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Enterprise Park to Crooked Lake 115 kV Transmission Line March 2012 Environmental Assessment 2. Regulatory Framework In Minnesota, no person may construct a high -voltage transmission line without a route permit from the Public Utilities Commission under Minnesota Statute 216E.03, subdivision 2. A high -voltage transmission line is defined as a conductor of electric energy and associated facilities designed for and capable of operation at a nominal voltage of 100 kV or more and is greater than 1,500 feet in length. Associated facilities of the transmission line include buildings, equipment, and other physical structures that are necessary to the operation of a high -voltage transmission line. 2.1. Alternative Permitting Process The proposed project is eligible for consideration under the alternative permitting process Minnesota Rule 7850.2800) of the Power Plant Siting Act (Minnesota Statute 216E.04). The alternative permitting process is shorter than the full permitting procedures and does not require the Applicant to propose alternative sites or routes to the preferred site or route, but does require the Applicant to disclose rejected route alternatives and an explanation of why they were rejected. 2.2. Certificate of Need Pursuant to Minnesota Statute 216B.243, subdivision 2, "No large energy facility shall be sited or constructed in Minnesota without the issuance of a certificate of need by the Commission." In the case of a high -voltage transmission line, a large energy facility is defined as, (1) any high -voltage transmission line with a capacity of 200 kV or more and greater than 1,500 feet in length, and (2) any high -voltage transmission line with a capacity of 100 kV or more with more than ten miles of its length in Minnesota or that crosses a state line. Because this proposed Project is less than 10 miles in length, a certificate of need is not required. 2.3. Route Permit Application The Applicant filed a route permit application with the Commission for the Project on October 4, 2011. The Commission accepted the application as complete in an order issued on November 4, 2011. Under the alternative permitting process, the Commission has six months to issue a route permit from the date a route permit application is deemed complete. The Commission may extend this time limit for up to three months for just cause or upon agreement of the Applicant. 2.4. Public Information and Scoping Meeting EFP staff held two public information and environmental assessment scoping meetings on December 1, 2011, at Anoka City Hall in Anoka, Minnesota, as required by Minnesota Rule 7850.3500. The meetings provided the public an opportunity to learn about the proposed project and the state's high -voltage transmission line route permitting process, review the Applicant's route permit application, ask questions, and submit comments. 6