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TAKE ACTIONLetter Writing Campaign | Letters To The Editors | Pubilc Evidentiary Hearings and ALJ Comments | Draft EIS CommentsCO2 ExemptionsCAMPers' ACTION NEEDED THIS WEEK! MINNESOTA CLIMATE CHANGE ADVISORY GROUP (MCCAG) RECOMMENDS EXEMPTING MESABA FROM CO2 EMISSION STANDARDS DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: Midnight Sunday, April 27, 2008 The MCCAG Report to the Minnesota Legislature is intended to guide legislation to control emissions of carbon dioxide, among other greenhouse gases (GHG). The exemption for Mesaba (and also for Big Stone 2) was one of the most controversial decisions and had a high number of objections by MCCAG members. It is no coincidence that Dick Stone, Excelsior's VP for Development and Engineering, was a member of the Energy Supply Working Group that supported this recommendation to the MCCAG. Appendix G, relating to Energy Supply Recommendation ES-1, states:
CAMP'S POSITION EXEMPTING MESABA CONFLICTS WITH THE GOAL OF REDUCING MINNESOTA'S GHG EMISSIONS. FACTS SUPPORTING POSITION AGAINST MESABA EXEMPTION
TO COMMENT YOU MUST USE THIS LINK: RESPONSE FORM
CLICK THESE LINKS TO READ THE REPORT Chapter 4 (Energy Supply) - 52 KB pdf and the Executive Summary - 176 KB pdf The entire Report can be found and downloaded in sections at - http://www.mnclimatechange.us/MCCAG.cfm DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: Midnight Sunday, April 27, 2008 LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGNCAMP encourages you to write to elected officials who have influence over the Mesaba Energy Project. Click here to access talking points to consider and to submit a letter. CAMP submitted a Letter to Legislators Regarding Greenhouse Gases - Excelsior Energy/Mesaba Energy Project. The letter can be found at this link: Letter to Legislators LETTERS TO THE EDITORSWe strongly encourage people to write Letters to the Editor. It's a great way for our voice to be heard! And its working! Grand Rapids Herald Review: news@grandrapidsmn.com Mesabi Daily News: mdn@virginiamn.com Hibbing Daily Tribune: tribune@hibbingmn.com Scenic Range News: Editor@ScenicRangeNewsForum.com Duluth News Tribune: letters@duluthnews.com The Timberjay: editor@timberjay.com Minneapolis Star Tribune: www.startribunecompany.com/143 St. Paul Pioneer Press: letters@pioneerpress.com PUBLIC EVIDENTIARY HEARINGS ON SITING AND ROUTING DOCKET AND ALJ COMMENTSJOINT PERMIT APPLICATION: PLANT SITE / HVTL ROUTE / NATURAL GAS PIPELINE ROUTE The Mesaba Energy Project has two cases pending before the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission: the power purchase agreement (PPA) docket, which is not yet finalized; and the siting and routing docket, where evidentiary hearings are underway and the adequacy of the final Environmental Impact Statement will be considered. The siting docket goes back to the Applications filed in 2006, regarding the preferred and alternate sites, routes for the HVTLs and the natural gas pipeline, and air and water permits. Some of the environmental concerns overlap with issues addressed in the EIS. ALJ Steve M. Mihalchick conducted public evidentiary hearings in Taconite and Hoyt Lakes on January 29th and January 30th respectively. Excelsior Energy introduced prefiled testimony and witnesses were available for questioning. The four volumes of the transcript of the public hearings on the Mesaba siting docket are available at the Grand Rapids Area Library. Vol. I is from the first day of hearing, at Taconite. Vol. II is from the evening session at Taconite. Vol. III is from the day session at Hoyt Lakes. Vol. IV is from the evening session at Hoyt Lakes. For those who just want to know what happened at the hearings Vols I and IV contain interesting questions that were put to the witnesses and some revealing answers. CAMP submitted comments to Administrative Law Judge Steve M. Mihalchick on dockets PUC Docket No. E6472/GS-06-668 and OAH Docket No. 12-2500-17512-2 regarding the Mesaba Energy Project. Please find the comments at this link.MESABA'S DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTMesaba's draft EIS is critical to whether its permits and siting applications will be approved. It is being conducted jointly by the federal Department of Energy and the Minnesota Department of Commerce.The draft EIS has now been released. Public hearings have been held in Taconite and Hoyt Lakes. Several individuals have submitted comments. You can access the comments by the links provided below. DRAFT EIS COMMENTSThe comments on the below links were drafted by several volunteers and have been submitted for the MEP draft environmental impact statement. Some of them were presented at the public hearing in Taconite on November 27th. To prevent slow load times for this page all comments have been posted on two separate pages. To view Page One comments click here. To view Page Two comments click here. |