South of the River News

I was one of the lucky 73,000 landowners to receive notice that the Cap X2020 project may impact my land. Nearly 3,000 landowners in Scott, Rice, Dakota and LeSeuer counties alone received letters.

What is Cap X2020? It is a collective effort between the Northern States Power Company and Great River Energy. This includes Xcel Energy. Their plan is to run a power line from Brookings, South Dakota across Minnesota to Hampton. It is proposed to be a 345 kilovolt transmission line.

Its purpose is to ”expand the electricity infrastructure to ensure continued reliable service, meet the growth in electricity demand and support renewable energy expansion” per the route permit application.

Homeowners in Lakeville, Elko New Market, New Prague and Lonsdale – listen up. This could very easily effect you!

Per their proposed map, there is a preferred route and an alternate route to the plan. The preferred route will run from Brookings, through Minneota, go up and have a substation in Granite Falls, come back down to the Lyon County substation, east toward Seaforth, Franklin, Winthrop, through a substation in Helena, up through New Prague, east through Elko New Market, (just on the southern edge of Lakeville, then over to Hampton. The alternate route would run through many of the same substations, but mainly be put just north of the preferred route. The alternate route would run through Redwood Falls, east to Belle Plaine, cut south to New Prague, Lonsdale, and then northeast through Elko New Market, stopping at a Lake Marion (Lakeville) substation before ending up in Hampton.

The letter received was very vague, tip-toing around the impact that it would have on the land it ran through and the price it is willing to pay to have right-of-way on your land. It simply states that it would resemble a utility easement. Interviews with Star Tribune say it will be a 150 foot-wide-easement. One sentence later, the application notice mentions that land owners that do not cooperate may be subject to eminent domain laws in accordance with the applicants authority under Minnesota Statutes Chapter 117.

The letter is dated December 29th, and mentions that within 60 days the application process is considered complete and that public hearings will follow. At those meetings, any member of the public may speak, and may even propose additional routes for consideration.

For more information, please visit the site they provided at http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/

I will keep you updated as to any new information as it becomes available.

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