“At a Glance” Big Stone II Regulatory Hurdles as of Feb. 2008 |
| Regulatory Hurdle | Status | Comments | Further Info/Links |
| Big Stone
II PSD (Air Quality) Permit There has been a challenge mounted to the EPA’s fast track approval of South Dakota’s authority to issue the Air Quality Permit to BSII (making it a local state decision rather than a Federal one). Comments on Air Quality Permit itself are currently being solicited. The timeline for when or if the permit will be issued is still up in the air. |
On |
If South Dakota’s authority to issue the air quality permit is upheld, South Dakota will most likely approve the permit as it has done with every other permit that the BSII partners have asked for. However, the Sierra Club’s recent petition may cause delays and there are other potential delays and increased costs to BSII partners stemming from the recent U.S. Court of Appeals Ruling striking down the EPA’s cap and trade program for mercury, which directly impacts BSII. |
Bruce Nilles
612-659-9124 ext. 310
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| WAPA (Western Area Power Administration)
Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) |
Comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS due by Feb 28, 2008. Final EIS will be issued in late summer 2008, but no further comment will be allowed. It will be released then and acted upon by WAPA | WAPA is considered to be friendly to the coal fired
power
industry. Hundreds of comments have been submitted
by
citizens decrying the water draw down threat to the MN
River. The Minnesota DNR has submitted a
letter that
can be viewed by clicking here. Your comments to WAPA can be submitted by clicking here. |
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| Minnesota Public Utilities
Commission (PUC) Certificate of Need for Transmission lines into Minnesota from BSII |
Administrative
Law Judge (ALJ) Report due in March 2008. |
The MN PUC could approve,
approve with conditions, or reject the Certificate of Need (CON)
Application. If the CON is approved, an appeal is likely. A summary of recent damaging testimony provided to the ALJ during the BS II hearings can be viewed by clicking here. |
Beth Goodpaster, Chuck Laszewski, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy
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| Convening of the South Dakota – Minnesota Boundary Waters Commission | Requires an order by the Governors to re-convene the now defunct commission that was established originally to work out water draw issues between the two states for the original Big Stone I plant |
Governor Pawlenty of MN and Governor Rounds of South Dakota are more interested in seeing Big Stone II get constructed than they are in facilitating interstate water rights negotiations. Minnesota DNR staff and other water specialists have expressed serious concerns about the proposed water draw down. Expect public scrutiny to heat up on this issue in the coming months. |
Mary Jo Stueve
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| “Advanced Determination of Prudency” by the Montana Dakota Utilities (MDU) and Otter Tail Power (OTP) before the North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC). | Following the withdrawal of 2 investors, MDU and OTP filed an amended application in ND. The new hearing is scheduled for 4/28 – 4/30/08. |
The ND PSC has expressed concern about the following facts on BSII: (1) use of WY – not ND – coal; (2) single rail line; (3) escalating construction costs; (4) displacement of potential ND energy being transmitted to MN. There is little in-state pressure to approve the application. |
Carrie La Seur
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For more information call CURE toll free: 1-877-269-2873 www.beyondbigstone2.com “Ice Fishing Awareness Campaign on LqP Lake” click here “Big Stone II Water Draw Down Implications from the MN DNR”. To view PDF , click here. “Definitive Research Proves Link between Coal Fired Power Plants and Local Fish Contamination”. To view PDF of study, click here. “CURE Challenges Corporate Water Grab”. To view PDF , click here.
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Big Stone II
Needs to Hear From YOU Many
lawmakers, investors, regulators and watchdog groups are raising
questions
about the ill-conceived coal fired power plant proposed to be built
across the
Minnesota River from Ortonville in Big Stone City, South Dakota. Now
it is time for Minnesota Ratepayers to make their voices heard.
Ask
BS II company officials these
questions:
Big
Stone II intends to draw off 3.2
billion gallons of public water annually from Big
Stone Lake to operate
the plant. They
acquired the permit to
do so from the South Dakota DENR without sitting down at the table with
Minnesota officials to hear their concerns.
When challenged about what would happen in a
drought, company officials
unveiled a plan to use groundwater to fill their cooling ponds. The proposed plan (which
still needs to be
approved) would draw water from scarce
aquifers in Tell
Big Stone II that you want power that doesn’t threaten public
water resources.
Tell
BSII you want mercury free power
generation. What
About Global Warming?
Tell
BSII you want your energy dollars spent developing Minnesota renewable
energy
systems that reflect Minnesota’s
desire
to address global warming. What
About the Cost of Coal Transportation?
The
DM & E railroad loan from the federal government has been nixed. Recently, Otter Tail Power
lost a federal
judgment against Burlington Northern that stemmed from their coal
delivery
problems. Last year
coal delivery
problems forced the Big Stone I plant to run at only half of
it’s
capacity. How much
are they going to
have to pay to have a steady supply of coal delivered to Big Stone II? Once again, it seems that
the rising cost of
coal transportation will be passed on to BSII customers. Tell Big Stone II you want your energy
dollars
to support Minnesota rural communities, not coal mine owners and coal
haulers
from other states. What
About Efficiency and Conservation?
Governor
Pawlenty’s Minnesota Department of Commerce has serious
concerns about the lack
of emphasis that the utility companies advancing Big Stone II have
placed on
energy efficiency and conservation. Experts
tell us that at least half of the
total power output from the proposed Big Stone II plant could be freed
up by
vigorously advancing energy efficiency measures among current users. Tell
BSII: Let’s
get on with a stepped up
energy efficiency campaign!
Environmental
and economic concerns aside, the image of fine companies like Otter
Tail Power,
Missouri River Energy and Great River Energy is suffering as a result
of their
insistence of “staying the course” on Big Stone II.
Mounting evidence shows it
is time to shelve
Big Stone II and come up with new strategies to benefit the communities
they
serve. Tell
BSII you want to be
proud of your public utility –
not embarrassed by it! Call or Write these individuals today |
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Otter Tail Corporation Board
Chair: John McFarlane
Otter Tail Power CEO: Chuck McFarlane 218-739-8200 215 South Cascade Street, Fergus Falls, MN 56537 http://www.bigstoneii.com/ContactUs/ContactUsMain.asp Missouri River Energy Board Chair: Harold Schiebout Missouri River Energy CEO: Thomas Heller 800-678-4042 3724 W Avera Drive Sioux Falls, SD 57109 http://www.mrenergy.com/ContactUs/Index.cfm Join the Campaign to transform the thinking of the BSII Partners! |
Great River Energy Board Chair:
Henry A. Hanson
Great River Energy CEO: David Saggau 763-441-3121 17845 East Highway 10 Elk River, MN 55330 webmaster@grenergy.com Here is what else you can do: If you want to know if your utility, city or rural cooperative has plans to purchase power from the proposed BSII Plant, call the CURE office: 1-877-269-2873. We encourage you to talk with your local elected officials. |
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Get Involved! Stop down to the CURE office or call us toll free: 1-877-269-2873 |
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Upper Minnesota River Watershed
114 South 1st Street West |
