The Public Service Commission has scheduled hearings on a controversial power line in southeastern North Dakota.
But the hearings will be conducted a little differently.
The Commission has scheduled two technical hearings in Bismarck for the “JETx” line, proposed by MDU and otter Tail Power Company. That line will run from Jamestown to Ellendale. In addition, three public hearings will be held – one in Ellendale, one in Edgeley and one in Jamestown.
"When we hold these public hearings, we usually have two main components that we're trying to cover," said Commissioner Jill Kringstad. "The first is, we're building a legal record with all of the technical details, so we can make an informed decision based on the law."
Kringstd said equally important is the second piece, the public input portion.
"That's where we get a chance to hear from folks who live with this infrastructure in their community," Kringstad said. "What we want to make sure is, in my mind, that we're effectively balancing both of those."
Commissioners said in previous hearings on controversial proposals, the technical portion of the hearing ran long, and people attending the hearing would have wait for hours to make their presentations.
Kringstad said public comment at the technical hearings would likely not happen. But she said the technical healings would be open to the public.
The technical hearings will be held Jan. 8 and 9 at the state Capitol. The public input sessions are scheduled for Jan. 12 in Ellendale, Jan. 14 in Edgeley and Jan. 16th in Jamestown.
