Title Minnesota Statutes, Minnesota Statutes

216I.05 DESIGNATING SITES AND ROUTES.§Subdivision 1.Site permit.(a) A person is prohibited from constructing a large electric generating plant, a solar energy generating system, an energy storage system, or a large wind energy conversion system without a site permit issued by the…

216I.06 APPLICATIONS; MAJOR REVIEW.§Subdivision 1.Environmental review.(a) The commission must prepare an environmental impact statement on each proposed large energy infrastructure facility for which a complete application has been submitted. An environmental impact statement me…

216I.07 APPLICATIONS; STANDARD REVIEW.§Subdivision 1.Standard review.An applicant who seeks a site or route permit for which the applicant's proposal is one of the projects identified in this section may follow the procedures under this section in lieu of the procedures under sec…

216I.08 APPLICATIONS; LOCAL REVIEW.§Subdivision 1.Local review authorized.(a) Notwithstanding sections 216I.06 and 216I.07, an applicant who seeks a site or route permit for one of the projects identified in subdivision 2 may apply to the local units of government that have juris…

216I.09 PERMIT AMENDMENTS.§Subdivision 1.Applicability.This section applies to a request by the owner of the large energy infrastructure facility to modify any provision or condition of a site or route permit issued by the commission, including the following:(1) upgrades or rebui…

216I.10 EXEMPT PROJECTS.§Subdivision 1.Permit not required.A permit issued by the commission is not required to construct:(1) a small wind energy conversion system;(2) a power plant or solar energy generating system with a capacity of less than 50 megawatts;(3) an energy storage …

216I.11 PERMITTING REQUIREMENTS; EXCEPTIONS FOR CERTAIN FACILITIES.§Subdivision 1.Permit not required.The following projects do not constitute the construction of a large energy infrastructure facility and may be constructed without a permit issued by the commission:(1) maintaini…

216I.12 EMERGENCY PERMITS.§Subdivision 1.Utility emergency action. Any utility whose system requires the immediate construction of a large energy infrastructure facility due to a major unforeseen event may apply to the commission for an emergency permit. The application must prov…

216I.13 PERMIT TRANSFER.§Subdivision 1.Application.A permittee holding a large energy infrastructure facility site or route permit may request that the commission transfer the permittee's permit. The permittee must provide the name of the existing permittee, the name and descript…

216I.14 PERMIT REVOCATION OR SUSPENSION.§Subdivision 1.Initiation of action to revoke or suspend.The commission may initiate action to consider revoking or suspending a permit on the commission's own motion or upon the request of any person who has made a prima facie showing by a…

216I.15 ANNUAL HEARING.The commission must hold an annual public hearing at a time and place prescribed by rule in order to afford interested persons an opportunity to be heard regarding any matters relating to the siting and routing of large energy infrastructure facilities. At …

216I.16 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.§Subdivision 1. Public participation; generally.The commission must adopt broad spectrum citizen participation as a principal of operation. The form of public participation must not be limited to public meetings and hearings and must be consistent wit…

216I.17 PUBLIC MEETINGS; TRANSCRIPTS; WRITTEN RECORDS.Meetings of the commission, including hearings, shall be open to the public. Minutes shall be kept of commission meetings and a complete record of public hearings shall be kept. All books, records, files, and correspondence of…

216I.18 APPLICATION TO LOCAL REGULATION AND OTHER STATE PERMITS.§Subdivision 1.Site or route permit prevails over local provisions.To assure the paramount and controlling effect of the provisions herein over other state agencies, regional, county, and local governments, and speci…

216I.19 WIND TURBINE LIGHTING SYSTEMS.§Subdivision 1.Definitions.(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the meanings given.(b) "Duration" means the length of time during which the lights of a wind turbine lighting system are lit.(c) "Intensity" means the b…

216I.20 IMPROVEMENT OF SITES AND ROUTES.A permittee that acquires a site or route in accordance with this chapter may proceed to construct or improve the site or route for the intended purposes at any time, subject to section 216I.18, subdivision 2, provided that if the construct…

216I.21 EMINENT DOMAIN POWERS; POWER OF CONDEMNATION.§Subdivision 1.Generally.Nothing in this section shall invalidate the power of eminent domain vested in utilities by statute or common law existing as of May 24, 1973, except to the extent modified herein. The power of eminent …

216I.22 SITES AND ROUTES; RECORDING SURVEY POINTS.The permanent location of monuments or markers found or placed by a utility in a survey of right-of-way for a route shall be placed on record in the office of the county recorder or registrar of titles. No fee shall be charged to …

216I.23 FAILURE TO ACT.If the commission fails to act within the times specified under this chapter, the applicant or any affected person may seek an order of the district court requiring the commission to designate or refuse to designate a site or route.History: 1973 c 591 s 14;…

216I.24 REVOCATION OR SUSPENSION.A site or route permit may be revoked or suspended by the commission after adequate notice of the alleged grounds for revocation or suspension and a full and fair hearing in which the affected permittee has an opportunity to confront any witness a…

216I.25 JUDICIAL REVIEW.Any applicant, party, or person aggrieved by the issuance of a site or route permit, minor alteration, amendment, or emergency permit from the commission, by a certification of continuing suitability filed by a permittee with the commission, or by a final …

216I.26 RULES.§Subdivision 1.Commission rules.The commission, in order to give effect to the purposes of this chapter, may adopt rules consistent with this chapter, including promulgation of site and route designation criteria, the description of the information to be furnished b…

216I.27 ENFORCEMENT, PENALTIES.§Subdivision 1.Criminal penalty.Any person who violates this chapter or any rule promulgated hereunder, or knowingly submits false information in any report required by this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor for the first offense and a gross misdem…

216I.28 ROUTE APPLICATION FEE; APPROPRIATION; FUNDING.§Subdivision 1. Application fee; appropriation.An applicant for a site or route permit must pay to the commission a fee to cover the necessary and reasonable costs incurred by the commission to act on the permit application an…