Caravan follows power line project route

Concerns voiced over impact on properties during 107 mile trip

A group of southwest Minnesota residents got on the road this weekend to voice their concerns about a proposed 765-kilovolt power line project planned in the region.

"The two main concerns that come up are the potential health impacts, and the impact on land values in the area," said Ian Vogel, a Murray County resident who helped organize the caravan.

"The intent behind it was neighbors looking out for neighbors," Vogel said of the event.

On Saturday, a caravan of vehicles traveled 107 miles from the South Dakota Border to Lakefield. The caravan followed the proposed route of the PowerOn Midwest transmission line project through Pipestone, Murray, Nobles and Jackson Counties.

The PowerOn Midwest project, which is being proposed by a partnership of Xcel Energy, Great River Energy, ITC Midwest and Otter Tail Power, would build a 765-kilovolt transmission line running from the South Dakota border to the Rochester area. Project developers held a series of town hall meetings in southwest Minnesota last fall and this summer. Developers are in the process of applying for a certificate of need for the project from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

The PowerOn Midwest transmission line would be bigger than other transmission lines built in Marshall in the past 20 years. At a November open house, project representatives said the transmission towers would be about 150 to 175 feet tall, and 140 to 150 feet wide. The tower structures would require a right-of-way about 250 feet across.

Vogel said he is a Slayton resident, but he grew up on a farm between Iona and Chandler in Murray County. He said a proposed route for the PowerOn Midwest project would go by two parcels of his family's land.

Vogel compared the scale of the PowerOn Midwest project to that of building an interstate highway. The project could have a lot of impacts on area residents, Vogel said. Members of the public have questions about how the transmission lines could affect people, livestock and crops, he said.

"The hope is that we can come together as a community, and advocate for common-sense governance," on the project, Vogel said.

Earlier this month, Murray County Commissioners passed a resolution saying they would formally oppose routing PowerOn Midwest lines through Murray County unless it was demonstrated that there were no reasonable alternatives to the project and that local environmental, agricultural and socioeconomic impacts on Murray County were minimized.

Vogel said Saturday's caravan from South Dakota to Lakefield was a way to raise awareness of the PowerOn project and engage with residents who would be affected by it.

"We tried to get it organized quickly, before harvest really kicked in," he said.

The size of the caravan fluctuated over the course of the 107-mile route. Vogel estimated they averaged around 10 vehicles in the caravan.

"There were lots of cars and trucks, and a couple of semis for parts of the time," he said.

Along the way, there were people who came out to watch the caravan from the ends of their driveways, or who had signs with messages of support, he said.

"We are still planning on finding new and creative ways to engage with people," Vogel said of the caravan organizers.

He said the group hoped to be able to hold open forums where people could voice their concerns or questions about the power line project.