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EQB Monitor




Weekly announcements and environmental review notices





Volume 50, Number 6                                                                                      February 10, 2026






Announcements

*Environmental Quality Board meeting *

*Wednesday, February 18, 1 – 4:00 p.m. *Join us in person or virtually for the February 2026 Environmental Quality Board meeting. At this meeting, the board will elect the Vice Chair and vote on approval of the EIS scoping rule. The board will also hear an update on gas production rules and data center FAQs.  

More information can be found on the board meeting webpage [ [link removed] ], including the meeting packet and details on attending the meeting in person or virtually.

 

*Notice of Board decision*

At the January 21, 2026, EQB meeting [ [link removed] ], the Board voted to approve and adopt the Expedited Permanent Rules Relating to Energy Infrastructure in the Revisor of Statutes draft, file number AR4944, dated October 6, 2025.






A wild snowshoe hare in the forest of Sax-Zim Bog in Minnesota.




Environmental review project notices

EQB publishes environmental review notices provided by responsible governmental units. For more information on a project undergoing environmental review, click on the individual project links below. You can also find information about active projects in your community on the Environmental Review Projects Interactive Map [ [link removed] ].

 

Iron Range – St. Louis County – Arrowhead 345 kV Transmission Project [ [link removed] ]

**This project notice was previously published in the February 3, 2026 "EQB Monitor". The public meetings that were scheduled have been canceled per the below.*

*Project Location:* Floodwood, Itasca, St. Louis
*Process:* Alternative review

*Notice title:* Notice of cancellation of public information and scoping meetings
*Notice description:* The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) has canceled the four public information and scoping meetings it originally scheduled for the Iron Range – St. Louis County – Arrowhead 345 kilovolt (kV) Transmission Project (Project).   The Commission had scheduled three in-person meetings for February 10 and 11, 2026, in Hermantown, Floodwood and Grand Rapids, and had scheduled a virtual meeting for February 12, 2026.   

The cancellation of these public meetings is in response to a request from the applicants to re-schedule public meetings.  Applicants request the Commission postpone public meetings due to staffing availability and the need for additional time to ensure a proper public engagement process.  The Commission approves this request and will issue a notice of the new dates, times and locations of all meetings when those details are available.   Please note also that the original notice announcing public meetings for this project also included inclement weather back-up meeting dates for February 16, 17 and 18, 2026.   Given cancelation of the originally scheduled meetings is not related to inclement weather, the Commission is not holding meetings for this project on any of those back-up dates.   

*Project description:* Minnesota Power and American Transmission Company, LLC propose to construct approximately 67.5 miles of transmission line from Minnesota Power's Iron Range Substation near Grand Rapids, Minnesota to Minnesota Power's St. Louis County Substation near Hermantown, Minnesota, with a connection to American Transmission Company's nearby Arrowhead Substation along portions of Itasca and St. Louis Counties. The route proposed is located along, and in some cases replaces, existing high-voltage transmission lines for 92 percent of its length. New transmission lines will be required to connect the existing substations in Grand Rapids and Hermantown. Existing substations would also require expansions. Project information is also located in the Commission’s eDocket system [ [link removed] ] via eDocket Numbers 25-111 or 25-112.
Iron Range - St. Louis County - Arrowhead 345kV Transmission Line Project project link provided by RGU [ [link removed] ]

*Location of public documents:* Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, 121 7th Pl E,
Ste 350, Saint Paul, MN 55101

*Responsible governmental unit and contact:* Minnesota Public Utilities Commission,
Emily Johnson <[email protected]>, 651-539-1023

 

Talon Nickel January 12, 2026 Exploratory Drilling Plan

*Location: *Aitkin & Carlton Counties
*Process: *Petition
*Step: *Responsible governmental unit assigned

*Responsible governmental unit and contact: *Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Jill Townley <[email protected]>, 651-259-5168

 

Watten Ponds 2nd Addition

*Location: *Shorewood, Hennepin County
*Process: *Petition
*Step: *Responsible governmental unit assigned

*Responsible governmental unit and contact: *City of Shorewood, Jake Griffiths <[email protected]>,
952-960-7909

 

West River Dairy Expansion [ [link removed] ]

*Location (city/township; county): *Morris; Stevens
*Process: *EAW
*Step: *EAW available
*End of comment period: *March 12, 2026

*Project description: *Riverview, LLP proposes to expand the existing West River Dairy 7,855-cow (10,997 AU) facility by adding an 11,000-cow dairy (15,400 AU) facility in Section 1 of Synnes Township, Stevens County. Cows will be housed in a cross-ventilated, total-confinement, free-stall barn and will use clay-lined basins with impermeable covers to collect and store manure and wastewater. Liquid manure will be land applied as fertilizer on cropland.

*Location of public documents:* Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 520 Lafayette Road North, Saint Paul, MN 55155

*Responsible governmental unit and contact: *Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
Charles Peterson <[email protected]>, 651-757-2856

 

Owatonna East Side Corridor (29th Ave Corridor) [ [link removed] ]

*Location (city/township; county): *Owatonna; Steele
*Process: *EAW
*Step: *EIS need decision

**Responsible governmental unit decision: **Negative (no EIS ordered) 
*Responsible governmental unit record of decision date: *January 27, 2026

*Project description: *Construct a new north-south, two-lane county highway between SE 18th St in Owatonna Township to Kenyon Road in Clinton Falls Township with a bridge over Maple Creek. The Project will realign Claremont Road to the north to create more space between the new 29th Avenue/Claremont Road intersection and the Canadian Pacific railroad crossing. The Project includes American with Disabilities Act (ADA) elements, intersection control, and stormwater treatment. Trails for pedestrians and bicyclists will be constructed along the new highway between SE 18th St and 26th St NE and portions of SE 18th St and 26th Street NE, along with a connection to a trail on Rose St. Portions 26th St NE, Claremont Road, and SE 18th St will be reconstructed.
Owatonna East Side Corridor (29th Ave Corridor) project link provided by RGU [ [link removed] ]

*Location of public documents:* Steele County Public Works Facility, 3000 Hoffman Dr NW,
Owatonna, MN 55060

*Responsible governmental unit and contact: *Steele County, Ronald Gaines <[email protected]>,
507-444-7671

 

General notices

Notices published in this section may be required under Minnesota Statute or Rule.

 

Notice of Public Hearing & Availability of EA (Midwater BESS, ESS-24-294, TL-24-295)

*Notice description: *PUC Docket Number: IP-7138/ESS-24-294, IP-7138/TL-24-295 CAH Docket Number: 71-2500-40799 PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (Commission) will hold public hearings on Midwater BESS, LLC's (Applicant) Battery Energy Storage Project in Freeborn County, Minnesota. The Commission will issue an environmental assessment for the project on February 20, 2026. The purpose of the EA is to provide information on the potential human and environmental impacts of the proposed project, possible mitigations for identified impacts, and evaluation of any alternatives contained in the scoping decision. The EA is available on the Commission's website [ [link removed] ] and at the Albert Lea Public Library located at 211 E Clark St, Albert Lea, MN 56007. Print copies of the EA are available from Commission staff upon request; please contact Jim Sullivan at [email protected] or 651-539-1064.

*First public meeting date, time, location: *February 4, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Online meeting
**First public * meeting virtual link: *Join online meeting [ [link removed] ]
**First public * meeting additional details:* Date: March 4, 2026 Time: 6:00 - 9:00 pm (The public hearing ends when all person's present have had an opportunity to comment or at 9:00 p.m., whichever occurs first. Therefore, it is important to arrive at the start of the hearing to ensure participation.) 
Webinar Number: 2480 709 7141
Webinar Password: midwater2025 (64392838 from phones)
Join by Phone: 1-855-282-6330
Toll Free Access Code: 2480 709 7141
If you are joining the meeting via WebEx and would like to ask a question or make a comment during the designated portion of the meeting, use the chat or raised-hand functions to send a message to the meeting moderator. If you are joining the meeting by phone, press *3 on your phone. When it is your turn to speak, your line will be unmuted, and you will be able to ask questions and provide comments. Additional information and instructions are available at the Commission's meetings webpage [ [link removed] ]. 

*Second public meeting date, time, location: *March 3, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Glenville-Emmons High School, 230 5th St SE, Glenville, MN, 56036
**Second public * meeting additional details:* Doors will open one hour prior to the public hearing to allow attendees to review the application, project maps, and other materials for the proposed project, and to ask questions of state staff and the applicant. During this time, comments made by attendees will become a part of the record for Commission consideration only if the attendee submits the comment in writing. Forms will be available for this purpose. If any reasonable accommodation is needed to enable you to fully participate in these hearings, please contact the Commission at 651-296-0406 or 1-800-657-3782 at least one week in advance of the meeting. To find out if a hearing is canceled due to bad weather or other call 1-855-731-6208 or visit the Commission's website [ [link removed] ].

*Link to additional information: *Midwater BESS additional information [ [link removed] ]

*Contact: *Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Jacques Harvieux <[email protected]>, 651-201-2233

 

Fish kill reports

Minnesota Duty Officer reports pertaining to fish kills are summarized in the following table, in accordance with 103G.216, REPORTING FISH KILLS IN PUBLIC WATERS, Subd. 2 Reporting Requirement. These reports were received via the Minnesota Duty Officer prior to the submission deadline for this edition of the EQB Monitor. They represent the raw data/information provided by callers. For more information regarding fish kills in Minnesota see the Department of Natural Resources [ [link removed] ]. Call the Minnesota Duty Officer at 651‐649‐5451 or 800‐422‐0798 to report fish kills.

*No fish kill reports were received since the last publication.*

 

Submit a notice to the "EQB" "Monitor"

The "EQB Monitor" is a weekly publication announcing environmental review documents, public comment periods and other actions of the Environmental Quality Board. The "EQB Monitor" is published every Tuesday at noon. Submissions to the "EQB Monitor [ [link removed] ]" are due by 4:00 p.m. on the Tuesday one week prior to the intended publication date. Please see the EQB Monitor schedule [ [link removed] ] for more details.

 

To submit a notice for publication:

Access the EQB monitor submission service [ [link removed] ]

 

Questions? Contact EQB by phone at 651-757-2873 or email us at [email protected]. 

For more information on environmental review, please visit the EQB website or contact us at [email protected].


















Minnesota Environmental Quality Board

*Environmental Quality Board | eqb.state.mn.us [ [link removed] ] *

Email: [email protected] | Phone: 651-757-2873

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