PUC upholds delay of Goodhue Wind project

Wind developers hoping for a prompt decision on the Goodhue Wind project were disappointed today by a state decision that sets the stage for months of contested case hearings.

Commissioners with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission voted unanimously not to overturn a recent vote to delay a decision on the proposed wind development at its regular meeting today.

“This has already been moved over to the office of administrative hearings, so I think it would be improper now to remove that,” said commissioner Phyllis Reha, explaining her vote to uphold the delay.

Attorneys representing Goodhue Wind parent company National Wind filed a request for reconsideration early this month, after the commission voted in October to send the project back to an administrative law judge for further review.

The denial of that request effectively delays a decision on the project for several months by setting the stage for a series of administrative hearings involving several interested parties, including National Wind, wind development opponents and Goodhue County staff.

Look to Wednesday’s edition of the R-E for more on this story.

Tags: minnesota, goodhue county, wind, government, news