Minnesota – ALJ Recommends Zumbro Dam Route
ALJ Sheehy has filed her Recommendation for the CapX 2020 Hampton-Rochester-LaCrosse transmission project. Here it is:
This is one of the most detailed Recommendations I’ve ever seen, the footnotes are specific and extensive. I’ve not read much, just a quick scan to see how Segment 3 went, and she chose the Zumbro Dam route, specifically 3P Zumbro S and the 3P-004 Option.
That means it’s going over the Zumbro Dam crossing, something we’d advocated against due to the high biodiversity at that site and affected landowners.
From our brief:
Ms. Schrenzel specified in her testimony at the hearing, and again in a July 29, 2011 Comment:
As stated in previous comment letters, the DNR recommends crossings of public waters to generally be located where there is existing infrastructure. For example, the Zumbro River should be crossed where existing infrastructure exists and there is the least impact to resources from clearing or construction activities. The Zumbro River crossing at the white bridge in Segment 3 appears to result in the least impact from clearing, and utilizes an existing river crossing.
However, in its discussion of the Zumbro River crossing, one point that was missed by the Applicant was concern for the Zumbro Dam crossing. Applicant argues in their Initial Brief that “[n]obody advocated for or against the Zumbro Dam Crossing. This is not correct. Wabasha County, Mazeppa Township, Mazeppa City, and Zumbro Township, and also Pine Island Twp in a Public Comment letter, which advocated against the North Route crossing of the Zumbro River and the Zumbro Dam crossing and supported the Applicant’s Modified Preferred Route
Gotta get this out to all of you who are waiting…