SUPERIOR — The proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center cleared its 15th regulatory review to receive Federal Consistency Certification from the Wisconsin Department of Administration.
The department’s Wisconsin Coastal Management Program conducted the review, which included a public comment period and public hearing, to determine that federal actions with reasonably foreseeable effects on coastal uses or resources would be consistent with the state’s enforceable policies in the Coastal Management Program.
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The consistency certification paves the way for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider issuing wetland permits for the proposed 625-megawatt, natural-gas-fired, electricity-generating plant proposed near Enbridge Energy Superior Terminal on 31st Avenue East on the bank of the Nemadji River.
The certification was issued after conferring with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Public Service Commission.
"We have been working closely with the WDNR throughout the project, and this was another step in the state’s thorough evaluation of the project," said a spokesperson for Minnesota Power, which is taking the lead in constructing the plant.
The nearly $1 billion plant would be built in partnership with Dairyland Power Cooperative, based in La Crosse, and Basin Electric Power Cooperative in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The project would affect up to 54.7 acres of wetlands, according to Allete’s permit application with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The certification is a key piece of the Army Corps of Engineer’s evaluation for their wetland permit issuance, Minnesota Power officials said.
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