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Special City Council and ER1~IU Commission <br />June 2~, 2009 <br />Page 4 <br />Mr. Adams stated the city should get more informatton from GRE and Connexus prior to <br />mal~ing a decision on the Big Stone II project. <br />Commissioner Dietz stated he would like any information provided by GRE and Connexus <br />to be run by the city attorney. <br />Council asked for the following information to be addressed at a follow~up meeting. <br />Flow chart showing where and when funding would need to be committed. <br />~~ow much interest the utility would have paid in the 1Q years before the Big Stone <br />Project is ready to move forward. <br />Tracking o£ upfront costs. <br />Ma~ror Klinzing asked anyone in the audience if they had any comments. <br />A.~na Pinola, Elk River Resident --Stated she would like to learn more about Energy City. <br />She noted it was hard to ask people to pay for wind power due to its cost. She asked the <br />Council to not close the doo~.• on other alternatives. <br />Wade Lovelette, L,RMU employee --Stated the Big Stone II plant would burn cleaner and <br />more efficiently. <br />A citizen stated the city should consider wind power. <br />Mr. Zehringer stated Elk River can only produce about ~7% wind power from the turbines <br />in this area, whereas the wind farms in southwest Minnesota produce about 35-4D% power. <br />He stated another problem with wind power is in transmitting it. He further noted that Big <br />Stone ~I is also looking into harvesting wind power at their plant due to their location. <br />Rob, a citizen stated someone has to tape the lead on alternative, greener power sources and <br />asked why not Elk River. <br />Bob Schulte, CEO of CMMPA -~ Stated his company is available to help the municipal <br />utilities. He stated they are big into renewables but that coal is still a needed source. He <br />stated they are assuming they will meet the state's 1,~% energy savings goal in their planning. <br />Councilmember Zerwas questioned if tlae city would be out the $~.G million if the project <br />was a no-go vote in September X009. <br />Mr. Schulte stated no. ~~e stated the ~2.G million wouldn't be committed by the city until the <br />financial close was completed in fall ~Ol~. <br />A citizen stated the MN Public Utilities passed a mandate on cost caps fo~• construction and <br />permitting costs for transmission lines in Minnesota and she asked if the cost caps would <br />apply to the city and affect its rates, <br />Mr. Schulte stated this condition only applies to 1.2% of the Big Stone ~f project and only <br />affects attertail's customers. <br />I~DVED BY CDMI~CISSI~NER TH~MPSQN AND SECONDED BY <br />CDNIlVIISSIDNER ~UNIPHREY TQ CALL A SPECI.A.L JQINT I~IEETING ~F <br />THE ELI RIVER MUNICIPAL UTILITIES CDI~IVIISSIC~N WITH THE CITY <br />C~]UNCIL C]N MONDAY, JUNE ~~, 20U9, AT G:OO P.~J[., ®R II~I~EDIATEL'Y <br />