Shannon Fiecke of the Shakopee Valley News reports:

An exhaustive analysis, detailing every house, field, and road in Scott County that could lie in the path of a planned transmission line, has been completed for the CapX 2020 project,
The draft environmental impact statement, published last week, describes not only impacts from the two routes proposed by a consortium of energy providers but also alternative alignments suggested by the public.

The study is supposed to help the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission select the exact routing for the 240-mile proposed high-voltage line. It was completed by an independent consultant on behalf of the Minnesota Office of Energy Security.

Last winter, a group of utilities laid out a preferred route and an alternative route, selected from a 12-mile search area centered on the county’s border. There’s no guarantee the PUC will follow either exactly, however.

State Sen. Claire Robling, R-Jordan, who happened to meet with CapX 2020 officials shortly before the report was released last week Tuesday, said they told her there is almost always some variation to the routes proposed by electrical companies.

“They may be slight or they could be significant – in the past they considered them more minor than major,” she said. “They can take part of all kinds of different plans and piece them together.”
The public can learn more about the draft EIS and provide comment in informational meetings and public hearings in November and December.

The environmental impact statement looks at a variety of impacts besides buildings and roads, including lakes, historic sites and plants.

The EIS review process is expected to last six to eight months, said Randy Fordice, spokesman for the CapX 2020 project.
After the public comment period closes, a final EIS will be prepared. It is expected to be released in early January.
An administrative law judge will hold a second round of public hearings before recommending a route to the PUC, which makes the final decision.

PROPOSED ROUTES

The CapX 2020 project has selected a preferred route and an alternate route. Both pass through Scott County, but to a much greater extent under the preferred route.

The preferred option runs from the Lake Marion substation through the townships of New Market, Cedar Lake, and Helena. It then enters Belle Plaine Township and heads south through Le Sueur County before crossing the Minnesota River.

The alternative option cuts across northern Rice and Le Sueur counties before heading north through Belle Plaine Township to cross the river valley.

Scott County prefers portions of the proposed routes that would cross its neighbors.

The southern counties don’t face the same transportation dilemmas and future housing impacts from the transmission line as does Scott County, nor have they already dealt with a new pipeline, Commissioner Jon Ulrich of Savage said previously.

Scott County suggested CapX 2020 retain the portion of the preferred route that lies in Le Sueur County, while swapping a long segment of the preferred route in Scott County for an alternative route section that runs through northern Rice County and then north along Interstate 35 to the Lake Marion substation in Scott County.
The preferred route is estimated to cost $582.5 million, about $56 million less than the alternate route.

A new $12.2 million substation is also planned in either southern Scott County or northern Le Sueur County. A 3- to 4-acre area is sought, either northwest of New Prague in Belle Plaine or Helena Township, or west of Heidelberg in Derrynane Township.

CAPX 2020

Power agencies say they need the new transmission line to meet growing energy demand but also to carry wind energy from the Buffalo Ridge area to the Twin Cities.

The Brookings County (S.D.) to Hampton (Minn.) 345-kivolt transmission project is one of four high-voltage lines proposed in the state.

The proposed 240-mile line would be constructed primarily with single-pole, steel structures, ranging from 130 to 175 feet tall, with an average span of 1,000 feet between poles. The typical right-of-way required is 150 feet.

The applicant requested a route width of 1,000 feet in most areas to allow flexibility in the final design. The commission may limit the line to a more specific route, however, to protect sensitive areas or in response to specific landowner concerns.

The project has been controversial, from both people who prefer a different route than the ones proposed by CapX 2020 or think new transmission lines simply shouldn’t be built.

There were 100 alternative routes proposed by the public, 26 of which met criteria for analysis.

Robling said most of the feedback she’s received pertains to the power line running down the main street of Elko New Market, along County Road 2.

She has since learned that route was not proposed by the electric companies, but it is one of the alternatives suggested during the public comment process.

Residents have also raised concern to legislators about the legal process for eminent domain in utility projects.

Robling is largely supportive of state legislation introduced last year to give more protection to landowners when a utility seeks to condemn property.

The senator said there isn’t enough money provided to cover property owner’s costs for hiring an appraiser when trying to get a second opinion on the value of land.

Some would also like to create a mandate that utilities cover a property owner’s legal bills if a judge determines the offer made for an easement by the utility company is grossly inadequate.

Robling said property owners deserve fair compensation because they bear the burden for the public good. But a proper balance must be struck in whatever legislation moves forward, she said, so it doesn’t become too costly for utility upgrades, whose costs are born by the rate-payers.

Robling said she hasn’t gotten any feedback yet from constituents on the draft EIS.

She said she expects it will take people a while to digest the lengthy report, which she herself is still reading. Scott County officials also are still analyzing the report.

Shannon Fiecke is a staff writer for the Shakopee Valley News. She can be reached at sfiecke@swpub.com.