The inside line on the south metro power line

Thousands of landowners in the rural southern metro area are days away from learning whether their acreage is being eyed for the pathway of a huge new power line that will stretch from South Dakota to Dakota County. Here's what to expect:

Eleven utility companies have banded together to ask the state of Minnesota for permission to run a 345-kilowatt electrical power line from Brookings, S.D., to the Hampton area of southern Dakota County. They say it's needed to serve not only a growing population but one that is sucking up far more power than it ever has.

"In 30 years we've gone from 30 percent of homes with air conditioners to 70 percent," said Randy Fordice, a spokesman for the CapX 2020 group. "We've gone from no computers in the home to two or three."

The companies say today's power lines do not affect farming much at all: There's a single slender pole, and farmers can plow right up to it. They are seeking to follow roadways and the like as much as possible to minimize the annoyance.

That is what is soon to be disclosed, triggering much more intense public interest. CapX officials up to now have only been talking about vague corridors, one through Scott County and the other through Rice and LeSueur. But soon about 3,000 landowners will get letters saying they've been picked.

"A big challenge has been where to cross the Minnesota River," said Craig Poorker of Great River Energy, who's working on routing the line. "One option is near soon-to-be-abandoned sewer ponds near Le Sueur; and there's a northerly one that follows an existing 69-kilovolt line near Belle Plaine. We're required to look for existing crossings."

Some landowners will consider it a holiday gift of sorts: There is a one-time payment for a 150-foot-wide easement. The companies won't give even a range of dollars, saying there are too many unknowns, including how much of a person's land is affected.

So far, it's muted.

"We've been tracking this for the last couple of years," said Scott County's planning manager Brad Davis. "We are looking at the impacts, including how it will affect some existing and planned roads."

And closer to the scene?

"I haven't heard any complaints yet," said Dick Klehr, a township supervisor in Belle Plaine township. "But no one knows exactly where it's going.

"It's like when the pipeline went through for oil: Many were upset at first, but it was really just a few people working others up without knowing the full facts. The complaints turned to compliments once the thing got started.

The utilities involved in the so-called CapX 2020 project have an extensive website full of maps, photos and other background information at www.capx2020.com. Questions to: