It’s been a rather pleasant several weeks not discussing Excelsior Energy’s boondoggle Mesaba Energy Project proposed for the Iron Range. It reminds me of what I imagine the future will be like: a world where this terrible idea is merely a memory of the bad things that can happen when massive amounts of state and federal economic development dollars are spent in a fit of job creation desperation.
Anyway, vacation’s over. Excelsior is back on the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission agenda for Aug. 14. It’s not a “final decision” appearance. Rather, the PUC will clarify a few matters in the ongoing debate over how it considers Excelsior’s request to force Xcel to buy it’s expensive electricity from its experimental coal gasification technology. The question of setting a firm deadline for negotiations between Xcel and Excelsior will also be considered.
If you’re wondering how this project got so far, that last paragraph is a good example. Even with me oversimplifying the whole deal, it’s confusing and subject to interpretation. Never, ever, ever allow lobbyists to control the tone of a public policy debate.
The Aug. 14 meeting will feature a new chair on the PUC and a new PUC member, so we’ll also get an idea of where the votes are for Excelsior’s eventual Armageddon before the commission. My new theory is that the lobbyist/lawyer confederacy running Excelsior are now trying to run out the clock, hoping they might get an inside connection with the new administration this upcoming January. So far, the only reason the project is considered legitimate is the potential promise of massive federal loan guarantees and grants.
UPDATE: The Hibbing Daily Tribune published a preview story about the Aug. 14 meeting implications this morning.
UPDATE II: I just realized this meeting could occur around the same time as the release of the Office of the Legislative Auditor’s review of Excelsior’s Iron Range Resources loan. Spicy.
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