Xcel Hiawatha Project
State Releases Draft Environmental Impact Statement (update January 9, 2010)
Blog and Video
Actions by the PUC to Date
Concerns About the Project
Stay Informed, Be Active
More About the Process
Midtown Greenway Coalition's Position
State Releases Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed High Voltage Lines along Midtown Greenway-- (updated 1/9/2010)
The Minnesota Department of Commerce released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on January 8, 2010 regarding Xcel Energy’s proposed high voltage transmission lines and two new substations along the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis. The 463-page document will inform proceedings by an Administrative Law Judge and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) regarding a route permit for the transmission lines. The Midtown Greenway Coalition is pleased that an underground route, as compared to an overhead route on 70-foot-tall towers, was identified as a potential mitigation measure for impacts related to land use, structures, safety and health, recreation and tourism, aesthetics, utilities systems, and transportation. On the other hand, these potential mitigation strategies are not stated in the form of recommendations and many steps remain before a route is determined.
To be part of the process and comment on the DEIS, attend the upcoming public meeting where representatives from the OES and Xcel Energy will be available to answer questions about the permitting process and the proposed project:
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 – 6:00 PM
Plaza Verde
1516 East Lake Street
Minneapolis, MN 55407
612-724-5332
Photo rendering provided by Faith Cable for
the Midtown Community Works Partnership, overhead lines along the Greenway are still an alternative under consideration
The Midtown Greenway Coalition believes strongly that if the lines do go in, they should go underground, assuming the project cannot be forgone through conservation, renewable energy, load management, and smart grid. Continuing concerns, especially for overhead routes, relate to aesthetics and degrading trail users’ experiences, negative health impacts of electric and magnetic fields, and consigning the area to permanent blight due to loss of developer interest in land along the Greenway. Developers who have constructed new projects lining the west end of the Midtown Greenway tell us that they would not build higher density residential buildings underneath high voltage transmission lines. Unless you’re for urban sprawl and you don’t want development to concentrate along alternative transportation corridors, then overhead high voltage transmission lines along the Greenway are a very big problem. The DEIS recognizes these concerns, stating “Overhead transmission lines may create an industrial appearance in residential and commercial areas and are inconsistent with urban design directions suggested within many of the local land use plans,” and “Visual intrusions created as a result of overhead transmission lines may discourage additional residential or higher density development.”
Regarding environmental justice impacts, one mitigation strategy states “If an underground transmission line route alternative is chosen, distribute the incremental cost of undergrounding the transmission line among a larger base of ratepayers (e.g., state of Minnesota or seven county metropolitan area) to reduce the potential economic hardship on ratepayers in the Project Area.”
The struggle is far from over. In order for the Administrative Law Judge and the PUC to rule that the lines go underground and that local parties don’t get saddled with the extra cost for undergrounding, they must determine that there is no feasible overhead route. Futhermore, state law limits what they may consider when making their determination. Finally, a concern that remains whether the lines are overhead or underground is the possible loss of an important greenspace where a substation is proposed along the Greenway by the Hiawatha LRT Trail and the Sabo Bridge.
People who are interested in this struggle can get involved with the Midtown Greenway Coalition and/or state their interests at public hearings on April 5 and 6. Details for the hearings are shown below. The full DEIS can be called up from the PUC’s web site.
Mark your calendars now for:
• Monday, April 5, 2010, 2:00 p.m.
and again at 7:00 p.m., and
• Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 2:00 p.m.
and again at 7:00 p.m.
(location to be announced)
Talking points and the location of the hearings will be posted at
midtowngreenway.org as the hearings approach. The Midtown
Greenway Coalition also invites volunteers and donors to pitch
in, as this struggle is costing us about $70,000 over two years
and only about $12,000 has been raised. You may email me at
tim@midtowngreenway.org to ask that your name be added to
our list to receive updates and calls to action regarding this Xcel
struggle. Thank you to everyone who has helped and donated so
far, please stick with us through this struggle.
Blog and Video
In order to more effectively share information and receive feedback, the Midtown Greenway Coalition and the Phillips West Neighborhood Organization have created a blog regarding Xcel's Hiawatha Project. This blog also features a new video by the Community Design Group to rally the public around the cause.
Actions by the PUC To Date
On Thursday, May 21, 2009 the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) determined that Xcel Energy’s route permit application for the Hiawatha Project is complete and a one-year process has begun to decide the route. The Hiawatha Project calls for two new high voltage transmission lines and two new substations, all in the vicinity of the Midtown Greenway. The silver lining is that they also established an Advisory Task Force to recommend route alternatives and issues to be looked at in the environmental review process.
Xcel's preferred route for the high voltage transmission lines is along the Midtown Greenway and its preferred locations for its two substations are (1) the new greenspace just east of Hiawatha Avenue where about 400 trees and shrubs were planted on May 2, and (2) on the north rim of the Greenway between Oakland and Portland Avenues, an area for which Phillips West and the Midtown Greenway Coalition just completed concept drawings for a proposed new public walkway.
Xcel's preferred transmission line route along the south edge of the Midtown Greenway includes two possible construction types for the high voltage transmission lines: (1) on towers overhead with footings along 29th Street, or (2) buried along 29th Street. The added cost of burying the lines means that XCEL WILL PUT THE LINES OVERHEAD unless some party agrees to pay the added cost for putting them underground, or the MN Public Utilities Commission finds that there is support in state law given the local circumstances to require putting the lines underground.
You can see the complete application on Xcel's web site by clicking here, or at local libraries.
The Midtown Greenway Coalition continues to promote forgoing the project altogether through aggressive conservation, site-based electricity generation such as with solar panels and combined heat and power plants, and grid updates such as smart grid. That said, the Coalition is jumping into the routing discussion so as not to miss opportunities to impact the Public Utilities Commission rulings, including the above-ground vs buried issue.
Concerns About the Project
The concerns of the Midtown Greenway Coalition and its constituent communities include:
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Negative aesthetic impacts along what is now a pleasant green corridor
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Potential electric shocks to trail users and adjacent residents
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Potential negative health impacts from elevated electric and magnetic fields such as an increased risk of childhood leukemia (see 'expert opinion' pdf in sidebar);
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Squashing development potential--the door slammed shut on the Greenway’s potential to serve as a spine for smart growth (developers say they wouldn’t build under these lines).
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A large electric substation in place of an important proposed public greenspace at the confluence of Greenway, the Hiawatha LRT bikeway, the new Sabo Bridge, and our region’s only LRT line.
Stay Informed, be active.
If you haven’t already, sign up for updates and action alerts from the Midtown Greenway Coalition. Email Tim@midtowngreenway.org to be on our Hiawatha Project email list
Enlist for updates and information directly from the Public Utilities Commission
http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/Docket.html?Id=19981
Check the Midtown Greenway Coalition Website frequently for updates. And, this issue is consuming a considerable amount of the Coalition’s organizational resources—if you agree with how the Coalition is approaching this issue and want to support this work, please join/donate now.
More About the Process
The filing of the route permit application in April 2009 began the full review permitting process. The PUC has one year from the date it determined that the application was substantially complete (May 2009) to make a decision on the application, although it may delay the decision for up to three months. The Minnesota Department of Commerce Office of Energy Security (OES) will has created a Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The OES will hold an informational meeting for the public to comment on the document and make revisions, then release the final EIS. Also, hearings before an Administrative Law Judge will be held where intervening parties and Xcel Energy will present evidence and make their various cases about the route and substation locations. The Administrative Law Judge will make recommendations and the PUC will make the final decision. Pending approval, construction on the Hiawatha Project would begin in 2010, with an in service date in 2011.
Midtown Greenway Coalition's Position
The Midtown Greenway Coalition currently opposes Xcel Energy’s Hiawatha Project. There are many similarities between the Minneapolis City Council's resolution and the Coalition's resolution. Both call for Xcel to delay its planned January or February application for a routing permit to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission until alternatives to the project can be evaluated to the satisfaction of the community. Once again, such alternatives may include upgrades to the local electricity distribution system, conservation, local distributed generation such as solar electric panels, and load management such as with a Smart Grid system. The Coalition's current stance is in a policy resolution (PDF) adopted 1/22/09 expanding its previous 12/3/08 resolution. The updated resolution specifically opposes Xcel's recommended route and substation locations along the Greenway as announced recently. The Coalition submitted a list of questions (PDF) to Xcel Energy and encouraged them to respond by January 7, 2009. Xcel Energy did respond to the 9 of the questions on January 15th. Answers to these questions were incomplete and not in depth enough to satisfy the Coalition.
Xcel Energy is proposing major improvements to its electric infrastructure in Minneapolis to include two new substations and a pair of high voltage transmission lines connecting the substations. This project, called the Hiawatha Project, would include one substation on Hiawatha Avenue and one in the Midtown area. The potential area for the transmission lines is parallel to the Midtown Greenway as far south as 32nd Street and as far north as 26th Street. Where similar power lines have gone in elsewhere there have been concerns about the health impacts of electric and magnetic fields and aesthetic impacts. For the Midtown Greenway in particular, its future as a spine for higher density residential development fronting this bikeway and future rail transit corridor could be jeopardized if people are disinterested in living in the shadows of high voltage lines and towers.
“South Minneapolis is a thriving area,” said Judy Poferl, Xcel Energy regional vice president. “We are committed to providing reliable
service to the community and this project is the next big step to fuel its future energy needs.” The proposed project timeline: January 2009--Xcel applies for project approval; October 2009--construction begins; June 2010--service delivery. Xcel Energy recently held public open houses on October 29 and November 6.
A community forum was held on Monday, January 12, sponsored by the Phillips Community Energy Cooperative, the Midtown Greenway Coalition, and others. It was well-attended by citizens, representatives from impacted organizations, and elected officials from City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and the state legislature. There was consensus that due diligence should be undertaken by Xcel to explore alternatives to the Hiawatha Project.
The Midtown Greenway Coalition continues to receive emails and calls about this project and will need some help to effectively represent community interests. If you would like to help organize, or be on an email action alert list or manage such a list, or research such things as the potential health impacts of electric and magnetic fields (EMF), or be involved in others ways, please contact Tim Springer (tim@midtowngreenway.org).
To view Xcel Energy’s web site page dedicated to this project click here.
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