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REPORT APPENDIX AAppendix A Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Notice and Chaska Local Approval Process Correspondence 414 Nicollet Mall, 414-06 Minneapolis, MN 55401 1-800-895-4999 xcelenergy.com January 29, 2018 Via Electronic Filing and U.S. Mail Daniel P. Wolf Executive Secretary Minnesota Public Utilities Commission 121 7th Place East, Suite 350 St. Paul, MN 55101 RE: Notice of Election to Seek Local Review of Proposed approximately 1.5 mile 115 kV Transmission Line to Lake Hazeltine Substation in Chanhassen and Chaska, Carver County, Minnesota Dear Mr. Wolf: In accordance with the Power Plant Siting Act (PPSA), Minn. Stat. § 216E.05, subd. 3, and Minn. R. 7850.5300, subp. 3, this letter, filed via eFiling, serves as the required notice to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) that Northern States Power Company, a Minnesota corporation (Xcel Energy) intends to seek local review and approval to construct an approximately 1.5-mile, 115 kilovolt (kV) transmission line with approximately 18 structures and associated features to serve electricity to the City of Chaska’s Lake Hazeltine Substation (Figure 1). Project Location The Project site is located in Carver County, Minnesota, beginning in Chanhassen and ending at the Lake Hazeltine Substation in Chaska. It spans from the southeast quadrant of the intersection of Carver County Road 18 (Lyman Boulevard) and County Road 15 (Audubon Road) in the city of Chanhassen to the new Lake Hazeltine Substation located south of Columbia Court North in the city of Chaska. The transmission line is located in portions of Section 22, Township 116N, Range 23W and the north half of Section 21, Township 116N, R23W, (Figure 1). The proposed transmission line will be located in an area of agricultural and industrial land, adjacent to railroad and county roads. The project crosses the north shore of Lake Hazeltine south of the city of Chaska’s Lake Hazeltine Substation near where the proposed transmiss ion line would connect to the substation (Figure 1). Mr. Daniel Wolf January 29, 2018 Page 2 Project Need The City of Chaska is constructing the Lake Hazeltine Substation to serve 50 megawatts (MW) of electrical load, including 24 MW to repla8ce the removed Downtown Chaska Substation and to serve the customers on the north end of Chaska made up of primarily Industrial customers. In order to provide electric service to Chaska’s Lake Hazeltine substation, a new transmission line is required to connect to the existing Xcel Energy transmission line located along the east side of County Road 15 (Audubon Road). Project Description Xcel Energy proposes to construct an approximately 1.5 -mile long, double circuit, 115 kV transmission line on 18 structures and associated facilities. As shown on Figure 1, the proposed transmission line route will connect tangent to and extend from the existing transmission line along the southeast side of the intersection of County Road 18 (Lyman Boulevard) and County Road 15 (Audubon Road) in Chanhassen. It will run approximately 80 feet southwest of, and parallel to, County Road 18 (Lyman Boulevard) for approximately 0.62 miles to the south side of the Twin Cities and Western Railroad tracks. The transmission line will then turn to the southwest It will run parallel to the railroad right -of-way for approximately 0.55 miles to the north shore of Lake Hazeltine. The transmission line will turn to the northwest, cross the railroad tracks and run for approximately 0.24 miles where it will connect to and end at Chaska’s La ke Hazeltine Substation located along the west side of Columbia Court North in Chaska, Minnesota. The proposed transmission line will use single pole, horizontal or braced post structures composed of self-weathering steel. The structures will be approximat ely 80-110 feet high with a span length of approximately 300-550 feet. Structures will be constructed using approximately 6 to 10-foot diameter reinforced concrete pier foundations. Local Governmental Unit The City of Chaska (City) is the local government al unit (LGU) for the Project. While the project is located within both the cities of Chanhassen and Chaska, the City of Chanhassen has agreed that the City of Chaska will serve as the LGU for the project (Exhibit 2). While the Project is required to be approved by the Commission pursuant to the PPSA, Minn. Stat. §216E.05 and Minn. R. 7850.5300, Xcel Energy intends to seek local review and approval from the City of Chaska via the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process. City of Chaska staff has indicated they are willing to review and grant a CUP for the Project. On January 17, 2018, Xcel Energy submitted a CUP application to the City of Chaska for review and approval of the Project. Pursuant to Minn. Stat. § 216E.05, subd. 1(b) and Minn. R. 7850.5300, subp. 4, the City of Chaska has been notified that it has 60 days to refer permitting the Project to the Commission. Additionally, Xcel Energy will work with other applicable regulatory agencies to obtain any required Project specific permits such as the City o f Chanhassen’s CUP, public land, water, and wetland crossings. Xcel Energy provided notice to those persons on the Commission’s General Notification List that a permit for the Project has been applied for from the City of Chaska in accordance with Minn. R. 7850.5300, subp. 3. Questions for the City of Chaska regarding this Project and the Mr. Daniel Wolf January 29, 2018 Page 3 Chaska CUP process should be directed to Elizabeth Hanson, Chaska City Planner, at (952) 448 - 9200, or me at (612) 330-5925 or Brian.E.Sullivan@xcelenergy.com. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, XCEL ENERGY Brian Sullivan Senior Siting and Land Rights Agent Enclosure: Figure 1, Figure 2 CC: Elizabeth Hanson, City Planner, City of Chaska - w/encl. Deborah Pile, Office of Energy Security - w/encl. Commission’s General Notification List - w/encl. Affidavit of service on: General List of Interested Persons – w/encl. Tim Rogers, Mgr. 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NWI Wetland PWI Wetland LegendProposed Transmission-CL Proposed Transmission-ROW Proposed Structure1 Parcels, and Wetlands Existing Transmission LineEx. Distribution Line Figure 1 DAKOTA ANOKA HENNEPIN SCOTT CARVER WASHINGTONRAMSEY Figure 2 First Name Last Name Email Company Name Address Delivery Method View Trade Secret Service List Name James J. Bertrand james.bertrand@stinson.com Stinson Leonard Street LLP 150 South Fifth Street, Suite 2300 Minneapolis, MN 55402 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A David Birkholz david.birkholz@state.mn.us MN Department of Commerce Suite 500 85 7th Place East St. Paul, MN 55101-2198 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Michelle F. Bissonnette michelle.bissonnette@hdrinc.com HDR Engineering, Inc. Golden Hills Office Center 701 Xenia Ave S Ste 600 Minneapolis, MN 55416 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A B. Andrew Brown brown.andrew@dorsey.com Dorsey & Whitney LLP Suite 1500 50 South Sixth Street Minneapolis, MN 554021498 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A PUC CAO consumer.puc@state.mn.us Public Utilities Commission Consumer Affairs Office 121 7th Place E Suite 350 St. Paul, MN 55101 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Bill Cook bcook@rpu.org Rochester Public Utilities 4000 East River Road NE Rochester, MN 55906 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A John Crane johncranefishing@gmail.com Fishing 1250 Wee Gwaus DR SW Bemidji, MN 56601 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A George Crocker gwillc@nawo.org North American Water Office PO Box 174 Lake Elmo, MN 55042 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Carl Cronin Regulatory.records@xcelenergy.com Xcel Energy 414 Nicollet Mall FL 7 Minneapolis, MN 554011993 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Thomas Davis N/A - 1161 50th Ave Sherburn, MN 556171 Paper Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Patricia DeBleeckere tricia.debleeckere@state.mn.us Public Utilities Commission Suite 350 121 Seventh Place East St. Paul, MN 55101 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A John E. Drawz jdrawz@fredlaw.com Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. Suite 4000 200 South Sixth Street Minneapolis, MN 554021425 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Cory Dutcher cory.dutcher@ge.com GE Power and Water 1 River Rd. Bldg. 37-413 Schenectady, NY 12345 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Kristen Eide Tollefson N/A R-CURE 28477 N Lake Ave Frontenac, MN 55026-1044 Paper Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Scott Ek scott.ek@state.mn.us Public Utilities Commission 121 7th Place East Suite 350 St. Paul, MN 55101 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Annette Fiedler phydev@swrdc.org Southwest Regional Development Comm. 2401 Broadway Ave Ste 1 Slayton, MN 56172 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Karen A Gebhardt kageb1@gvtel.com 43901 253rd Ave Leonard, MN 56652-4026 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Larry Hartman Larry.Hartman@state.mn.us Department of Commerce 85 7th Place East, Suite 500 St. Paul, MN 55101 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Charles Healy chuckh@electrotech-inc.com ElectroTech, Inc 7101 Madison Ave Minneapolis, MN 55427 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Kimberly Hellwig kimberly.hellwig@stoel.com Stoel Rives LLP 33 South Sixth Street Suite 4200 Minneapolis, MN 55402 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Valerie Herring vherring@briggs.com Briggs and Morgan, P.A. 2200 IDS Center 80 S. Eighth Street Minneapolis, MN 55402 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Scott Johnson Scott.Johnson@ci.medina.mn.us City of Medina 2052 County Road 24 Medina, MN 55340-9790 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Michael Kaluzniak mike.kaluzniak@state.mn.us Public Utilities Commission Suite 350 121 Seventh Place East St. Paul, MN 55101 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Bruce King bruce@ranww.org Realtors, Association of Northwestern WI Suite 3 1903 Keith Street Eau Claire, WI 54701 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Stacy Kotch Stacy.Kotch@state.mn.us MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 395 John Ireland Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Karen Kromar karen.kromar@state.mn.us MN Pollution Control Agency 520 Lafayette Rd Saint Paul, MN 55155 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Kim Lindquist kim.lindquist@ci.rosemount.mn.us 2875 145th St W Rosemount, MN 55068 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Paula Maccabee Pmaccabee@justchangelaw.com Just Change Law Offices 1961 Selby Ave Saint Paul, MN 55104 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Brian Meloy brian.meloy@stinson.com Stinson,Leonard, Street LLP 150 S 5th St Ste 2300 Minneapolis, MN 55402 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Kevin Mixon kevin.mixon@state.mn.us Department of Natural Resources 261 HWY 15 S New Ulm, MN 56073 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Andrew Moratzka andrew.moratzka@stoel.com Stoel Rives LLP 33 South Sixth St Ste 4200 Minneapolis, MN 55402 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Colleen Mueller N/A 22186 State Hwy 4 Paynesville, MN 56362 Paper Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Steven Nyhus swnyhus@flaherty-hood.com Flaherty & Hood PA 525 Park St Ste 470 Saint Paul, MN 55103 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Kate O'Connell kate.oconnell@state.mn.us Department of Commerce Suite 50085 Seventh Place East St. Paul, MN 551012198 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Carol A. Overland overland@legalectric.org Legalectric - Overland Law Office 1110 West Avenue Red Wing, MN 55066 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Kevin Peterson kjp@ibew160.org IBEW Local 160 1109 Northway Lane NE Rochester, MN 55906 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Angela Piner angela.piner@hdrinc.com HDR, Inc. Suite 600 701 Xenia Avenue South Suite 600 Minneapolis, MN 55416 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Larry Rebman larryemls@hotmail.com EMLS, Inc PO Box 122 Appleton, MN 56208 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Margaret Rheude Margaret_Rheude@fws.gov U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Twin Cities Ecological Services Field Office 4101 American Blvd. E. Bloomington, MN 55425 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Rachellle Schmitz rrneevel@yahoo.com N/A Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Tom Schmitz tschmitz_rph@yahoo.com N/A Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Rod Schumacher rod.schumacher@is-grp.com I&S Group 115 E Hickry St Suite 300 Mankato, MN 56001 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A David Shaffer david.shaffer@startribune.com 425 Portland Minneapolis, MN 55488 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Tom Slukich tom@nationalconductor.com National Conductor Constructors 18119 Hwy 371 North Brainderd, MN 56401 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Adam Sokolski adam.sokolski@iberdrolaren.com Iberdrola Renewables 701 fourth Avenue South Suite 1010 Minneapolis, MN 55415 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Mike Steckelberg msteckelberg@grenergy.com Great River Energy 12300 Elm Creek Boulevard Maple Grove, MN 553694718 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Matt Steinrueck BADEMAIL - msteinrueck@cleanwater.org Clean Water Action 330 Second Ave S Suite 420 Minneapolis, MN 55401 Paper Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Mark Strohfus mstrohfus@grenergy.com Great River Energy 12300 Elm Creek Boulevard Maple Grove, MN 553694718 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Carl Strohm cjsmg@sbcglobal.net SBC Global 105 East Edgewood Ave Indianapolis, IN 46227 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Tom Swafford tswafford@umsi.us Utility Mapping Services, Inc 3947 E Calvary Rd Suite 103 Duluth, MN 55803 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Eric Swanson eswanson@winthrop.com Winthrop & Weinstine 225 S 6th St Ste 3500 Capella Tower Minneapolis, MN 554024629 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Todd Tadych ttadych@atcllc.com American Transmission Company LLC 5303 Fen Oak Dr Madison, WI 53718 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Steve Thompson stevet@cmpasgroup.org Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency 459 S Grove St Blue Earth, MN 56013-2629 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Caren Warner caren.warner@state.mn.us Department of Commerce 85 7th Place East Suite 500 St. Paul, MN 55101-2198 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Cynthia Warzecha cynthia.warzecha@state.mn.us Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 500 Lafayette Road Box 25 St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-4040 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A Hans van Lingen hans.vanlingen@enel.com Enel Green Power North America 1 Tech Drive Suite 220 Andover, MA 01810 Electronic Service No SPL_SL__General List 7850.2100-1A U.S Postal Service Mailing List Daniel P. Wolf Executive Secretary Minnesota Public Utilities Commission 121 7th Place East, Suite 350 St. Paul, MN 55101 CHANHASSEN CITY C/O Sharmeen Al-Jaff PO BOX 147 CHANHASSEN, MN 55317-0147 CHASKA CITY C/O Elizabeth Hanson 1 CITY HALL PLAZA CHASKA, MN 55318-1962 Thomas Davis 1161 50th Ave Sherburn, MN 56171 Kristen Eide Tollefson R-CURE 28477 N Lake Ave Frontenac, MN 55026-1044 Colleen Mueller 22186 State Hwy 4 Paynesville, MN 56362 Matt Steinrueck Clean Water Action 330 Second Ave S, Suite 420 Minneapolis, MN 55401 TBPLS Firm No. 10074302 August 30, 2017 Kevin Ringwald City of Chaska One City Hall Plaza Chaska, MN 55318-1962 Re: Local Approval of 115kV Electric Transmission Line Project to Lake Hazeltine Substation File 008258.00 Dear Mr. Ringwald: We appreciate your willingness to hold a meeting between the city of Chaska and the city of Chanhassen to discuss the local permitting process for the proposed high voltage transmission line. We are pleased that the city of Chaska has agreed to serve as the Local Government Unit (LGU) permitting authority. As the permitting process unfolds, we (Westwood) and Xcel Energy will provide support for / manage the completion of required LGU procedural actions as defined in Minnesota Rule 7850.5300. This summary of the key issues in the process is appropriate following our earlier meeting. Chaska must follow the State of Minnesota process for a transmission line of this size (greater than 100 kV). I provided the specific details for the local review of energy facilities and preparation of the Environmental Assessment (EA) in the attached documents. The LGU, as the local permitting authority, is obligated to conduct an environmental review of the proposed project prior to issuing a permit. This is the summary document. Westwood will facilitate the completion of the environmental review process by managing the following tasks. 1- Producing public notices for the Environmental Assessment scoping meeting, including a published notice in the local newspaper and a letter to each affected landowner. We hope to issue this letter next week. 2- Hosting/Attending local public scoping meeting (likely held as an information item during a regular Council Meeting in October). 3- Compilation of any public comments for inclusion in published EA. 4- Coordination with Chaska City Council to establish contents of EA based on scoping decisions. 5- Publishing of EA and submittal to Chaska City Council for review 6- Publishing notice in EQB Monitor regarding the publishing of EA and the means for obtaining a copy for public review and allowing at least ten days of public review prior to issuing a permit. In concert with the processing of the environmental review, Westwood will facilitate communication with state and federal regulatory agencies, requesting comments regarding the proposed project. We will also August 30, 2017 Page 2 work with the city of Chanhassen to confirm that they agree that the city of Chaska can serve this lead role. Their city becomes involved because a portion of the 115 kV line extends into the city of Chanhassen. Following the completion of the EA process, we will assist the city of Chaska with the completion of the permitting process and posting information to the PUC web site. Sincerely, WESTWOOD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Tom Braman Sr. Environmental Scientist Enclosure: cc: Brian Sullivan (Xcel Energy) Local Permitting Option for the 115 kV Electric Transmission Line Project to the Lake Hazeltine Substation in Chaska/Chanhassen.  According to Minnesota Administrative Rule 7850.5300 Subp 2, a high voltage transmission line with a design capacity between 100 and 200 kilowatts is considered an eligible project and may seek permitting approval from a local government unit.  Two actions must be accomplished within ten days of application submittal to the local government unit: o The applicant must notify the Public Utilities Commission, in writing, that the applicant has opted to pursue local permitting approval for the project; o The applicant will mail notice to individuals on the general notification list that the permit application has been submitted. A description of the project and a local government unit contact will be included as part of the notice. The contents of the notice and the recipients of the notice are defined in Minn. Rule 7850.2100.  An environmental assessment must be prepared for the project. Several actions are associated with the preparation of the EA: o The Local Government Unit will provide an opportunity for the public to participate in defining the scope of the EA. o Notice of the completion of the EA will be published in the EQB Monitor, and that it is available for review. o A copy of the EA will be submitted to the PUC upon completion.  The contents and format of the EA are defined in Minnesota Administrative Rule 7850.3700.  It is unclear, at this time, if the local permitting option requires the application of the Full Permitting or the Alternative Permitting options as defined in Minnesota Administrative Rules. It might be pertinent at this time to include alternate routes in the Route Permit Application analysis.  A review of city’s ordinances will be completed specifically related to the construction of high voltage transmission lines. Kevin Ringwald, Community Development Director for Chaska and Kate Aanenson Community Development Director for Chanhassen will be the contacts for clarifying which ordinances might apply. 10.24.11 1 Local Review of Energy Facilities – A Guide for Governmental Units, Utilities, and Developers The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) has responsibility and authority for the siting and routing of energy facilities in Minnesota, including power plants, transmission lines, wind farms, and pipelines. For certain eligible projects, local review and permitting is possible (Minn. Stat. § 216E.05). For these projects, a utility (or developer) may apply to a local unit of government instead of the Commission for a permit to build the project. Minnesota Rule 7850.5300 provides the procedural requirements that must followed by local units of governments (LGUs) and by utilities/developers for the local review option. These requirements should be reviewed before initiating a local review process. Applicant Responsibilities The utility/developer (applicant) considering local review should first ensure that the project meets the eligibility requirements of Minn. Stat. 216E.05. Second, the applicant should discuss, with the applicable LGU(s), the environmental review process required by Minn. Rule 7850.5300 and the permits that will be required for the project. The applicant must, within ten days of applying to an LGU for a permit, notify the Commission of their intent to seek local review for the proposed project. The notice should include: (1) A complete description of the project, (2) A project map, (3) The LGU that will be conducting the environmental review for the project, (4) The LGU(s) that will need to issue a permit for the project, and (5) Contact information for the applicant and LGU(s). The notice should be electronically filed through the Commission’s eDockets system, https://www.edockets.state.mn.us/EFiling. Upon filing, the project will be assigned a docket number, which will be used to reference all future documents related to the project. The applicant must also mail (by post or email) notice to the Commission’s general notification list. This is a list of persons who have expressed an interest in local review projects. The list is available by contacting Department of Commerce, Energy Facility Permitting (EFP) staff. EFP staff acts as technical staff to the Commission and ensures compliance with local review procedural requirements. EFP staff contacts are listed on the Commission’s energy facility permitting website. The staff person for local review projects is Ray Kirsch, 651-296-7588, raymond.kirsch@state.mn.us. The notice to the general notification list, with an accompanying affidavit of service, should be electronically filed into the eDockets system (eFiled). LGU Responsibilities A local unit of government (LGU) that accepts a local review project 1 7850.3700 , must conduct an environmental review of the project before making a permit decision. This review requires the preparation of an environmental assessment (EA). An EA is an environmental review document provided for by the Power Plant Siting Act; it is not an EAW (see Minn. Rule ). The environmental review process 1 An LGU may request that the Commission assume jurisdiction over a project by making a request to the Commission within 60 days of the permit application by the utility/developer, Minn. Rules 7850.5300, Subp. 4. 10.24.11 2 requires: (1) an opportunity for the public to develop the scope of the EA, and (2) notice in the EQB Monitor when the EA is completed and how persons may view the EA. An LGU may not make a permit decision until citizens have had a chance to review the EA (at least ten days after the EQB Monitor notice). An environmental assessment should include, in an appendix, the following documents: (1) Notice of the EA scoping meeting (e.g., copy of letter, newspaper notice) (2) All comments received on the scope of the EA, including citizen comments and agency comments. If no comments were received (e.g., no citizen comments), then this should be noted. (3) A scoping decision by the responsible LGU which outlines those topics which will be evaluated and discussed in the EA. To ensure that citizens are aware of the proposed project and how they can participate, the LGU should provide notice of public meetings (scoping meeting and any other public meetings for the project) through: (1) newspaper notice and (2) direct notice to affected landowners/citizens. The LGU should develop and use a mailing list that includes potentially affected citizens and applicable state agencies. The LGU should use this mailing list to provide notice of the EA’s completion and availability for review (in addition to placing notice in the EQB Monitor – most citizens do not regularly read the EQB Monitor). The LGU which leads the environmental review process must provide a copy of the EA to the Commission when completed. The EA should be electronically filed. An LGU does not need to submit the permit that it issues for the project to the Commission. eFiled Documents Based on Minnesota Rule 7850.5300 and the above discussion of applicant and LGU responsibilities, the documents that should be eFiled for a local review project include: (1) Applicant’s notice to the Commission (2) Applicant’s notice to the general notification list with affidavit of service (3) Notice in the EQB Monitor of the availability of the environmental assessment (4) The environmental assessment for the project Assistance from EFP Staff After the applicant provides notice to the Commission and to the general notification list, EFP staff will send a letter to the applicant and applicable LGU(s) (1) affirming that the project is eligible for local review, (2) recognizing one LGU as responsible for the environmental review of the project, and (3) noting those LGUs which must issue a permit or approval for the project. EFP staff is available to assist applicants and LGUs with questions concerning the local review process. Additionally, applicants and LGUs can review previous local review projects on the Commission’s energy facility permitting website, see Local Review. Frequently Asked Questions (1) What if a proposed project affects several LGUs, e.g., County A, County B, and City C? Each LGU will likely have a specific permit which is required for the project. For example, County A and County B may need to issue a conditional use permit; City C may need to issue a facility permit. However, there is only one environmental review process for the project; one EA is developed. The LGUs affected must agree on the LGU that will lead the environmental review process. This LGU will 10.24.11 3 create the EA. All of the LGUs will then use the EA in making their permitting decisions. Thus, by agreement, County A could develop the EA for the project. County A, County B, and City C would all use this EA to make their respective permitting decisions. (2) Can an applicant email notice to those persons on the general notification list that have provided email addresses? Yes, notice can be provided by email. The State of Minnesota provides notice by regular mail and solicits email addresses only for backup contact information. However, applicants can provide notice by a combination of email and regular mail. If an email address bounces, a regular mail address should be used. (3) How does an LGU place a notice in the EQB Monitor? The EQB Monitor is a biweekly publication managed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Notices for the EQB Monitor should be sent to: EQB.Monitor@state.mn.us. Staff contacts and the EQB publishing schedule are available on the EQB website: www.eqb.state.mn.us. (4) How does an LGU electronically file documents? Instructions for electronically filing (eFiling) documents with the Commission are included on the eDockets website: https://www.edockets.state.mn.us/EFiling. Click on “eFling Help,” http://www.commerce.state.mn.us/eDocFile/eFilingHelp.html. 216E.05 LOCAL REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS. Subdivision 1. Local review. (a) Notwithstanding the requirements of sections 216E.03 and 216E.04, an applicant who seeks a site or route permit for one of the projects identified in this section shall have the option of applying to those local units of government that have jurisdiction over the site or route for approval to build the project. If local approval is granted, a site or route permit is not required from the commission. If the applicant files an application with the commission, the applicant shall be deemed to have waived its right to seek local approval of the project. (b) A local unit of government with jurisdiction over a project identified in this section to whom an applicant has applied for approval to build the project may request the commission to assume jurisdiction and make a decision on a site or route permit under the applicable provisions of this chapter. A local unit of government must file the request with the commission within 60 days after an application for the project has been filed with any one local unit of government. If one of the local units of government with jurisdiction over the project requests the commission to assume jurisdiction, jurisdiction over the project transfers to the commission. If the local units of government maintain jurisdiction over the project, the commission shall select the appropriate local unit of government to be the responsible governmental unit to conduct environmental review of the project. Subd. 2. Applicable projects. Applicants may seek approval from local units of government to construct the following projects: (1) large electric power generating plants with a capacity of less than 80 megawatts; (2) large electric power generating plants of any size that burn natural gas and are intended to be a peaking plant; (3) high-voltage transmission lines of between 100 and 200 kilovolts; (4) substations with a voltage designed for and capable of operation at a nominal voltage of 100 kilovolts or more; (5) a high-voltage transmission line service extension to a single customer between 200 and 300 kilovolts and less than ten miles in length; and (6) a high-voltage transmission line rerouting to serve the demand of a single customer when the rerouted line will be located at least 80 percent on property owned or controlled by the customer or the owner of the transmission line. Subd. 3. Notice of application. Within ten days of submission of an application to a local unit of government for approval of an eligible project, the applicant shall notify the commission that the applicant has elected to seek local approval of the proposed project. History: 2001 c 212 art 7 s 15; 2005 c 97 art 3 s 19 Copyright © 2016 by the Revisor of Statutes, State of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. 216E.05MINNESOTA STATUTES 20161