts of abhorrent and expensive infrastructure, particularly infrastructure of the transmission variety. Here are the specifics in megawatts (MW):
As Xcel Energy’s Ben Fowkes says, this is the “new normal.” From the Seeking Alpha transcript of the XEL Earnings Call, January 31, 2013.
Hence, they’re looking for other ways to make money, which they found in transmission, specifically CapX 2020 transmission, which was justified with this chart from MN Dept. of Commerce’s Steve Rakow, in his bar napkin depiction of the ups and down of peak demand:
Compare this drunken-dream drawing with the actual peak demand above — doesn’t look at all similar, does it. Nevertheless, we’ve been stuck with over $2 billion in transmission infrastructure build-out which we’re just starting to pay for, and just starting to see show up in rate cases. People are just now starting to get a feel for the economic impact, as if the environmental and quality-of-life impact isn’t bad enough…
Meanwhile, after going through years and years over CapX 2020, followed by the MISO MVP 17 project portfolio, now under construction, MISO wants to spring another bunch of projects on us. Their “Transmission Overlay.” Yeah, right…
Here’s the list, in a spreadsheet:
This is the MN, WI, SD, ND and some IA wish list weeded out from that spreadsheet (click for a larger version):
They want to add all of this, nevermind that Xcel is whining in its e21_Initiative that only 55% of the grid is not utilized:
(N) Identify and develop opportunities to reduce customer costs by improving overall grid efficiency. In Minnesota, the total electric system utilization is approximately 55 percent (average demand divided by peak demand), thus providing an opportunity to reduce system costs by better utilizing existing system assets (e.g., generation, wires, etc.). (e21_Initiative_Phase_I_Report, p. 11).
And they want to build more? MORE?!?!
And they want to ram it through even though it’s not needed, just like CapX 2020 transmission? As if Obama’s RRTT wasn’t enough, pushing CapX 2020 Hampton-La Crosse transmission line:
Obama “fast tracks” CapX Hampton-LaCrosse?!?!?!
… check out tRump’s Executive Order 13766:
Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals for High Priority Infrastructure Projects
GRRRRRRRRRRRR! As if there’s not enough work to do these days… but you know, the work never ends for us “paid protesters.” And a woman’s work is never done either.
Xcel’s new normal — 2016 year end earnings call
February 2nd, 2017
Xcel’s 2016 Earnings Call was this morning. Look at the above chart, pay close attention to the numbers I’ve highlighted in yellow. 2016 4th Quarter sales growth is down 0.6%. Yearly sales decrease is -0.3%. Here’s the rest of the Earnings Call Presentation:
Remember CapX 2020, based on projections of annual increases of 2.49%. Remember Commerce’s Steve Rakow who introduced the most bizarre chart ever in an effort to prop up need for CapX 2020, one without identifying the X axis or Y axis and just a sine wave trending sharply upward? Yea, this one…
Hasn’t worked out that way, has it… the 2016 10-K isn’t filed yet, so there’s only 2015 to go on, though looking at their 10-Q for summer, I expect it’s flat at best.
So with sales down, I presume it’ll be flat peak demand? It’s not disclosed in the 3rd Quarter 10-Q. Xcel, we’ll be looking for that this month in your 10-K filing!
Comment Extension for Lab USA EAW & Xcel & Lab USA Solid Waste!
January 13th, 2017
Ask and you shall receive, eh? I’d not checked on this, was buried in other stuff this week, but LOOK!
YES! this is good because the MPCA did not release the primary documents until December 30, 2016, and there’s no excuse for denying the public time to review the Application, etc.
Once more with feeling, here are the Comments I’d filed on behalf of the Tyler Hills Neighbors on January 4, 2017, and Comments of Indian Affairs Council and Minnesota Department of Administration:
Comments -_Tyler Hills Neighbors & Exhibits
Comment Letter – Indian Affairs Council
Comment Letter – Dept of Administration
Note the photo at the top of this post — the Lab USA site is contiguous to the City of Red Wing’s laydown yard and crusher — and it wants to build its laydown yard and crusher on a lot that overlaps the Water Tank Mounds. Ummmm, no, I don’t think so!
I’m looking forward to seeing any additional comments filed by the end of the month.
A little birdie told me that there is a Red Wing business that could use “cleaned” ash, and I’d guess there are at least two… it seems the logical thing to do is to put Lab USA’s facility at this other business site, and everyone would be happy! Well, not everyone, but it seems a better fit. This is something the City should look into, because now that the City isn’t doing any “ash mining,” their dog in this has been neutered. We shall see…
MPCA’s THREE Red Wing Ash releases today
December 5th, 2016
OK, time to get to it. There were THREE releases from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency today related to the Red Wing/Xcel Energy/Lab USA ash mining project. THREE!
The ash mining project’s EAW:
Public notice period: 12-5-16 to 1-4-17; Project manager: Kevin Kain
And two solid waste draft permits, first NSP’s ash landfill:
INTENT TO MODIFY AND REISSUE AN EXISTING SOLID WASTE FACILITY PERMIT TO NSP- RED WING ASH DISPOSAL FACILITY, RED WING
Open for public comment through Thursday, January 5, 2017
And one for Lab USA (modify and reissue? Hmmmm…):
Intent to Modify and Reissue an Existing Solid Waste Facility Permit to Lab USA’s Ash Processing Facility – Red Wing
Open for public comment through Thursday, January 5, 2017
There’s a meeting at the Red Wing library on Wednesday, from 5-7 p.m. about the Lab USA EAW, but what about the permits?