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PSC REF#:376594 Public Service Commission of Wisconsin September 2019 RECEIVED: 10/01/2019 8:16:48 AM PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WISCONSIN WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Nemadji Trail Energy Center Generation Project Final Environmental Impact Statement PSC Dockets 9698-CE-100, 9698-CE-101 Date Issued: September 2019 PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WISCONSIN WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Nemadji Trail Energy Center Generation Project Public Service Commission of Wisconsin 4822 Madison Yards Way P.O. Box 7854 Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7854 Phone 608.266.5481 • Fax 608.266.3957 Home Page: http://psc.wi.gov Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 101 South Webster Street P.O. Box 7921 Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7921 Phone 608.266.0426 • Fax 608.266.5226 Home Page: http://dnr.wi.gov his final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center project, and the proposals of South Shore Energy, LLC, a subsidiary of ALLETE, Inc., Dairyland Power T Cooperative, and Superior Water, Light and Power Company to construct power plant facilities, and to construct, operate, and relocate natural gas lines, and electric transmission lines is progress towards compliance with the Public Service Commission’s requirement under Wis. Stat. § 1.11 and Wis. Admin. Code § PSC 4.30. It also is progress toward compliance with the Department of Natural Resources requirements under Wis. Admin. Code § NR 150.22. By: Date: September 27, 2019 Adam Ingwell WEPA Coordinator Public Service Commission of Wisconsin Questions about information provided in this Environmental Impact Statement should be directed to: Aaron Greene Jim Lepinski (environmental) or (engineering) Public Service Commission Public Service Commission (608) 266-8950 (608) 266-0478 [email protected] [email protected] Lindsay Tekler Department of Natural Resources (608) 535-2602 [email protected] To the Reader his final environmental impact statement (EIS) fulfills part of the requirements of the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA) Wis. Stat. § 1.11. WEPA requires state agencies to consider T environmental factors when making major decisions. The purpose of this final EIS is to provide the decision makers, the public, and other stakeholders with an analysis of the social, cultural, and environmental impacts that could result from the construction of a new power plant and its associated facilities. This document has been prepared jointly by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (Commission or PSC) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This final EIS will become part of the record used by the Commission to make its final decisions on this project. At this time, the Commission decision on the proposed project is expected in late 2019 or early 2020. The Commission decision on the merits of this project will be based on the record of a public hearing that will be held on Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29, 2019, at the Belgian Club, 3931 East 2nd Street, Superior Wisconsin. The hearing session on Monday, October 28 is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. and the session on Tuesday October 29 is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. There is also a hearing session for parties to the proceeding at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 29 in the same location. The Commission issued a Notice of Hearing for both the 9698-CE-100 and 9698-CE-101 dockets on September 9, 2019. The hearing will satisfy the WEPA requirements of the Commission and DNR. The final EIS and testimony from the public hearing will be included in the hearing record. If necessary, DNR will hold separate hearings on its water permits or other DNR regulatory actions discussed in this final EIS. PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... i List of Tables ............................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ........................................................................................................................... viii Contributors and Reviewers ....................................................................................................... ix Contributors ............................................................................................................................. ix Public Service Commission ............................................................................................... ix Department of Natural Resources ................................................................................... ix Reviewers ............................................................................................................................. ix Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................x Proposal .............................................................................................................................. x Project Location ...................................................................................................................... xi Project Description ................................................................................................................ xii Project need and cost ....................................................................................................... xiii Environmental Impacts ........................................................................................................ xiii Air emissions ..................................................................................................................... xiv Water ........................................................................................................................... xiv Habitats ............................................................................................................................ xv Rare and sensitive species ................................................................................................. xv Wetlands ........................................................................................................................... xvi Special construction issues ............................................................................................. xvii Land use ......................................................................................................................... xviii Local community services ............................................................................................... xix Roads ........................................................................................................................... xix Noise ........................................................................................................................... xix Visual impact ...................................................................................................................... xx Historic properties ............................................................................................................ xxi Connecting Facilities ....................................................................................................... xxii Commission Decisions ........................................................................................ xxii 1. Project Overview and Regulatory Requirements .......................................... 1 Proposal and Purpose of Project ........................................................................... 1 1.1.1. Proposed electric generation facility ............................................................... 1 General Commission Construction Case Process ............................................... 2 I PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES 1.2.1. Application for Commission certification ...................................................... 2 1.2.2. Joint Public Service Commission/Department of Natural Resources pre- application consultation process ...................................................................... 2 1.2.3. Required priorities for meeting energy demands ........................................... 3 1.2.4. Required priorities for siting electric transmission projects ......................... 3 1.2.5. Intervenors in the Commission process ......................................................... 4 1.2.6. Public involvement ............................................................................................. 4 1.2.7. Department of Natural Resources permitting authority ............................... 7 1.2.8. Wisconsin Historical Society ............................................................................. 8 1.2.9. Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act.............................................................. 9 Processes and Public Participation for this Docket ............................................ 9 1.3.1. Remaining Commission process for this project .........................................10 Public Participation to Date and Future Opportunities ................................... 10 1.4.1. Previous public meetings .................................................................................10 Local, State, and Federal Permits and Approvals .............................................. 11 2. Project Description