Biomass Feasibility Project Final Report - Xcel Energy

ENVIRONMENTAL PERMITS
A bio-power project will need a number of environmental permits from the state. The permits
required for a given facility will vary depending on its size, the fuels it will use, and its emissions
and effluents. Since projects vary so much in their particulars, we won’t try here to summarize all
the specific permits that might be called for.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS
There are three general types of environmental assessments that the Minnesota Environmental
Quality Board may require of specific bio-power projects: an Environmental Assessment
Worksheet (EAW) and/or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). These assessments are
preliminary to any other governmental approvals. The EQB offers a third alternative to
communities rather than to specific projects: the Alternative Urban Area-wide Review (AUAR).
Environmental Assessment Worksheet
Environmental Assessment Worksheets (EAW) are prepared by the Responsible Governing Unit
(RGU) for a proposed facility. Following the completion of the EAW the RGU must distribute the
EAW to the Environmental Quality Board and all offices on the EQB’s official distribution list.
Notice of the EAW will be published in the EQB Monitor, which begins the 30-day public
comment period. Following the public comment period the RGU will respond to comments,
issue findings of fact, and decide if an Environmental Impact Statement is necessary. If no EIS is
necessary the project is eligible to receive state permits.
Environmental Impact Statement
An environmental impact statement is a much more in-depth review of the environmental
effects of a proposed facility. An EIS may be required by the RGU based on the Findings of Fact
of the EAW. The EIS analyzes environmental, social, and economic impacts of a proposed
project. The first step of an EIS is scoping or deciding what impacts and alternatives will be
covered by the EIS and to what extent. It is prepared by the RGU and submitted for public
review and comment for at least 25 working days (EQB, 1998). The RGU then completes the final
document based on the comments received, and makes a decision as to the sufficiency of the
EIS. If the EIS is deemed sufficient the facility becomes eligible for state permits.
The rules governing the need for an EAW, or EIS, and the assignment of the RGU are complex.
The environmental Quality Board, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota
Public Utilities commission all have information available on their websites to help project
developers navigate the process.
Alternative Urban Area-Wide Review
In the AUAR process, the RGU, in advance of any specific development project, prepares a
review of an entire area within its jurisdiction rather than one isolated site. That is sent to the EQB
and. Any subsequent project within the AUAR boundaries that conforms to the AUAR’s
characterizations is approved without having to go through other reviews.
Identifying Effective Biomass Strategies: Page 167
Quantifying Minnesota’s Resources and Evaluating Future Opportunities