Comments on: Big Stone II transmission project gets utility commission OK

By: News Day: Dumb power lines, smart grids / Woodchucks and logrolling / Immigrant parents, citizen children / Porch couch saga continues / more « Mary Turck

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:40:04 +0000

[...] • CapX 2020 — roughly 600 miles and $2 billion.• “Green Power Express” from ITC Holdings Group — “a series of 765 kV transmission lines across seven states, including Minnesota”• Xcel Energy — “upgrade a power line from Granite Falls to Shakopee from the current 230 kV line to a double-circuit 345 kV”• And don’t forget Big Stone II — already approved by the PUC “to construct and upgrade 112 miles of transmission lines in western Minnesota.” [...]

By: rick

rick — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:49:29 +0000

What is the problem with clean coal? do any of you idiots realize you need base power when the wind doesnt blow or its too windy to operate. Plus how much of your money do you have invested in your 46% eff?icient wind farms

By: Nancy Hone

Nancy Hone — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:43:35 +0000

This is just dumb, dumb, dumb. It is amazing to me that the high intelligence of the citizenry
is so often ignored as in this case. Then we, the citizens are subjected to the OOPS factor, as I call it. OOPs, we should not have done THAT!!! The precautionary principle should always reign.
One only has to look what humans have done to our planet to observe the troubling lack of vision.
We, the citizens, however, should not give up. This is just another round in the ring.
Hang in there people!!!

By: brian

brian — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:43:10 +0000

Yea, Otter Tail always ARGUES that the new lines will help wind power, but many of us out here who they have dumped mercury on for 30 years believe it is bogus. Nothing guarantees it, and they make their profits off burning coal, so what d’ya think will happen? A group of local citizens organized in Big Stone county, Mn, just across our same-named border lake from the big coal plant, to build a wind farm. When the MISO agency ordered that they needed an engineering study on suitability of local power lines to accept the power from their intended turbines, Otter Tail said: “Sure, no problem, just pay us $500,000 to do your necessary study, and we’ll do it.” Killed the project, as far as I’ve heard. Otter Tail is about the profits, and unless Minn gets serious about regulating them to get green, it won’t happen. South Dakota sure won’t, and that’s why they built the plant just over the S.D. border.

By: Tom Elko

Tom Elko — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 18:22:12 +0000

Kieth, wind power (or the future use there of) played a big part of the applicants argument in favor of the certificate of need.

Jason, it is worth pointing out that all five of the commissioners are Pawlenty appointees. One is the wife of a commissioner who recently retired.

By: Alan Muller

Alan Muller — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 14:36:43 +0000

A really dumb decision by the PUC.

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 21:56:15 +0000

Big surprise! The PUC will always do what’s good for big business. These big businesses fund the campaigns of those who appoint the commissioners.

By: Keith Kuckler

Keith Kuckler — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:27:06 +0000

i have heard no mention, of whether or not, the new transmission line could eventually be used for the transmission of wind power from the west of the state to the metro area? we in minnesota will be on the receiving end of the pollution, do we really want to have yet another coal fired plant destroying our environment?