{"id":327,"date":"2008-09-07T05:07:41","date_gmt":"2008-09-07T12:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/?p=327"},"modified":"2008-09-07T05:07:41","modified_gmt":"2008-09-07T12:07:41","slug":"capx-2020-transmission-in-the-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/?p=327","title":{"rendered":"CapX 2020 transmission in the news"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n


\nProposed power line has generated lots of heated opposition
\nBy Ryan Stotts \/ rstotts@lacrossetribune.com<\/p>\n

.
\nSupporters and opponents of a proposed upgrade to the region\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s high-voltage transmission lines are debating the plan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s merits in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

And Wisconsin is next.
\nThe proposed 345-kilovolt lines, on towers as high as 150 feet placed every 1,000 feet, would run from the Twin Cities to Rochester, Minn., and then to substations in La Crosse or Holmen.<\/p>\n

The CapX2020 project, estimated to cost $1.7 billion in 2007 dollars, is comprised of four power lines, including one that would cross the Mississippi River at one of three cities \u00e2\u20ac\u201d Alma, Wis.; Winona, Minn.; or La Crescent, Minn.<\/p>\n

Two additional 345-kilovolt lines \u00e2\u20ac\u201d one from Fargo, N.D., to the Twin Cities and one from Brookings, S.D., to Monticello, Minn., as well as a 230-kilovolt line from Bemidji, Minn., to Grand Rapids, Minn. \u00e2\u20ac\u201d are included in the project, proposed by 11 utilities. Xcel Energy and Great River Energy are applying for approval to regulatory agencies on behalf of the 11.<\/p>\n

But critics question the need for the massive lines and say the public hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been properly informed about the proposal.<\/p>\n

The Tribune today looks at the components of the project, which could be in operation by 2013 or 2014, and talked both to proponents and opponents.<\/p>\n

Growing demand<\/p>\n

Tim Carlsgaard, who works for the 11 utilities as communications and public affairs manager for CapX2020, said energy use across the region continues to grow, prompting the push to deliver reliable, affordable energy. In Minnesota alone, he said, energy use has doubled since 1980.<\/p>\n

The upgraded lines would meet future needs, he said, and revamp a transmission system that hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t had a major overhaul since the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Carlsgaard said the utilities aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to build more lines than necessary.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think we have a very strong case,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Carlsgaard said.<\/p>\n

On the other side<\/p>\n

Paula Maccabee, a St. Paul, Minn., attorney representing the Citizen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Energy Task Force in the Public Utilities Commission hearings in Minnesota, said the utilities have overstated the demand for the line coming to La Crosse.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The utilities have been stacking the deck to make it look like this project is needed,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Maccabee said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but once you get behind the data, you see how it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not true.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

If the Twin Cities-Rochester-La Crosse line were not built, she said, power company officials have testified that enhancements to the current transmission lines would not be needed until 2026 or 2028 in Rochester.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153And that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s without studying the conservation aspects,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Maccabee said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The benefits are not clear and certainly have been exaggerated, and the harms are unavoidable.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Not so, said Carlsgaard. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not going to scare people and say, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc(Do this) by 2010 or 2015 or your lights are going to go off,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s irresponsible. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve proven in everything we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve put forward there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a need for these lines.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Another solution?<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If we go to more renewables, we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need this expensive high-voltage system,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Minnesota state Rep. Ken Tschumper, DFL-La Crescent, said during a forum he organized July 31 at La Crescent\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s American Legion for those concerned with CapX2020.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Renewable systems can feed into the grid as well,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also the law, Tschumper said, as Minnesota passed a renewable energy standard in 2007 mandating 25 percent of all electricity used in the state be generated from renewable energy sources by 2025.<\/p>\n

Renewables are a very important part of meeting future resource needs, Xcel spokesman Brian Elwood said, but the company still needs sufficient transmission lines in order to get the resources to the customers.<\/p>\n

Eleven percent of Xcel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s electricity now is generated from renewable sources, Elwood said, and by 2025 Xcel expects 25 percent to 30 percent of its electricity will come from wind energy, along with other renewable resources such as biomass, hydropower, and burning garbage and wastewood.<\/p>\n

The risks<\/p>\n

Patrick Caffrey, president of Friends of Trempealeau Refuge, said he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not debating the need for the project, just the location.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re encouraging the utilities to choose routes that minimize the length of lines in the river valley,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Caffrey said.<\/p>\n

Caffrey, former director of public works for the city of La Crosse, attended CapX2020\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s open house in May at the Centerville Community Center.<\/p>\n

The Mississippi River is a major flyway for migrating birds and bats, he said, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s concerned how wildlife will be affected by the lines spanning the waterway.<\/p>\n

The proposed crossing also could jeopardize the area\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scenic corridor and harm tourism, he said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If they cross at Alma and follow it along the river valley to La Crosse or Holmen, that would be the worst option,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153When these lines are built, we go above and beyond how we protect the environment during the construction process,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Elwood said.<\/p>\n

That includes working with the Department of Natural Resources in both states, as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the refuge.<\/p>\n

Public health<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that a power line causes harm,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Maccabee said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What the World Health Organization says is they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re considering electromagnetic fields as a possible carcinogen. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a consistent association with EMFs and childhood leukemia.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

There isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t enough laboratory evidence to classify EMFs as a definite carcinogen, she said, but research such as the BioInitiative Report shows reason for concern.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There is substantial evidence, and at the very least it should cause people to be cautious,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n

But Carlsgaard, communications and public affairs manager for CapX2020, counters that the lines will be far enough removed from the public. Towers 150 feet high carrying 345-kilovolt lines are built with a 150-foot right of way, Carlsgaard said.<\/p>\n

By law, they must use an existing crossing, and CapX2020 aims to keep them away from residential areas, he said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We have people working on health issues, following the debates and looking at the studies,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Carlsgaard said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re very involved.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Added Chuck Thompson, manager of siting and regulatory affairs at Dairyland Power Cooperative: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There has been a significant amount of research done over the last 25 years, and today there hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been a correlation between electromagnetic fields and cancer.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Skeptical of the skeptics<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to meet the Wisconsin target of renewables, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to need this line,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We need the wind power that Minnesota has to offer.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

The Wisconsin target is 25 percent renewable energy by 2015, Huebsch said. That makes transmission lines \u00e2\u20ac\u201d such as the one proposed for the La Crosse area \u00e2\u20ac\u201d necessary, he said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a key component to our reaching our renewable energy portfolio and targets in the years to come,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said.<\/p>\n

Pat Morrison, who moved to La Crescent in 2005 after living outside Sacramento, Calif., for more than 20 years, said she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lived through \u00e2\u20ac\u0153phenomenal\u00e2\u20ac\u009d expansion on the coast.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153With that growth, they needed more water, they needed more electricity \u00e2\u20ac\u201d all of that,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Morrison said.<\/p>\n

Morrison experienced power brownouts, blackouts and mandated times for doing things such as washing clothes, she said.<\/p>\n

She doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t oppose the project at all, she said, and doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the reason for all the uproar.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think it will be done very carefully. They have to in this day and age,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d she said.<\/p>\n

Approval process in Minnesota<\/p>\n

Establishing such large transmissions lines in Minnesota is a two-step process, Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153One is to go through a hearing process on the need,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The second, if they approve the project, then we come back and we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re talking just about routes.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Notices went out in July 2007 to 72,000 Minnesota landowners and local officials, said Carlsgaard. In August 2007, 2,050 Wisconsin landowners were notified about the proposal.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Department of Commerce then held 10 public meetings in December 2007, he said.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission convened an evidentiary hearing in July that will conclude this month.<\/p>\n

In addition, more than 100 informational meetings were conducted in 2006 and 2007 for the media and public officials in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

By May 2008, 60 open houses and 36 routing work group meetings had been open to the public to attend, at Minnesota sites such as Winona, Wabasha, Alexandria, Marshall, Lakeville, Fergus Falls, Red Wing, Rochester and Cannon Falls, as well as La Crosse and Centerville in Wisconsin, Carlsgaard said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153None of this is required by the Minnesota regulatory process,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Carlsgaard said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153And, we still have to go through the whole Wisconsin regulatory process.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

But opponents of the project still argue that not all the residents in areas along the corridor were properly informed.<\/p>\n

Once the evidentiary hearing is through and public comments no longer are accepted, further meetings in Minnesota will focus on determining the route rather than determining need, opponents say.<\/p>\n

Both sides of the debate strongly encourage Minnesota residents to submit written comments to Minnesota Administrative Law Judge Beverly Heydinger.<\/p>\n

Public comments in Minnesota will be accepted until Sept. 26.<\/p>\n

Wisconsin timeline<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The need and the routing are addressed in one process in Wisconsin,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Xcel Energy project leader Tom Hillstrom, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s called the certificate of public convenience and necessity.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Hillstrom said CapX2020 likely will file an application for the certificate in early 2009. He expects the Wisconsin regulatory process of public meetings and hearings on the state certificate to take one to two years before the Public Service Commission rules on the application.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota portion of the project would end either in the Winona or La Crescent areas. Crossing the Mississippi at Alma, Wis., or Winona, Minn., would mean continuing the lines to an expanded substation in Holmen or a new substation north of Holmen, Hillstrom said. A La Crescent crossing would lead to a substation in La Crosse.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The earliest that a route could be approved by the two states is 2010,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Carlsgaard said.<\/p>\n

What next?<\/p>\n

Discussions already are under way between Xcel and American Transmission Co. for a 345-kilovolt line to run east to southeast out of La Crosse, Carlsgaard said.<\/p>\n

That line would address energy needs in the 2023 to 2025 time frame, he said.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be more transmission lines. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve said that before,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Carlsgaard said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153These are not going to be the last of what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to have to propose.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

La Crescent, Minn., resident Jeremy Chipps, a Citizen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Energy Task Force member who has vocally questioned the need for new high-voltage lines, successfully brought about a resolution from the La Crescent City Council opposing the lines coming through the city.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153My initial thought when I first came upon this was, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWhere would the line be going after it comes to La Crosse?\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u009d Chipps asked.<\/p>\n

The consumer cost<\/p>\n

Xcel concedes that with a $1.7 billion price tag for all four lines, the CapX2020 project will affect Xcel customers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 rates. Just what those rates will be has not been made clear, said Paula Maccabee, attorney for the Citizens\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Energy Task Force.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153People have a right to have at least a ballpark estimate on how much this is going to cost,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Maccabee said.<\/p>\n

Once the certificate of need has been approved, Xcel can start charging customers, said Tim Carlsgaard, communications and public affairs manager for CapX2020. The costs escalate as the project reaches what he called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the height of construction,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153when we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re spending the most money.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

By 2013 to 2015, customers likely will pay an additional $2.25 per bill for the project, Carlsgaard said. He estimated the cost of the 345-kilovolt, double-circuit line from the Twin Cities to La Crosse at $389 million to $432 million in 2007 dollars.<\/p>\n

The request Xcel made to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in August for an overall 8.6 percent rate increase is separate from what would be needed for the CapX2020 project.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It (the recent rate increase) includes costs associated with the King to Arpin (power) line from Stillwater, Minn., the main 345-kilovolt line stretching across Minnesota to Wisconsin,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Xcel spokesman Brian Elwood explained.<\/p>\n

The power grid: It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s everywhere<\/p>\n

According to the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, about 200,000 miles of transmission lines now are woven across the United States, said Tim Carlsgaard, communications and public affairs manager for CapX2020.<\/p>\n

The regional grid that serves the four proposed CapX2020 power lines is about 95,000 miles and includes 15 states, as well as Manitoba, Canada, he said.<\/p>\n

The certificate of need filed by Xcel Energy and Great River Energy estimates the Twin Cities to La Crosse line would extend about 150 miles.<\/p>\n

It likely would be a single-pole, double-circuit, 345-kilovolt line, said Carlsgaard.<\/p>\n

While project critic Carol Overland claimed the lines will pave the way for construction of new coal plants, Xcel spokesman Brian Elwood said the opposite is true. No new coal plants are scheduled to be built, he said, because of this project.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153This is the first time this approach has been taken in building transmission lines. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s truly unique,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Elwood said.<\/p>\n

Overland sees the motive as a simple one: The utilities want wholesale power moving across the massive grid because, unlike retail power, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not regulated.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153They want these (power lines) … so they can get the money,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Overland said.<\/p>\n

That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not true, said Jim Alders, Xcel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s director of regulatory administration. In fact, he said, there are two layers of regulations for wholesale transactions between utilities, and retail transactions between utilities and their customers.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153All power transactions are regulated,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Alders. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some are regulated by the federal government and some are regulated by the state.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Those same state regulators control when a power plant is constructed, and where and what it will be manufacturing.<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153State regulators are going to pick the fuel type,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Alders said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Regardless of what type they pick, we need the transmission network.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Carl Dombek, spokesman for the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator \u00e2\u20ac\u201d a nonprofit organization controlling transmission on the high-voltage grid \u00e2\u20ac\u201d said many companies are taking a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wait-and-see\u00e2\u20ac\u009d approach to proposing new coal plants.<\/p>\n

With a significant potential for federal climate-change legislation in the near term, utilities are waiting for possible new restrictions.<\/p>\n

Dombek, who said there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s definitely a need for more transmission based on more energy being consumed, said the CapX2020 lines are being proposed in such a way as to facilitate the use of renewables within the grid.<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’ve been other reports too.\u00c2\u00a0 From WXOW29:<\/p>\n

LaCrescent city Council passes resolution opposed to power lines<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And in the Rochester Post-Bulletin:<\/p>\n

LaCrescent Council votes against powerline project<\/a><\/p>\n

8\/14\/2008 10:48:42 AM<\/p>\n

Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN<\/p>\n

LA CRESCENT — The La Crescent City Council has weighed in against a proposed high-voltage power line being built in the city.<\/p>\n

The council on Monday night unanimously approved a resolution opposing having the CapX2020 transmission line run through the city limits.<\/p>\n

CapX2020, a group of utilities led by Xcel Energy of Minneapolis and Great River Energy of Maple Grove, Minn., is proposing the transmission line, which would run from Brookings, S.D., to Hampton, Minn., south of the Twin Cities. From Hampton, it would travel to Rochester and then to La Crosse, Wis.<\/p>\n

One of three routes for the power line across the Mississippi River being considered is in the La Crescent area. But CapX2020’s Senior Project Manager Grant Stevenson has said there are no plans to propose running the transmission though the city of La Crescent because of the high population density.<\/p>\n

Some residents have spoken out against the project, saying it could be harmful to the local environment. They also claim that the line will be used to transport energy from coal-fired plants, which emit greenhouse gases.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, utility representatives argue that the line is needed to accommodate growing energy demands in the region. They also contend that the transmission line will be primarily delivering energy from renewable resources such as wind.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Proposed power line has generated lots of heated opposition By Ryan Stotts \/ rstotts@lacrossetribune.com . Supporters and opponents of a proposed upgrade to the region\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s high-voltage transmission lines are debating the plan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s merits in Minnesota. And Wisconsin is next. The …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}