September 15, 2009 Dear Landowner, You are receiving this letter because your property may be directly or indirectly affected by route alternatives for the proposed Brookings County, South Dakota, to Hampton, Minnesota, 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission line project. The route alternatives will be evaluated in an environmental impact statement (EIS), which is being prepared by the Minnesota Department of Commerce (DOC), Office of Energy Security (OES). This letter provides you with information on the transmission line project, the route permitting process, and future opportunities to participate in the process. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with the proposed project, sign up for the project mailing list, and participate in the route permitting process. Project and Process On December 29, 2008, Great River Energy and Xcel Energy (applicants) filed a route permit application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) to construct and operate a 345 kV transmission line, beginning at the state’s western border near Hendricks, Minnesota, and ending south of the Twin Cities metro area near Hampton, Minnesota. The applicants are proposing two possible routes for the transmission line, a preferred route and an alternate route. The project also includes the construction of four new substations and the expansion of four existing substations. The applicants’ route permit application is subject to environmental review in accordance with Minnesota Rules 7849.5200 to 7849.5340 (full permitting process). The first step in this process is developing the scope of the EIS for the project. The scoping process, which has already been completed, has two primary purposes: (1) to identify issues that are important to communities along the proposed routes for study in the EIS, and (2) to solicit suggestions for route alternatives, beyond those proposed by the applicants, to study in the EIS. The OES held twelve public meetings, between March 30 and April 9, 2009, to gather public input on the proposed project and routes. At these meetings, the public had the opportunity to propose route alternatives for consideration in the EIS. Comments were also accepted outside of the public meetings through letters and emails. OES staff received more than 900 comments during the comment period. As part of this public comment process, several new route alternatives were submitted by landowners, local governments, and other stakeholders. Property records indicate you are located near, or own property on, one or more of these route alternatives. These new route alternatives, which will be evaluated in the EIS, can be found in the June 30, 2009, EIS scoping decision for this project. Page 1 of 2 A draft EIS is currently being prepared by the OES; it will evaluate the potential environmental, economic, social, and human impacts for all of the route alternatives. The draft EIS is scheduled to be issued in October 2009. Once issued, OES staff will hold public meetings to gather comments and questions on the draft EIS. Comments and responses will be incorporated into a final EIS. In addition to these public meetings, there will be public hearings conducted along the proposed route(s) in late 2009. These hearings will be conducted by an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) from the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings. Anyone may speak at the public hearings, present evidence, ask questions of the applicants and OES staff, and submit comments on the proposed project. The ALJ will make a recommendation on a route permit to the Commission. A decision on the route permit by the Commission is not expected before January 2010. Participation Information about this project and the route permitting process is available on the Commission’s website: http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/Docket.html?Id=19860, and on the Department of Commerce’s eDockets website: https://www.edockets.state.mn.us/EFiling/search.jsp (enter the docket number year “08” and number “1474”). • Project Mailing List. Notice of public meetings and public hearings will be published in local newspapers and mailed to persons who register their names on the OES project mailing list. Persons interested in adding their names to the mailing list for this project should contact the OES project manager or public advisor, or register online at: http://www.energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/#MailingLists • Maps. Maps of the applicants’ proposed routes and of the route alternatives identified during the scoping process are available on the Commission’s website: http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/Docket.html?Id=19860. Route alternatives are included in the “Scoping Decision Document” dated June 30, 2009. If you have questions or if you would like further information about this project please contact: Scott Ek, Project Manager Raymond Kirsch, Public Advisor Energy Facility Permitting Energy Facility Permitting Minnesota Office of Energy Security Minnesota Office of Energy Security 85 7th Place East, Suite 500 85 7th Place East, Suite 500 St. Paul, MN 55101-2198 St. Paul, MN 55101-2198 (651) 296-8813 (651) 296-7588 [email protected] [email protected] Sincerely, Scott Ek, Project Manager Page 2 of 2 Name1 Name2 Name2 ADDRESS 1 ADDRESS 2 CITY STATE ZIP 169 DQ INC or Current Resident 31000 HWY 169 N LE SUEUR MN 56058 21405 CORPORATION or Current Resident 21405 HAMBURG AVE LAKEVILLE MN 55044-8776 3501 ELLIOT LLC or Current Resident 2025 NICOLLET AVE S #203 MINNEAPOLIS MN 55404 A T & T PROPERTY TAX DEPT or Current Resident PO BOX 7207 BEDMINSTER NJ 07921-7207 MAUREEN S AAKRE or Current Resident 5392 240TH AVE GRANITE FALLS MN 56241 MAUREEN S AAKRE or Current Resident 5396 240TH AVE GRANITE FALLS MN 56241 STEVEN A & MOLLY AARON or Current Resident 912 WESTLYN CT FARMINGTON MN 55024 CHARLES T AASEN or Current Resident 2315 SEURER ST NEW MARKET MN 55054 BRIAN J & CRISA A AASEN or Current Resident 405 CARTER ST NEW MARKET MN 55054 BONITA L AAZE or Current Resident 21378 HYTRAIL CIR LAKEVILLE MN 55044 MESFIN E ABDISSA DINA MOSSISSA or Current Resident 21157 ISOTOPE TRL LAKEVILLE MN 55044 ABEL SIX LLC or Current Resident 7808 CREEKRIDGE RD STE 200 BLOOMINGTON MN 55439 ABW HOLDINGS C/O KENNETH WENTWORTH or Current Resident 21365 HAMBURG AVE LAKEVILLE MN 55044-8776 NAOMI ACKERMAN or Current Resident 21276 ILAVISTA WAY LAKEVILLE MN 55044 NAOMI ACKERMAN or Current Resident 23460 WATER ST HAMPTON MN 55031 LEONARD M ADAMEK or Current Resident 214 8TH AVE NW LONSDALE MN 55046 THOMAS W & MARY B ADAMEK or Current Resident 9889 280TH ST W BELLE PLAINE MN 56011 MARION ADAMS or Current Resident 183 FOREST PRAIRIE RD LE SUEUR MN 56058 LLOYD ADELMANN or Current Resident 2226 280TH ST W NORTHFIELD MN 55057 LUKAS R ADELMANN or Current Resident 218 MAVERICK AVE NEW MARKET MN 55054 GREG & LAURA ADELMANN or Current Resident 8925 280TH ST W NORTHFIELD MN 55057 WILLIAM & AUDREY ADELMANN or Current Resident 4752 220TH ST W FARMINGTON MN 55024-9625 WILLIAM & AUDREY ADELMANN or Current Resident 4755 220TH ST W FARMINGTON MN 55024 LORRAINE M ADELMANN TRUST ADELMANN FAMILY NEW MARKET LP or Current Resident 8640 HARRIET AVE S STE 100 BLOOMINGTON MN 55420 ADELMANN FAMILY FARM LLC C/O MONICA R TUCKER or Current Resident 12751 16TH AVE S BURNSVILLE MN 55337 DAVID G ADEMMER or Current Resident 18489 314TH ST NEW PRAGUE MN 56071 ADVANTAGE CAPITAL MGT LTD MARK T MALECHA or Current Resident PO BOX 124 NORTHFIELD MN 55057 CAROL AEGERTER or Current Resident 5101 250TH ST E HAMPTON MN 55031-9651 AMY A AFFOLTER or Current Resident 2093 WILD WINGS PASS NEW MARKET MN 55054 AFFORDABLE R & R SERVICES INC or Current Resident PO BOX 1142 PRIOR LAKE MN 55372 AG-AIR 10 INC or Current Resident 2640 MINNEHAHA AVE MINNEAPOLIS MN 55406 SARAH ANN AGENA or Current Resident 9415 W ELECTRA LANE PEORIA AZ 85382 KELLEY L AHL or Current Resident 3327 AARON DR NEW MARKET MN 55054 MICHAEL S & NICOLE R AHL or Current Resident 144 DAKOTA AVE NEW MARKET MN 55054 ROBERT L & SHARLENE AHLERS or Current Resident 43 CEDAR DRIVE NEW ULM MN 56073 WARREN L AHLGREN or Current Resident 30246 LANESBURGH DR NEW PRAGUE MN 56071 TAUFIQ AHMED or Current Resident 9285 215TH ST W LAKEVILLE MN 55044-7874 SCOTT & MARY AHRENS or Current Resident 32185 MILLER LANE MONTGOMERY MN 56069 LARRY D & KATHRYN AHRENS or Current Resident 5130 220TH ST W FARMINGTON MN 55024-8001 AIRLAKE DEVELOPMENT INC or Current Resident 1875 HWY 36 W ROSEVILLE MN 55113 AIRLAKE DEVELOPMENT INC or Current Resident 450 MISSISSIPPI RIVER BLVD S SAINT PAUL MN 55105-1324 AIRLAKE PARTNERS LLC or Current Resident 2866 WHITE BEAR AVE MAPLEWOOD MN 55109 BRIAN & CHERYL AKULLIAN or Current Resident 22935 WOODLAND RD LAKEVILLE MN 55044` TROY T ALBEE or Current Resident 3205 57TH ST W NORTHFIELD MN 55057 DONALD V & EILEEN M ALBERTS or Current Resident 21316 INDEPENDENCE AVE LAKEVILLE MN 55044 GRANT ALBERTSON or Current Resident 30990 HWY 169 LE SUEUR MN 56058 PATRICK D ALBIEN or Current Resident 20728 HAMPSHIRE CIRCLE LAKEVILLE MN 55044 DOUGLAS K ALBIN or Current Resident 4539 220TH AVE CLARKFIELD MN 56223-3006 MARJORIE E ALBIN or Current Resident 561 SKYVIEW DR APT 16 GRANITE FALLS MN 56241 KIRBY & ANN ALBRECHT & GREGG ALBRECHT RANDY & DARLA ALBRECHT or Current Resident 48709 620TH AVENUE FAIRFAX MN 55332 ALHOUSE COMPANY or Current Resident 1300 WILLOWBROOK DR WAYZATA MN 55391-9583 EUGENE G & LILA M ALLEN or Current Resident 4057 297TH ST NORTHFIELD MN 55057-5346 JAMES E & NANCY A ALLEN or Current Resident 4818 MCCOLL DR SAVAGE MN 55378-1550 STEVEN L & KAREN T ALLEN or Current Resident 24740 LOGAN AVE LAKEVILLE