In 2023, the Minnesota Department of Commerce contracted with Barr through the agency’s Energy Environmental Review and Analysis (EERA) group to prepare an environmental analysis (EA) on its behalf for a proposed transmission line. The project would involve constructing 140 miles of new double-circuit 345 kV transmission line and replacing 40 miles of the same type of line. As EERA’s third-party consultant, Barr prepared the EA to guide the state’s route-selection process.
Members of the public submitted more than 135 comments, which resulted in 42 proposed route and/or alignment options. Of those, 40 were carried forward for analysis, pursuant to Minnesota Rule 7850.3700, Subpart 4.
For each of those options, the EA evaluated potential impacts on people and the environmental. Barr’s technical review considered a range of complex issues: aesthetics; air quality; biological resources (including protected species, migratory birds, bald and golden eagles, and invasive species); corridor analysis; cultural resources and historic properties; cumulative effects; floodplains; human health and safety; land use and ownership; noise; socioeconomics and environmental justice; transportation; water resources; and wetlands.
To help regulators and the public compare the route options and understand the advantages and drawbacks of each, we divided the EA analysis into seven geographic regions and featured maps, charts, and tables to clearly and efficiently convey the impacts of each proposed route to nontechnical readers.
EERA approved the EA, which was published by the Department of Commerce in June 2024, and public hearings took place in July. Barr then assisted EERA staff in responding to substantive comments. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is expected to issue a permit decision for the project in late 2024 or early 2025.