I’ve been hearing from people having trouble downloading the Final EIS for the Brookings project. I had trouble that first day, the PUC site wouldn’t work, and the Commerce site links for the first five parts wouldn’t work, grrrrrrrrrr… so here they are, just in case you’re having trouble:
6 Brookings-Hampton Appendix A
7 Brookings-Hampton Appendix B
8a Brookings-Hampton Appendix Ca
Remember those big maps used at the public hearings, the huge ones in front of the room that we walked through with each person who testified about something on the maps? Someone commented to me at the New Prague hearing that they were not available online, and sure enough, they weren’t, and I asked for and got a copy of the, well finally, FINALLY, I’m posting them. Apologies for the long delay, I just can’t get it all done.
Exhibit-123 LeSueur River Crossing
Exhibit-124 Belle Plaine River Crossing
And something even more important to remember — SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO THE JUDGE ON ROUTING AND ON WHETHER THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT IS SUFFICIENT.
Send comments on the FEIS and anything else to the judge:
Judge Richard C. Luis
Office of Administrative Hearings
P.O. Box 64620
St. Paul, MN
55164-0620
fax 651-361-7936
e-mail capx.oah.state.mn.us
The final EIS for the Brookings-Hampton CapX 2020 route has been released:
FEIS Notice – CapX 2020 Brookings-Hampton
We have until February 8 to file Public Comments.
Send comments on the FEIS and anything else to the judge:
Judge Richard C. Luis
Office of Administrative Hearings
P.O. Box 64620
St. Paul, MN
55164-0620
fax 651-361-7936
e-mail capx.oah.state.mn.us
Changes at Silver Lake trim wintering goose numbers
By Christina Killion Valdez
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MNIt’s probably a good thing that Rochester’s emblematic Canada geese come equipped with goose down coats. In addition to bitterly cold temperatures this winter, lower energy usage in Rochester means the Silver Lake Power Plant isn’t helping to keep the lake warm either.
“Last year when you would drive by you would see pieces of the lake open because of the water we discharge back into the lake,” said Tony Benson, Rochester Public Utilities spokesman. “This year you really don’t.
“It’s not a real good situation,” he said. “Unfortunately, the energy market just isn’t there. There just isn’t the demand.”
While some of the decrease comes from energy conservation, with RPU customers conserving 16 million kilowatts of power in 2009, much of it is due to the economy, Benson said.
“Some businesses changed from two shifts to one shift and don’t have machinery and systems running as much,” he said.
Also, as a member of the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, RPU is contracted to purchase up to 216 megawatts of power each day, which is more than what’s needed on a typical winter day, Benson said. On Thursday, for example, RPU used about 170 megawatts of power, he said.
Occasional plumes of smoke are still seen coming out of the coal-powered plant, though, as RPU keeps a boiler running to provide steam through its contract with Mayo Clinic. It’s not enough to keep the lake open.
What that means for the geese is a move downstream.
A count earlier this week showed roughly 8,500 geese just below the Silver Lake dam, said Don Nelson, area wildlife supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
That continues a downward trend from 10,000 to 20,000 geese that wintered on the lake as recently as five years ago, he said.
A number of changes — not keeping the lake open, moving the food plots, habitat work around the edge of the lake — have contributed to the feathered population electing to fly past Rochester and on to Missouri and southern Illinois, he said.
Especially this year.
“Even that water by the dam is more frozen than I’ve seen it,” Nelson said. “There are still areas of open water that the geese are using, but they are really stacked in there. If, first thing in the morning, you walk along the path at U.S. 63 North, you’ll see wall-to-wall geese.”
Once again, MOES has said they can’t get the Final EIS done, and now they’ve asked for additional time, so I fired off a missive asking for an extension of the public comment time as well. Got it! Whew, but that’s something that’s pretty obvious.
FINAL EIS – JANUARY 28, 2010
PUBLIC COMMENTS NOW DUE BY FEBRUARY 8, 2010.
EVERYTHING ELSE IS THE SAME.
New Schedule per ALJ Luis:
Counsel and Parties – Ms. Overland’s request is GRANTED.The DEADLINE for Public Comments in this case is EXTENDED, through February 8, 2010.Richard C. Luis, Administrative Law Judge
And then…
Counsel and Parties – As you likely know, I just extended the deadline for Public Comments through February 8, 2010, to adjust for the OES’s new target date of Jan. 26, 2010 for issuance of the Final EIS.
I intend that the balance of the Briefing Schedule (see below) will remain unchanged. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are unable to meet the filing deadlines for February 15.
Richard C. Luis, Administrative Law Judge
– February 15, 2010, for Initial Briefs (all Parties), OES’s Initial Comments, and Applicants’ Proposed Findings of Fact– March 4, 2010, for Intervenors’ Proposed Findings of Fact– March 12, 2010, for Reply Briefs (all Parties), and OES’s Final Comments
Here are two posts that show what can happen…
Three lines are now in various stages of withdrawal, suspension and delay, they’re the three that PJM proposed as its
“backbone” 500kV transmission. It’s theirdream to move large amounts of coal generated electricity to New York, but of course they’re never stating that purpose. We got a lot of good information into the record about lack of demand, the PJM reports demand tanking in a couple of ways, their “PJM State of the Market Report” and also their just released “PJM 2010 Load Forecast” and there’s no way of getting around it — transmission lines are not NEEDED.
Here’s a couple of posts from Legalectric about Friday’s BPU decision to delay:
Least you think I’m sleeping at the switch, head on over to Legalectric.org for some pretty exciting news in transmission. Three big projects are collapsing out east, PATH, MAPP, and Susquehanna-Roseland… it’s pretty damn cool, whew! It looks like they may go down. Please oh please oh please…
In reverse chronological order:
image: detail of installation by Bronwyn Lace