Enough of holidays and time off, it’s back to the CapX 2020 road show.

If you can’t make it to the hearings, you can send comments, identified as “Comments – 09-1056” to:

routecomments.oah@state.mn.us

or

Judge Beverly Heydinger

Office of Administrative Hearings

P.O. Box 64620

St. Paul, MN  55164-0620

An update from NoRCA:

The North Route Citizen’s Alliance is busy preparing for next week’s CAPX2020 Public Hearings…we need your help in your attendance & participation in these Public Hearings!.

The CAPX2020 Public Hearings is an opportunity for you to voice your concerns and opinions regarding the negative impacts associated with the “North Routes” to the presiding Administrative Law Judge, Beverly Heydinger. The ALJ will write a report and make a recommendation to the Commission on which route to authorize and on any appropriate permit conditions. Participation includes: a) offering direct testimony; b) offering testimony or other material in written form at or following the hearing; and c) questioning witnesses. It is important to be specific in your comments and testimony, a large map representing the CAPX2020 routing will be available for you to utilize.

Important Issues Affecting the CAPX2020 North Routes in Stearns County:

1)  “Gross” Proliferation of New Transmission Corridors
*40% of the Preferred Route & 32% of the Alternate A North Routes create “new” transmission corridors, significantly higher than other “alternate” routes.




2)  Negative impacts on important Ecological & Wetland Resources, such as the St. Wendel Tamarack Bog Complex, Shepards Lake & other Palustrine Water Resources.

*significantly higher than other “alternate” routes.
3)  Negative impacts on Forested Areas, such as Birch Lake State Forest (A) and Prime Agricultural Farmland

*significantly higher than other “alternate” routes and in accordance with STATE AGRICULTURAL LAND PRESERVATION AND

CONSERVATION POLICY


4)  Negative impacts on Stearns County Historic Resources
*The CAPX2020 North routes would negatively Impact 43 Century Farms.


5)  NoRCA has been analyzing the Preferred and Alternate A North Routes to identify “Missing Residences” from the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. We currently have documented an estimated “25 additional residences within a 500′ easement” previously not included in the DEIS.

*This analysis creates an additional North Routes Impact on the issue of Human Settlement. For example, 19 of these additional residences are along the Preferred Route, bringing the total Preferred Route 500′ Easement Impact to 102 Residences, and Alternate A to 135!.

Additional Developments

Only 3 parties have Intervened in the CAPX2020 Fargo to St. Cloud Route: NoRCA, St. John’s University and Abbey and Avon Township.  Just last week, both St. John’s and Avon Township had submitted testimony indicating their perspectives and preferences on the route alternatives with the “least overall impact” as Routes G & H, with Option 11. In the analysis of the DEIS, NoRCA agrees with St. John’s and Avon Townships’ assessment as these alternatives (to the south of I-94) have lower overall DEIS impacts than the Preferred, Alternate A and Alternate B Routes, under the criteria (216E.03, Subd. 7) the ALJ utilizes.

For more information on the information submitted to the Public Utilities commission, please SEARCH Docket# 09-1056 at the following address: https://www.edockets.state.mn.us/EFiling/edockets/searchDocuments.do?method=eDocketsResult&userType=public#{F9EB6186-37DA-48E8-89FE-EC7C20A2750A}

I’m thankful this holiday to be working with a group of fine individuals on the NoRCA Executive Committee and our entire membership.

Scott Hylla