Otter Tail Corporation dba Otter Tail Power Company Central Minnesota Municipal Power Agency Great River Energy Heartland Consumers Power District Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (as represented by Missouri River Energy Services) Application to the Public Utilities Commission for Route Permits Big Stone Transmission Project December 9, 2005 MNPUC Docket No. E017, et. al./TR-05-1275 BIG STONE TRANSMISSION PROJECT TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................... 1 1.1 THE MORRIS 230 KV TRANSMISSION LINE ROUTE .............................................................. 2 1.2 THE WILLMAR TRANSMISSION LINE ROUTE ......................................................................... 3 1.3 THE GRANITE FALLS 345 KV TRANSMISSION LINE ROUTE................................................ 3 1.4 TRANSMISSION LINE STRUCTURES .......................................................................................... 3 1.5 ASSOCIATED FACILITIES ........................................................................................................... 4 1.5.1 Substation Modifications .......................................................................................... 4 1.5.2 Transmission Line Modifications ............................................................................ 4 1.6 COSTS........................................................................................................................................... 4 1.7 POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ................................................................................ 5 1.8 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 5 2.0 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 6 2.1 MINNESOTA ROUTE PERMIT.................................................................................................... 6 2.2 CERTIFICATE OF NEED............................................................................................................. 6 2.3 THE MPUC REGULATORY PROCESS....................................................................................... 7 2.4 SOUTH DAKOTA PROCEEDINGS.............................................................................................. 9 2.5 FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ............................................................... 9 3.0 PROJECT INFORMATION............................................................................... 10 3.1 STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP OF THE PROPOSAL ................................................................10 3.2 PERMITTEE/PROJECT LEAD...................................................................................................11 3.3 SYSTEM ALTERNATIVES ..........................................................................................................14 3.4 PROPOSED ROUTES .................................................................................................................15 3.4.1 Morris Transmission Line.......................................................................................16 3.4.2 Willmar Transmission Line.....................................................................................18 3.4.3 Granite Falls Transmission Line............................................................................21 3.4.4 Engineering Summary .............................................................................................25 3.5 ASSOCIATED FACILITIES .........................................................................................................25 3.5.1 Substations ................................................................................................................26 3.5.2 Transmission Line Modifications ..........................................................................29 3.6 ESTIMATED COSTS...................................................................................................................29 3.7 PROJECT SCHEDULE ................................................................................................................31 MINNESOTA PUC ROUTE APPLICATION i DECEMBER 9, 2005 BIG STONE TRANSMISSION PROJECT 4.0 ENGINEERING DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION AND RIGHT-OF-WAY ACQUISITION .................................................................................................... 32 4.1 TRANSMISSION LINE ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONAL DESIGN .................................32 4.1.1 Transmission Structure Design and Right-of-Way .............................................32 4.1.2 Design Options to Accommodate Future Expansion........................................33 4.2 IDENTIFICATION OF EXISTING UTILITY AND PUBLIC RIGHTS-OF-WAY.........................36 4.3 RIGHT-OF-WAY ACQUISITION, CONSTRUCTION, RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES ............................................................................................................................37 4.3.1 Right-of-Way Acquisition .......................................................................................37 4.3.2 Construction Procedures ........................................................................................39 4.3.3 Restoration Procedures ...........................................................................................42 4.3.4 Maintenance Procedures .........................................................................................43 4.4 ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS .......................................................................................44 4.4.1 Electric Fields ...........................................................................................................46 4.4.2 Magnetic Fields.........................................................................................................47 4.4.3 Stray Voltage.............................................................................................................48 4.5 TRANSMISSION LINE RELIABILITY ........................................................................................49 5.0 CORRIDOR AND ROUTE SELECTION RATIONALE................................. 55 5.1 CORRIDOR SELECTION PROCESS ...........................................................................................55 5.1.1 Utility Corridors .......................................................................................................55 5.1.2 Western Corridors....................................................................................................57 5.2 DISCUSSION OF CORRIDORS REJECTED................................................................................58 5.3 ROUTE SELECTION PROCESS..................................................................................................60 6.0 MORRIS CORRIDOR: ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION.................... 63 6.1 MORRIS ROUTE 1 .....................................................................................................................63 6.1.1 Description of Environmental Setting..................................................................63 6.1.2 Human Settlement ...................................................................................................63 6.1.3 Land-Based Economics...........................................................................................77 6.1.4 Archaeological and Historic Resources ................................................................80 6.1.5 Natural Environment ..............................................................................................83 6.1.6 Rare and Unique Natural Resources .....................................................................94 6.2 MORRIS ROUTE 2 .....................................................................................................................98 6.2.1 Description of Environmental Setting..................................................................98 6.2.2 Human Settlement ...................................................................................................98 6.2.3 Land-Based Economics.........................................................................................102 6.2.4 Archaeological and Historic Resources ..............................................................104 6.2.5 Natural Environment ............................................................................................104 6.2.6 Rare and Unique Natural Resources ...................................................................108 6.3 PREFERRED ROUTE ...............................................................................................................111 MINNESOTA PUC ROUTE APPLICATION ii DECEMBER 9, 2005 BIG STONE TRANSMISSION PROJECT 7.0 WILLMAR CORRIDOR: ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION................116 7.1 ROUTE 1 ..................................................................................................................................116 7.1.1 Description of Environmental Setting................................................................116 7.1.2 Human Settlement .................................................................................................116 7.1.3 Land-Based Economics.........................................................................................124 7.1.4 Archaeological and Historic Resources