Minnesota Administrative Rules

7848.0900 TRANSMISSION PLANNING MEETINGS.

Subpart 1.

Securing input of the public and local and tribal governments.

Jointly or individually, utilities shall seek the assistance and input of local government officials, tribal government officials, and interested members of the public in identifying transmission inadequacies and alternative means of addressing them. To help secure this assistance and input, each utility shall hold transmission planning meetings as follows:

A.

at least one transmission planning meeting each year in each transmission planning zone in which the utility intends to propose a high-voltage transmission line within the next five years; and

B.

at least two transmission planning meetings in each affected transmission planning zone in the year in which it files for certification of a proposed high-voltage transmission line.

Utilities may fulfill this obligation by holding joint transmission planning meetings. Transmission planning meetings must be open to the public.

Subp. 2.

Issues to address in transmission planning meetings.

At transmission planning meetings the utilities shall:

A.

answer questions;

B.

seek information on local transmission needs and related energy needs;

C.

seek input on transmission inadequacies they have identified and input on different ways to address these identified transmission inadequacies;

D.

present an overview of:

(1)

the Minnesota transmission system;

(2)

any inadequacies in the Minnesota transmission system that the utility believes must be addressed within the next ten years and alternative ways, including nontransmission alternatives, to address these inadequacies; and

(3)

the factors that influence transmission needs in the transmission zone, the state, and adjacent states;

E.

provide a description of any high-voltage transmission line under serious consideration for construction within the transmission zone in the next five years;

F.

provide a general description of each line's probable social, environmental, and economic effects and an account of all alternatives considered;

G.

present information on the best routing information available;

H.

provide a description of general right-of-way requirements for a line of the size and voltage proposed and a statement that the utility intends to acquire property rights for the right-of-way that the proposed line will require; and

I.

present a brief description of the regulatory approval processes to which each line is subject.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 216A.05; 216B.08; 216B.09

History:

27 SR 1820

Published Electronically:

August 21, 2007