First Starbucks, Now This... (by Dan)

Speaking of exalting our crosses, dark clouds are beginning to form over the 'shire. No, this isn't Lord of the Rings, but it well could be. Instead of Sauron's evil eye gazing from the tower of Barad-dur, there is a different evil lurking from a different kind of tower, plotting nonetheless to possibly destroy all that is pure and good about the Muffinshire.

Simply put: Muffinshire could fall victim to the CapX2020 initiative. This project is sponsored by a consortium of energy companies, for the ostensible purpose of meeting Minnesota's energy needs into the future. The backbone of this initiative is three major 345kV transmission lines (the big suckers - approx. 150 feet tall), one of which will stretch from Brookings, SD to the Twin Cities, which yes, runs right through our part of the world.

Exact routes are not yet finalized, but a process has been underway to determine them. The alarming find is that the 'shire is on the short list of routes around Marshall - we're along one of only two possibilities. First learning this a month ago, I didn't panic, since there is plenty of room in the field across the road from us to build it. It would be annoying there, yes. But life-changing, no.

Then I found out that our neighbor, who attended the most recent Open House on the matter, said that he was told the line would likely go on our side of the road, not the open field side. It doesn't make any sense to me why this would need to happen (except maybe that it would be cheaper to buy us out than to do some negotiating with East River Electric, which already has a smaller transmission line on the other side of the road) but that's what he said. Houston, we have a problem.

When these lines are created, a 75-foot right-of-way on both sides of it is established where they don't purchase the land, but they do buy an "easement" to it, and they cut down all the trees and prevent you from putting buildings or trees back on it. Placing the transmission line on our side of the road could require the removal of our entire western grove of trees for the right-of-way. This includes our maple trees and some of our mulberry trees. This would open the 'shire up to the winter winds and destroy the aesthetic value currently provided by having mature trees surrounding our house. Worse, the dominant feature left in its place would be an obnoxious electrical line. The kicker, though, is the safety issue. The line would be less than 100 feet from our bedrooms. The official position is that Electrical-Magnetic Fields (EMF's) have not been able to be linked with childhood leukemia, but the fact is that enough contrary suspicions continue to be raised in the scientific community that studies are still being done. For that reason, I think "prudent avoidance" is the right course of action here, but this wouldn't give us the option to prudently avoid anything. We simply don't want Ana or the Wee One In Utero to be that close. For these reasons, this would, in my opinion, make our home uninhabitable, even though the utilities would not declare it as such and would certainly not compensate us as such (as long as they stay 75 feet from your house, they've met state regulations and consider it good enough).

We can pray that they select the other route, but that's not right either - that just gives the problem to somebody else. In fact, we have friends who live near the other route.

This is ultimately a matter of prudential decisionmaking, so if you disagree with my view here on energy policy, so be it. This is one of those areas where, for being "conservatives" and all, Joy & I lean pretty left. But the more that I've been reading up on this the more disturbed I become. This transmission line project seems to be more of the easy route for utilities, instead of the smart route. It will be expensive to build ($1.8 million per mile), and that cost is passed on to the ratepayers (that's you, Xcel customers!) - at least $27/year per customer in 2007 dollars. It will be inefficient - long distance transmission loses electricity through "line loss." It will only carry a small amount of Minnesota wind power, as the majority of the power on the lines will be coal power from S. Dakota being transported east into Wisconsin. And it will scar the landscape and detrimentally affect lives (possibly ours!) all along the route. Worse - it's all unnecessary - there are other options to utilize newer technology and upgrade existing infrastructure that would negate the need for it. But building new transmission is what the utilities already know how to do, so that's what they want to do more of.

All I ask is that, out of sympathy for Muffinshire, you do a little research into this issue. As a citizen of Minnesota, you have a right to an opinion and to have it heard. Check out the CapX website, linked above. Then read the counterpoint offered by the Citizens Energy Task Force. If, like me, you come to the view that this is unnecessary, send a letter before Sept. 26 to the administrative law judge in St. Paul that is reviewing public comment. It's the only action left that could possibly help stop this project. (Snowball's chance in hell and all that, but you never know...)

After Sept. 26, the issue is largely out of our hands, except to plead with them to put it past somebody else's house. At that point, the integrity of Muffinshire's continued existence may have the same certainty as a coin flip....