CapX2020 says Otter Tail opt out okay

Posted on | September 23, 2009 | No Comments

WINONA POST (also attached)

http://www.winonapost.com/stock/functions/VDG_Pub/detail.php?choice=32793&home_page=1&archives=

CapX2020 says Otter Tail opt out okay (09/20/2009)
By Sarah Elmquist

The proposed 700-mile transmission power line that could cut through Winona’s bluffs won’t be stopped if a proposed South Dakota coal plant project fails, even though the new lines would carry that coal-generated energy across the state.

CapX2020, a consortium of electric companies including Xcel Energy, has gotten permits for the project, which would stretch from Brookings, S.D., to La Crosse, Wis. The lines will cross the river at one of three proposed locations: Winona, La Crosse or Alma, Wis. A second phase of the project announced recently would extend the lines farther into Wisconsin to Madison.

Citizen groups and renewable energy advocates have objected to the line and asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) to reopen the record to new information they say shows that the lines aren’t really needed by rate payers in Minnesota, fearing the lines would simply supply coal-generated power to urban areas like Madison and Chicago. Still others object to the towers because the river crossing would pose a hazard to threatened migratory birds and wildlife which use the Upper Mississippi Valley for nesting and migration.

The CapX2020 lines end about 60 miles from the proposed Big Stone II, a coal plant project set for the eastern border of South Dakota in Milbank. The coal plant project would include extending transmission lines to link to the CapX2020 lines in Granite Falls, Minn.

Last week, Big Stone II announced that its largest utility participant, Otter Tail Power, has withdrawn from the coal plant project, leaving some wondering whether it will actually be constructed. That project will not move forward unless new partners surface.

CapX2020 spokesperson Tim Carlsgaard said that even if Big Stone II fails, CapX2020 will proceed. The coal-generated power, he said, would act as a backup for wind generated power, which only feeds electricity to the grid 30 or 40 percent of the time — when it’s windy.

“There’s literally tens of thousands of megawatts of wind energy proposed out there [in western Minnesota and the region], and the system today just cannot support adding that type of generation,” he said.

Opponents to the CapX2020 project say that the power lines are meant to carry that coal-generated power to large cities like Chicago and Madison, on the dime of Minnesota rate payers. Local renewable energy projects like small-scale wind operations, they say, need smaller, local upgrades to the grid, not the large “super highway” of 345 kV lines proposed for CapX2020. Such a system, they say, forces wind energy development to mimic centralized power generation plants like coal and nuclear, and will mean large-scale wind farms and not small local projects.

CapX2020 has been challenged by several Minnesota groups, including the Citizens Energy Task Force (CETF), which recently filed an appeal with the MPUC on its approval for the project.

CapX2020 officials announced last month that the preferred river crossing will be at Alma, Wis. However, it is the MPUC which will determine the final route for the lines. CapX2020 officials are currently meeting with landowners to work out final possible routes, which could mean eminent domain for some property owners.

For more about CapX2020, visit www.capx2020.com. For more about CETF, visit http://cetf.us.

POWER LINE TRUTH – EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Posted on | September 19, 2009 | No Comments

POWERLINE TRUTH is an educational campaign designed to help citizens learn more about the best direction for our energy future. The “Ten Truths” are specific reasons why new ultra high voltage power lines are not needed. POWER LINE TRUTH explores methods to move forward with “smart” energy that is local, renewable, safe and cost-effective. These truths were crafted by experts in renewable energy, efficiency, conservation and environmental protection.

Read the Ten Powerline Truths.

Look for future updates and more information coming from the POWER LINE TRUTH Educational Campaign.

CETF Collaboration:

In addition to the on-going formal legal appeal of the Certificate of Need (CON) decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Citizens Energy Task Force is collaborating with other organizations seeking to promote local, clean energy and challenge the need for new ultra high voltage power lines.  These organizations include:

• Power Line Truth
• Institute for Local Self Reliance
• North American Water Office
• Mississippi River Revival
• Bluff Land Environment Watch
• No CapX2020 .info
• Stop CapX2020 .com
• u-canmn.com

MEDIA ALERT: CITIZENS ENERGY TASK FORCE APPEALS DECISION

Posted on | September 10, 2009 | No Comments

MEDIA ALERT:

Sept. 10, 2009 - For Immediate Release:

CITIZENS ENERGY TASK FORCE APPEALS DECISION BY MINN. PUBLIC UTILITIES ON NEED FOR CAPX2020 HIGH VOLTAGE PROJECT

-Citizens Group Proposes Local, Clean Renewable Energy Versus More Coal Energy with CapX2020

On Sept. 9, 2009, Citizens Energy Task Force (www.cetf.us) filed a petition to appeal the August 10, 2009 final decision by the Minn. Public Utilities Commission to Grant a “Certificate of Need” for the CapX2020 high voltage line projects. The process now enters a new venue at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

“The groundswell of opposition from residents and utility customers in both Wisconsin and Minnesota helped move us to take the major step of formal legal appeal,” stated Paula Maccabee, attorney for the non-profit citizens group CETF. “We’ve compiled extensive evidence that reveals major flaws in the methods used by the utilities to show a “need” for the CapX2020 power lines including new evidence of a significant drop in peak energy demand.”

The CapX2020 projects consist of three 345 kilovolt (kV) ultra high voltage power lines proposed by Xcel Energy, Great River Energy and nine other utilities: 1) Twin Cities to La Crosse 345 kV project (La Crosse Project); 2) Twin Cities to Fargo 345 kV project (Fargo Project) and 3) Twin Cities to Brookings 345 kV project (Brookings Project). These CapX2020 projects would result in approximately 600 miles of ultra high voltage power lines at a cost of nearly $2 billion.

CETF has raised the following issues in its appeal from the Minn. Public Utilities Commission decision to approve the CapX2020 Projects:

1) The Commission erred in failing to re-open the record to consider newly-discovered evidence of the decline in peak demand for electricity. Reasonable forecasts through 2020, including Xcel Energy’s own forecast, demonstrate that demand in the CapX2020 service area will be below the lowest threshold supporting a regional reliability need for the CapX2020 Projects. Absent a need for regional reliability, reasonable alternatives to the CapX2020 Projects that address community reliability and support generation capacity must be reconsidered.

2) The Commission erred in certifying the “Twin Cities to La Crosse” Project in violation of certificate of need statutes and rules governed by the Minn. Environmental Rights Act (MERA) and the Minn. Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) as well as rules pertaining to prohibited power line routes within protected areas. The La Crosse Project will cross a National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, impair the purpose for which the Refuge was designated and harm protected natural resources. There are feasible and prudent alternatives to the Project that meet energy needs consistent with the reasonable requirements of public health, safety and welfare and the state’s paramount concern for the protection of natural resources.

3) The Commission erred in certifying the La Crosse Project without considering conflicts with federal rules, regulations and policies regarding wildlife refuges and habitat as is required under certificate of need statutes and rules.

4) The commission exceeded its authority in certifying the CapX2020 upsized (double-circuited) alternative given the lack of demonstrated need for the upsized Projects.

A “Petition for Writ of Certiorari” (petition of appeal) was submitted on Sept. 9, 2009 by Citizens Energy Task Force. The Minnesota Court of Appeals will be asked to overturn the Certificate of Need (CON) decision by the Minn. Public Utilities Commission. Another potential outcome is a decision to require the Commission to reopen the proceedings to consider the new evidence of decline in demand for electricity brought forward by CETF and other groups opposing the project.

An appeal of the decision has also been filed by No CapX2020 (www.nocapx2020.info) and United Citizens Action Network (www.u-canmn.org). Other groups opposing the project include North American Water Office (www.nawo.org), Institute for Local Self Reliance (www.ilsr.org), Stop CapX2020 (www.stopcapx2020.com) and Mississippi River Revival.

Meanwhile, the CapX2020 utilities continue their efforts to determine routes for the CapX2020 power lines. (www.capx2020.com ).

Group challenging plans for three high-voltage lines

Posted on | September 10, 2009 | No Comments

Group challenging plans for three high-voltage lines across Minn.
by Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio

September 9, 2009

St. Paul, Minn. — A citizens group is challenging plans for three major transmission lines across Minnesota, but backers of the so-called Cap-X project say the lines are key to the state’s energy future.
The Citizens Energy Task Force is asking the state to reconsider its approval of the high-voltage lines, and is taking the matter to the Court of Appeals.
Attorney Paula Maccabee represents the Citizens Energy Task Force. She said projections of energy demand have changed since planning for the power lines began, five years ago.

“We brought together evidence which was only discovered after the hearing closed showing Xcel, which represents almost half of the demand in the CapX case, had experienced not only no increase, but actually a substantial drop in energy use between 2006 and 2008,” Maccabee said.
Maccabee said, with the Minnesota law requiring utilities to conserve one-and-a-half-percent of their output every year, the state’s need for electricity should not grow.

But Jim Alders, from Xcel Energy, said even with slower demand growth, the lines are needed to beef up the grid, and to bring on more wind power.
“You reach a point where it’s much more efficient to move traffic using a freeway instead of a lot of gravel roads,” Alders said.
The state Public Utilities Commission approved the project last spring; it’s now considering possible routes. Construction could begin about a year from now.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/09/capx-challenge/

Town hall meeting on CapX 2020 in Houston, MN

Posted on | August 21, 2009 | No Comments

Town hall meeting on CapX 2020 power line project Aug. 27

State Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona, will be hosting a town meeting on Aug. 27 to discuss the CapX 2020 high voltage power line (La Crosse
project) and its effect on southeastern Minnesota and the surrounding area. The meeting will be held at the American Legion, 121 South Grant St. in Houston at 6 p.m. All are welcome to join the discussion.

“I have heard from concerned constituents about this project,” said Sen. Erickson Ropes. “Following an on-site visit, we decided that a broader discussion that will give people an opportunity to ask questions was needed. I think we should bring in some people from both sides of the discussion to have a respectful conversation about the project.”

According to Xcel Energy, Dairyland Power, and the nine other utilities proposing the nearly $2 billion project, CapX2020 is designed to improve power reliability for the Twin Cities, Rochester, and La Crosse areas, as well as to improve access to generation. For more information on the project, including proposed route maps, visit the utility’s website at www.capx2020.com.

The news of new high voltage power lines has been a cause of concern for a number of residents, businesses, and landowners, who have formed a coalition from Minnesota and Wisconsin called Citizens Energy Task Force (CETF). CETF and other groups have formally challenged the CapX2020

Certificate of Need, providing evidence that the project is not needed and suggesting alternatives for energy that will not harm the environment and will cost significantly less. CETF gives a voice to those who question the need for the high voltage power lines, and who support clean, sustainable, locally generated power sources. For more information from CEFT, visit http://cetf.us/. Additional information on the concerns regarding CapX2020 can be found at www.ilsr.org, www.nawo and www.nocapx2020.info.

Copyright © 2009, Winona Post, All Rights Reserved.

Powerful power line controversy on WXOW La Crosse

Posted on | August 13, 2009 | No Comments

Powerful power line controversy on WXOW La Crosse, August 5, 2009
Content and video:

http://www.wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?s=10854911

Residents in WI & MN strengthen opposition to CapX2020 power line

Posted on | August 13, 2009 | No Comments

Important overview clarifications from four recent articles/TV segments:

1. The utilities admitted that people were missed in the notification process (per Tim Carlsgaard of Xcel) - They are now putting the blame on counties, who they claim provided them with the lists. Xcel/Carlsgaard attacks counties, saying the problem in notification lies in the counties… in their lists.

2. The utilities misinformed the reporters by claiming that CapX2020 ends in La Crosse.
See the link here for the details AS PRESS RELEASE shows La Crosse : Midwest was blanketed with stories–two Wisconsin papers have already covered the ATC story La Crosse to Madison story several weeks ago.(Amer. Transmission Company –based near Madison, WI ) for over a year to develop the plan from La Crosse to Madison line. From there does it continue to the Ohio and Tennesee Valley. Points east?

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3338031
“Xcel Energy, ATC and Dairyland Power Cooperative have been studying a possible Madison-La Crosse line for more than a year. ”

3. Green Power Express DISTRACTION: They stated that CapX ends in La Crosse and doesn’t go to “Chicago.” They now claim that the farmers and residents that are opposing CapX are confusing it with the other line–Green Power Express (ITC Holdings, Novi MI - 765 Kv), slated to run along side CapX. They hammered on the press yesterday, repeatedly that the line STOPS IN LA CROSSE.

Here’s a quote from Stevenson of Xcel: “It’s unfortunate that some continue to state that. It’s just not true,” Stevenson says. “You might have farmers or residents that are talking to you or complaining or whatever about the ITC project going from the Dakotas to Chicago, but that’s got absolutely nothing to do with the project that we’re proposing.” Based upon Xcel and Dairyland Powers involvement in phase II or the line, bring up serious quesions of public integrity.

Links for today’s news:
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2009/08/06/news/z00lead.txt

Winona Daily News:
http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2009/08/06/news/04power.txt

WKBT-TV Channel 8 CBS
http://www.wkbt.com/global/story.asp?s=10854911#

WXOW-TV 19 ABC
http://www.wxow.com/global/story.asp?s=10855974

Article 1

Reported by Kristen Elicerio
Rural Residents Oppose Xcel Energy’s CapX2020 Project
Posted: Aug 5, 2009 05:12 PM
Updated: Aug 5, 2009 10:19 PM

A proposed large-scale Xcel Energy project is causing problems for some rural property owners in the area.

The goal of the CapX2020 project is to expand existing power lines to meet the growing needs of customers and make Xcel Energy’s services more reliable and affordable.

One of the proposed routes would be from Rochester to La Crosse. In Xcel’s effort to build additional power lines, rural residents say they’re suffering because the power lines would go directly through their scenic property.

Jim Gilmer owns 295 acres of scenic property in Houston County. It’s property that falls in one of the three proposed routes for Xcel Energy’s CapX2020 project, but says he was unaware of it until just a month ago.

“How can I own a piece of property and have a project of this scope coming right through it and I have not gotten one mailing, not even a generic letter that some of the neighbors got,” said Gilmer.

Xcel Energy says planning for the project has been in the works since 2007 and they’ve made many attempts to contact property owners through mail and public meetings.

Xcel says there is a need for additional power lines to serve rural areas.

“Our planning engineers have identified the need for additional power line capacity into those areas, so the project we’ve proposed is connecting to existing high voltage transmissions systems through 345 kilovolts,” said Tom Hillstrom, a CapX2020 spokesman.

Gilmer says in addition to the power lines disrupting his scenic property, he also has concerns about safety.

“I have a 33 percent chance that it’s going to go through my farm and ruin my life, and my family’s life. I mean shouldn’t I have the opportunity to stand up and say woah, tell me more about this project,” said Gilmer.

Xcel says building high voltage power lines is the most appropriate option.

“There are lower voltage alternatives but over the long term they would result in more miles in transmission lines being built to meet the same benefit. Higher voltage has high capacity. Higher voltage is a more efficient transmitter of power,” said Grant Stevenson, a CapX2020 spokesman.

Xcel says Gilmer’s property is on their contact list, but under a different name. As of last month Xcel added Gilmer to their mailing list and he will now receive any future information.

Xcel says they will compensate land owners affected by the project, however property owners still worry money is not enough to cover what they’d be losing.

Construction of the project is expected to begin between 2012 and 2015. Xcel Energy says customers can expect to see a slight increase on their monthly energy bill to help pay for the project once construction begins.

Article 2

Proposed power line upsets Houston County landowner
By Ryan Henry | Houston County News

Jim Gilmer owns 295 acres of land in northwest Houston County and southwest Winona County where he spends time playing with his grandchildren and hopes to allow his son to build a home someday. Those plans could be in jeopardy if a proposed high voltage power line weaves its way through southeastern Minnesota toward La Crosse.

Gilmer, along with several of his neighbors in Sather Valley, owns property along a possible route from Hampton, Minn., to La Crosse for the CapX2020 project. But he didn’t find out about the project — or that it could cut through his land — until a little over a month ago. Planning for the project, which has options as to where it will run and ultimately cross the Mississippi River, began in 2007.
It wasn’t until a neighbor called and asked whether he’d heard of plans for a power line to run through his farm.

“I’m going, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. I haven’t gotten a word from anybody,’” Gilmer said.

On Wednesday, Gilmer and other neighbors met with Minnesota Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes at his farm to convey their disappointment about the lack of information and their displeasure about the possibility of the line disrupting their homes.

“I think it’s inexcusable,” Gilmer said, of the lack of notification. “How can I own a piece of property and have a project of this scope coming right through it and not get one mailing, not even a generic letter some of the neighbors got?”

CapX2020 spokesman Tim Carlsgaard said the project sent about 22,000 letters to people along the proposed line, names it received from affected counties. He said he’s heard from residents who said they didn’t receive letters, and it’s possible that some were missed.

“It’s the counties that provide us with landowner data,” Carlsgaard said. “Some counties are much better than others as far as the information they have and how updated it is.”

Gilmer moved to the valley in 2005 and plans to sell 80 acres to his son, who wants to build on the land after his military service. Should the line go through, that won’t be possible, and Gilmer fears his property value will plummet. He also worries about having his grandchildren near the lines.

“We’d have 345 kilovolts of electricity. What’s the health risk?” he said.

Ropes is opposed to the power line, as well.

“CapX2020 is bad for southeastern Minnesota, (and) it’s going to hurt the rural economy,” Ropes said. “When you have 15-story towers rolling through some of the best land we have in southeastern Minnesota, it’s a deep concern.”

Planning is far from finished, Carlsgaard said. CapX2020 is still collecting public input and has yet to submit a permit plan to the state of Minnesota, which will ultimately decide what path the line takes. Local governments will also be able to suggest modifications, which the state will take into consideration.

Article 3

WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI
Powerful power line controversy
Posted: Aug 05, 2009 8:18 PM CDT Wednesday, August 5, 2009 9:18 PM EST

HOUSTON, Minnesota (WXOW) — “We all live here because it’s so beautiful,” Jim Gilmer says. “It is a unique area of the state.”

Jim lives a few miles outside Houston.

“I sit on that porch daily, morning and night, and watch and listen. I searched for this place all my life,” Jim says. “Finally found it, stuck my neck out to acquire it. Now it’s like you find out there’s a toxic waste dump in the back yard.”

That toxic dump he’s referring to is a 150-foot tall power pole, and the proposed line puts one of those on his hill, only a hundred yards or so from his house.

The plan is to build a power line through the hills, and Jim says these 15-story structures won’t fit in with the landscape.

“It’ll destroy the scenic area here,” he says. “I’ll be looking at 15 stories of rusting steel.”

But according to CapX, that rusty pole is bringing much needed power to the area.

“We are the CapX 2020 project, and it is designed to serve your area: southeastern Minnesota and that portion of western Wisconsin,” says CapX Project Manager Grant Stevenson. “The project is proposed to provide local benefit and does provide local benefit.”

CapX says this line will stop in La Crosse and not in Chicago like opponents say.

That aside, the CapX project does run through Jim’s land.
“Nobody deserves to have this type of project in their back yard,” Jim says.

So he’ll continue advocating to keep his hillside pole-free.

For more information on these projects, go to:
http://capx2020.com/Projects/project_hamp-roch-lac.html
http://www.itctransco.com/projects/current/itcmidwest.html

“hoping that facts make a difference”

Posted on | July 31, 2009 | No Comments

From CETF’s attorney, Paula Maccabee:

Hello, Folks:

Thought you might want to see a copy of CETF’s comments on the CapX2020 La Crosse Project EIS scoping now underway through the USDA RUS.

The documents filed by Dairyland, along with the evidence of new Xcel forecast filed in the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant cases, confirm some of the conclusions we had previously projected from less complete data.  (Take a look at Figure 1, Figure 2 and Figure 3 if you only have time to
skim the documents).

Here’s hoping that facts make a difference.

Best regards,

Paula Maccabee, Esq.
Counsel for Citizens Energy Task Force

Read the rest of this concise statement of CETF’s position on CapX2020 HERE.

CETF considers appeal

Posted on | July 30, 2009 | No Comments

Group considers appeal over transmission lines (St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 14, 2009). Also, visit ILSR for more media coverage.

PUC meeting on CETF’s and NoCapX’s Petitions for Reconsideration

Posted on | July 22, 2009 | No Comments

On July 14 the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission met concerning Petitions for Reconsideration brought by CETF and NoCapX2020.

1. The PUC quickly decided not to reconsider any of the issues CETF or the NoCapX group asked to reconsider.
2. Regarding the Office of Energy Security petition for removal of wind conditions on the Brookings Line:The PUC’s May 22nd 3-2 vote on wind conditions for the Brookings line made the decision vulnerable to reconsideration. The Commissioners at first discussed  removing the conditions entirely, citing “unintended consequences” of their decision on costs for energy generating companies. However, after our attorney, Paula Maccabee argued from details in the record, that cost allocation was not affected by the wind condition decision, the PUC decided they would only change wind conditions if and when the Applicants came back to them with a separate order showing why the conditions could not work. Paula’s comment from the hearing:“It was heartening to know that a big part of the reason why the wind conditions weren’t rejected entirely was the fact that citizens had been promised that the Brookings line was for wind. By the end of the discussion, even some of the least supportive commissioners were making CETF’s point.”