CU project controversy
Encyclopedia
The CU Project Controversy involved years of protest against a proposed high-voltage direct current
powerline
that was erected on the property of hundreds of farmers in west central Minnesota
in the late 1970s. The electrical cooperatives Cooperative Power Association (CPA) and United Power Association (UPA) proposed construction of the powerline, which was part of a larger construction project that also involved the construction of an electrical generating station and coal mine. CU is a combination of the names Cooperative Power Association and United Power Association. Opposition to the powerline began in 1974 and involved political parties, churches, civic organizations, and businesses in several different Minnesota counties. Farmers were concerned that construction of the powerline on their land might make farming difficult, reduce the value of the land, or adversely impact their health. The powerline was reviewed in 33 meetings in North Dakota
and 48 meetings in Minnesota and in two years of hearings; at the time, no other powerline in Minnesota state history had gone through such a drawn-out review process. Multiple candidates for state office included the powerline issue as part of their platforms. Farmers employed tractors, manure spreaders, and ammonia sprayers and used direct action
and civil disobedience
in an attempt to prevent construction of the line. Powerline protests drew national attention when over 200 state troopers, nearly half the Minnesota Highway Patrol
, were deployed to ensure that construction of the line would continue. During a two year period, a group of opponents to the line who called themselves "bolt weevils" tore down 14 powerline towers and shot out nearly 10,000 electrical insulators.
(CPA) of Edina, Minnesota
and United Power Association
(UPA) of Elk River, Minnesota
. CPA and UPA were Minnesota electrical generation and transmission associations of a combined total of 34 retail electrical co-ops
.
Retail electrical co-ops developed following the establishment of the Rural Electrification Administration
in 1935 and the Rural Electrification Act
in 1936. The REA began to distribute loans to groups involved in increasing access to electricity in the rural United States. Retail electrical co-ops formed in order to be eligible for the REA's distribution loans. Co-ops often combined in federations to purchase power from private utilities or federal agencies. Occasionally these co-op associations built their own generating stations
.
Garrison Dam
on the Missouri River in North Dakota. UPA and CPA wanted to curtail their purchase of power to avoid the long term contract commitments. They desired to increase their "control over their energy supplies and costs". UPA and CPA predicted that they would not be able to meet the demand of retail co-op members for their electricity. As a result of the oil crisis
of the 1970s, oil prices more than doubled from 1973 to 1978. UPA and CPA believed that consumers would switch to electricity as a source of power to avoid high oil prices. Demand for the electricity provided by UPA and CPA was already growing and UPA and CPA predicted that this growth would continue at the same rate. A 1972 study of the CU Project's feasibility predicted that UPA and CPA would face a "projected power generation deficit of 665 megawatts by 1978". As well, UPA and CPA needed the CU Project to meet their agreements with the Mid-continent Area Power Pool
(MAPP), an association of twenty-eight utilities serving seven states in the Midwest. In order to join MAPP, UPA and CPA had to sign an agreement that obligated them to "power pool" or maintain a 15% surplus of power for sale to the other members of MAPP.
coal shipped by train. The REA had financed other lignite
coal generators in North Dakota, three of which were among the ten most economical plants in the country in the early 1970s.
The REA agreed to finance the construction through low-interest loans. At the time of construction, the CU project was the largest and most expensive single project in the history of the REA. When the project was announced, there was only one other comparable high voltage powerline in the United States: the Bonneville Power Administration's Pacific Intertie that runs from Oregon to Los Angeles.
. A subsidiary of North American Coal Corporation
runs the Falkirk Mine, a lignite coal strip mine in North Dakota that covers over twenty-five square miles and uses two of the biggest dragline excavator
s ever assembled. The lignite uncovered by the draglines travels by conveyor belt to Coal Creek Station
, the largest lignite-fired plant in North Dakota. The Coal Creek Station produces AC current which is converted into DC current at a conversion station. This DC current is transmitted from Coal Creek Station in North Dakota 430 miles (692 km) to a station near Delano, Minnesota
where it is converted back into AC current. The powerline crosses 9 western and central Minnesota counties and includes a total of 659 towers placed at one-quarter mile intervals on the property of 476 landowners: primarily corn, wheat, soybean, and sugar beet farms.
might be self-serving" and that alternatives to building the line such as conservation
were not seriously considered. Farmers worried that the effects of direct electrical current on livestock and humans had not been adequately explored.
Following the events of June 8, farmers notified each other by CB radio
regarding surveying activities and turned out in groups to block the surveyors' work. As the protests grew in momentum, local radio stations carried news of when and where protesters would gather. The Lowry town hall became the headquarters where protesters, some having traveled from surrounding counties, would gather every morning to make plans. The survey crews began to be accompanied by law enforcement.
Farmers used a variety of tactics to thwart surveying on their property. They raised signs on poles to block the view of the surveyors. When a protester was hauled away for blocking the surveyor's line of sight, another protester would take the original protester's place. Farmers ran chainsaws to make it difficult for surveyors to hear and communicate. On one instance, farmers were granted permission by their town board to repair a road leading to a survey site. When survey crews arrived, farmers had put up roadblocks and were in the process of digging a hole in the road. Farmers used their tractors to pile boulders around the tower base holes preventing concrete from being poured. One farmer parked his truck with the key broken off in the ignition to block cement mixers. Another farmer "drove upwind of a utility crew then switched on his manure spreader". Survey stakes would vanish overnight.
ordered what was, at the time, the largest mobilization of state troopers in Minnesota history. National and international news reporters began arriving in Lowry to cover the protest. On January 9, 200 protesters marched across a survey site to hand each trooper a plastic carnation. Protesters also offered troopers coffee and cookies. The protest numbers continued to grow throughout January 1978. Thousands of farmers rallied in Saint Paul, Minnesota
. In one community, school was let out so teachers and students could join the rally.
to Glenwood
in below freezing temperatures to protest the CU Project. Marchers followed a tractor draped with an American flag that carried a coffin labeled "Justice" and a figure labeled "Corporate Giant".
From 1976 to 1978, 120 people were arrested in connection with the protest. 4 people were convicted of criminal counts and 1 was convicted of felony charges.
Soon after the powerline entered commercial operation, UPA and CPA saw a dropoff in demand for electricity. UPA and CPA ended up selling this surplus electricity to other utilities. Eventually, consumer demand increased. Since 1980, consumer demand for electricity in Minnesota has doubled. In the late 2000s, Xcel Energy, Inc.
and 10 other utility companies announced plans to build a new high-voltage transmission line.
A report detailing health concerns about the CU powerline was cited by a judge as a reason to block powerline construction in Texas.
In the mid-2000s, a new group calling itself the "Bolt Weevils" emerged in Minnesota. The group vandalized Novartis
/Northrup-King's Seed research facility and trampled 50 rows of research corn adjacent to Pioneer Hi-Bred
's seed research facility.
High-voltage direct current
A high-voltage, direct current electric power transmission system uses direct current for the bulk transmission of electrical power, in contrast with the more common alternating current systems. For long-distance transmission, HVDC systems may be less expensive and suffer lower electrical losses...
powerline
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
that was erected on the property of hundreds of farmers in west central Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in the late 1970s. The electrical cooperatives Cooperative Power Association (CPA) and United Power Association (UPA) proposed construction of the powerline, which was part of a larger construction project that also involved the construction of an electrical generating station and coal mine. CU is a combination of the names Cooperative Power Association and United Power Association. Opposition to the powerline began in 1974 and involved political parties, churches, civic organizations, and businesses in several different Minnesota counties. Farmers were concerned that construction of the powerline on their land might make farming difficult, reduce the value of the land, or adversely impact their health. The powerline was reviewed in 33 meetings in North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and 48 meetings in Minnesota and in two years of hearings; at the time, no other powerline in Minnesota state history had gone through such a drawn-out review process. Multiple candidates for state office included the powerline issue as part of their platforms. Farmers employed tractors, manure spreaders, and ammonia sprayers and used direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
and civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
in an attempt to prevent construction of the line. Powerline protests drew national attention when over 200 state troopers, nearly half the Minnesota Highway Patrol
Minnesota State Patrol
The Minnesota State Patrol is the statewide police force in the state of Minnesota. The State Patrol concentrates primarily on traffic enforcement and highway safety. Troopers are also involved with accident reconstruction and commercial vehicle enforcement. The State Patrol capitol security...
, were deployed to ensure that construction of the line would continue. During a two year period, a group of opponents to the line who called themselves "bolt weevils" tore down 14 powerline towers and shot out nearly 10,000 electrical insulators.
The growth of electrical co-ops
The CU Powerline Project was initiated by Cooperative Power AssociationGreat River Energy
Great River Energy is an electric transmission and generation cooperative in the U.S. state of Minnesota; it is the state's second largest electric utility, based on generating capacity, and the fifth largest generation and transmission cooperative in the U.S. in terms of assets...
(CPA) of Edina, Minnesota
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
and United Power Association
Great River Energy
Great River Energy is an electric transmission and generation cooperative in the U.S. state of Minnesota; it is the state's second largest electric utility, based on generating capacity, and the fifth largest generation and transmission cooperative in the U.S. in terms of assets...
(UPA) of Elk River, Minnesota
Elk River (Minnesota)
The Elk River is a river, about 70 mi long, in east-central Minnesota in the United States. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River, draining a watershed of 630 mi² .-Course:...
. CPA and UPA were Minnesota electrical generation and transmission associations of a combined total of 34 retail electrical co-ops
Utility cooperative
A utility cooperative is a type of cooperative that is tasked with the delivery of a public utility such as electricity, water or telecommunications to its members...
.
Retail electrical co-ops developed following the establishment of the Rural Electrification Administration
Rural Utilities Service
is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture , one of the federal executive departments of the United States government charged with providing public utilities to rural areas in the United States via public-private partnerships...
in 1935 and the Rural Electrification Act
Rural Electrification Act
The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 provided federal loans for the installation of electrical distribution systems to serve rural areas of the United States....
in 1936. The REA began to distribute loans to groups involved in increasing access to electricity in the rural United States. Retail electrical co-ops formed in order to be eligible for the REA's distribution loans. Co-ops often combined in federations to purchase power from private utilities or federal agencies. Occasionally these co-op associations built their own generating stations
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
.
Motivation behind the CU Project
Several factors led UPA and CPA to undertake the CU Project. UPA and CPA traditionally purchased most of their power from the Bureau of Reclamation'sUnited States Bureau of Reclamation
The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...
Garrison Dam
Garrison Dam
Garrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota. At over two miles in length, it is the fifth-largest earthen dam in the world, constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947-53...
on the Missouri River in North Dakota. UPA and CPA wanted to curtail their purchase of power to avoid the long term contract commitments. They desired to increase their "control over their energy supplies and costs". UPA and CPA predicted that they would not be able to meet the demand of retail co-op members for their electricity. As a result of the oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
of the 1970s, oil prices more than doubled from 1973 to 1978. UPA and CPA believed that consumers would switch to electricity as a source of power to avoid high oil prices. Demand for the electricity provided by UPA and CPA was already growing and UPA and CPA predicted that this growth would continue at the same rate. A 1972 study of the CU Project's feasibility predicted that UPA and CPA would face a "projected power generation deficit of 665 megawatts by 1978". As well, UPA and CPA needed the CU Project to meet their agreements with the Mid-continent Area Power Pool
Midwest Reliability Organization
The Midwest Reliability Organization began operations on January 1, 2005, as the successor to the Mid-continent Area Power Pool , which was formed in 1965. MRO is one of nine regional electric reliability councils under North American Electric Reliability Corporation authority...
(MAPP), an association of twenty-eight utilities serving seven states in the Midwest. In order to join MAPP, UPA and CPA had to sign an agreement that obligated them to "power pool" or maintain a 15% surplus of power for sale to the other members of MAPP.
The CU Project and the REA
In 1972, UPA and CPA approached REA about the possibility of building a new generating station. The REA favored a lignite coal generator in North Dakota over a Minnesota plant using MontanaMontana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
coal shipped by train. The REA had financed other lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
coal generators in North Dakota, three of which were among the ten most economical plants in the country in the early 1970s.
The REA agreed to finance the construction through low-interest loans. At the time of construction, the CU project was the largest and most expensive single project in the history of the REA. When the project was announced, there was only one other comparable high voltage powerline in the United States: the Bonneville Power Administration's Pacific Intertie that runs from Oregon to Los Angeles.
Components
The CU Project consists of three parts: the Falkirk Mine, the Coal Creek Generating Station, and the CU PowerlineCU (Powerline)
CU is the designation of a line for high voltage direct current transmission between the Coal Creek Station power plant south of Underwood, North Dakota at and the Dickinson converter station near Rockford, Minnesota at ....
. A subsidiary of North American Coal Corporation
North American Coal Corporation
North American Coal Corporation is an American coal mining and mining services company. The company, now held as the main subsidiary of NACCO, is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and operates coal mines in North Dakota, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas...
runs the Falkirk Mine, a lignite coal strip mine in North Dakota that covers over twenty-five square miles and uses two of the biggest dragline excavator
Dragline excavator
A dragline excavator is a piece of heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining.In civil engineering the smaller types are used for road, port construction, and as pile driving rigs. The larger types are used in strip-mining operations to move overburden above coal, and for...
s ever assembled. The lignite uncovered by the draglines travels by conveyor belt to Coal Creek Station
Coal Creek Station
Coal Creek Station is the largest power plant in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Located at near the Missouri River between Underwood, North Dakota and Washburn, North Dakota, it is the largest lignite-fired electricity plant in North Dakota...
, the largest lignite-fired plant in North Dakota. The Coal Creek Station produces AC current which is converted into DC current at a conversion station. This DC current is transmitted from Coal Creek Station in North Dakota 430 miles (692 km) to a station near Delano, Minnesota
Delano, Minnesota
Delano is a city in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,464 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
where it is converted back into AC current. The powerline crosses 9 western and central Minnesota counties and includes a total of 659 towers placed at one-quarter mile intervals on the property of 476 landowners: primarily corn, wheat, soybean, and sugar beet farms.
Arguments against the CU Project
The first opponents to the CU Project were farmers who found out that the powerline would be built on their land. Farmers were upset with the way that the powerline route was initially conceived. In 1973 UPA and CPA hired a consulting firm which used a numbering system to assess the value of the land between North Dakota and Minnesota. They assigned high numbers (more value) to airports, highways, and wildlife areas but zero to agricultural land. The line would cross diagonally across farms, which farmers believed would disrupt irrigation and aerial spraying and seeding, limit future land use, and reduce the value of the land. Farmers believed that their way of life was being disrupted to "supply mainly urban population centers" with power. UPA and CPA customers did not like the fact that their electricity bills would be increased in order to pay off the loans the REA and other creditors had granted UPA and CPA to finance the project. Opponents believed that CPA and UPA "demand forecastsDemand forecasting
Demand forecasting is the activity of estimating the quantity of a product or service that consumers will purchase. Demand forecasting involves techniques including both informal methods, such as educated guesses, and quantitative methods, such as the use of historical sales data or current data...
might be self-serving" and that alternatives to building the line such as conservation
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
were not seriously considered. Farmers worried that the effects of direct electrical current on livestock and humans had not been adequately explored.
Notable protest activities
Following the EQC decision to issue a construction permit to CPA and UPA and several years of legal battles and public hearings, farmers were "no longer in a mood to work within the system". On June 8, 1976 a farmer smashed a surveying tripod with his tractor and rammed a pickup truck belonging to the survey crew. This was the first act of illegal protest against the powerline.Following the events of June 8, farmers notified each other by CB radio
Citizens' band radio
Citizens' Band radio is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-MHz band. Citizens' Band is distinct from the FRS, GMRS, MURS and amateur radio...
regarding surveying activities and turned out in groups to block the surveyors' work. As the protests grew in momentum, local radio stations carried news of when and where protesters would gather. The Lowry town hall became the headquarters where protesters, some having traveled from surrounding counties, would gather every morning to make plans. The survey crews began to be accompanied by law enforcement.
Farmers used a variety of tactics to thwart surveying on their property. They raised signs on poles to block the view of the surveyors. When a protester was hauled away for blocking the surveyor's line of sight, another protester would take the original protester's place. Farmers ran chainsaws to make it difficult for surveyors to hear and communicate. On one instance, farmers were granted permission by their town board to repair a road leading to a survey site. When survey crews arrived, farmers had put up roadblocks and were in the process of digging a hole in the road. Farmers used their tractors to pile boulders around the tower base holes preventing concrete from being poured. One farmer parked his truck with the key broken off in the ignition to block cement mixers. Another farmer "drove upwind of a utility crew then switched on his manure spreader". Survey stakes would vanish overnight.
Mobilization of state troopers
On January 4, 1978, a hundred farmers chased powerline crews from three different sites and "scuffled" with state troopers. Protesters dismantled parts of a tower in full view of the troopers. The following Friday, Governor PerpichRudy Perpich
Rudolph George "Rudy" Perpich, Sr. was an American politician and the longest-serving governor of Minnesota. A member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, he served as the 34th and 36th Governor of Minnesota from December 29, 1976 to January 4, 1979, and from January 3, 1983, to January 7, 1991...
ordered what was, at the time, the largest mobilization of state troopers in Minnesota history. National and international news reporters began arriving in Lowry to cover the protest. On January 9, 200 protesters marched across a survey site to hand each trooper a plastic carnation. Protesters also offered troopers coffee and cookies. The protest numbers continued to grow throughout January 1978. Thousands of farmers rallied in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
. In one community, school was let out so teachers and students could join the rally.
The "Battle of Stearns County"
On February 15, 1978, farmers sprayed troopers with anhydrous ammonia, a fertilizer that can cause serious chemical burns. Media reaction to this act was negative and protesters became divided over tactics. Protesters began making greater use of nonviolent resistance. Protesters covered themselves in pig manure and asked the police to arrest them."March for Justice"
On March 5, 1978 over eight thousand people marched from LowryLowry, Minnesota
Lowry is a city in Pope County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 299 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
to Glenwood
Glenwood, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,594 people, 1,131 households, and 629 families residing in the city. The population density was 466.0 people per square mile . There were 1,202 housing units at an average density of 215.9 per square mile...
in below freezing temperatures to protest the CU Project. Marchers followed a tractor draped with an American flag that carried a coffin labeled "Justice" and a figure labeled "Corporate Giant".
"Bolt Weevils"
Beginning in August 1978, a group that called themselves the "Bolt Weevils" began to sabotage power line towers and shoot out electrical insulators. The General Assembly to Stop the Powerline (GASP) put out a regular newsletter called Hold That Line. Referring to the actions of the Bolt Weevils, one issue stated, "It is a mistake to label these as acts of vandalism. Vandalism means 'ignorant destruction of property,' and it would be a big misunderstanding to think that these acts are creatures of ignorance." The electrical co-ops hired outside security officers that used helicopters and vehicles to patrol the line. UPA and CPA launched a public relations campaign to communicate to customers that vandalism would lead to electric bill increases. On August 1, 1979 the CU powerline went into commercial operation. On September 9, 1980, the REA took ownership of the line, in part so that attacks on the line would become federal offenses. In the end, Bolt Weevils tore down 14 power line towers and shot out nearly 10,000 electrical insulators.Consequences
In the end, protesters were unsuccessful in blocking construction of the powerline. The fight had the unintended consequence of higher payments to farmers whose land was taken for the powerline.From 1976 to 1978, 120 people were arrested in connection with the protest. 4 people were convicted of criminal counts and 1 was convicted of felony charges.
Soon after the powerline entered commercial operation, UPA and CPA saw a dropoff in demand for electricity. UPA and CPA ended up selling this surplus electricity to other utilities. Eventually, consumer demand increased. Since 1980, consumer demand for electricity in Minnesota has doubled. In the late 2000s, Xcel Energy, Inc.
Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy, Inc. is a public utility company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving customers in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Primary services are electricity and natural gas...
and 10 other utility companies announced plans to build a new high-voltage transmission line.
A report detailing health concerns about the CU powerline was cited by a judge as a reason to block powerline construction in Texas.
In the mid-2000s, a new group calling itself the "Bolt Weevils" emerged in Minnesota. The group vandalized Novartis
Syngenta
Syngenta AG is a large global Swiss agribusiness company which notably markets seeds and pesticides. Syngenta is involved in biotechnology and genomic research. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in total sales in the commercial agricultural seeds market. Sales in 2010 were...
/Northrup-King's Seed research facility and trampled 50 rows of research corn adjacent to Pioneer Hi-Bred
Pioneer Hi-Bred
Pioneer Hi-Bred is the largest U.S. producer of hybrid seeds for agriculture.- History :In 1926, farm journal editor and future U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace, along with a group of Des Moines, Iowa businessmen, founded the "Hi-Bred Corn Company". At the time, most corn farmers saved part of...
's seed research facility.
Organizations formed to fight the power line
- Counties United for a Rural Environment (CURE): the first umbrella organization for groups fighting the powerline
- Families are Concerned Too (FACT): Pope CountyPope County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 11,236 people, 4,513 households, and 3,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile . There were 5,827 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
anti-powerline group - General Assembly to Stop the Powerline (GASP): umbrella organization formed in January 1978, based in Lowry, MinnesotaLowry, MinnesotaLowry is a city in Pope County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 299 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
- Keep Towers Out (KTO): Stearns CountyStearns County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 133,166 people, 47,604 households, and 32,132 families residing in the county. The population density was 99 people per square mile . There were 50,291 housing units at an average density of 37 per square mile...
anti-powerline group - No Powerline (NPL): Grant CountyGrant County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 6,289 people, 2,534 households, and 1,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile . There were 3,098 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...
anti-powerline group - Preserve Grant County (PGC): Grant CountyGrant County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 6,289 people, 2,534 households, and 1,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile . There were 3,098 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile...
anti-powerline group - Save Our Countryside (SOC): Douglas CountyDouglas County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 32,821 people, 13,276 households, and 9,027 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile . There were 16,694 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
anti-powerline group - Towers Out of Pope Association (TOOPA): Pope CountyPope County, MinnesotaAs of the census of 2000, there were 11,236 people, 4,513 households, and 3,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 17 people per square mile . There were 5,827 housing units at an average density of 9 per square mile...
anti-powerline group - Families Are Concerned Too
Inspired art
- "Minnesota Line" song by Nancy Abrams
- "We Don't Want No Powerlines Around Here" song by Russell Packard
- "Turn Of The Wrench" song by Dana LyonsDana LyonsDana Lyons is a folk music and alternative rock musician from Bellingham, Washington. He was born in Kingston, New York and graduated from Swarthmore College in 1982....
about the Bolt Weevils (Dana Lyons: Listen to Turn of the Wrench) - "The Towers Are Falling" song by the Unity Theatre, Minneapolis
- "Powerline Blues" song by Charlie Broten
- "OHMS" made for television movie shown on CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
during January 1980 - Ecodefense: A Field Guide to MonkeywrenchingEcodefenseEcodefense: A Field Guide To Monkeywrenching is a book edited by Dave Foreman, with a foreword by Edward Abbey.- Background :Ned Ludd Books published the first two editions, with Abbzug Press publishing a third edition...
by Dave Foreman, co-founder of Earth First!Earth First!Earth First! is a radical environmental advocacy group that emerged in the Southwestern United States in 1979. It was co-founded on April 4th, 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, and less directly, Bart Koehler and Ron Kezar....
, is dedicated in part to the Bolt Weevils
National television news reports
- CBS Evening News for Tuesday, November 14, 1978 (Headline: Powerline 18)
- CBS Evening News for Monday, January 9, 1978 Weather/Minnesota Farmers' Power Line Protest)
- NBC Evening News for Monday, January 9, 1978 Minnesota Farmers Power Line Protest)
- NBC Evening News for Friday, January 6, 1978 (Headline: Minnesota/Power Line/Farmer's Protest)
See also
- Direct ActionDirect actionDirect action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
- SabotageSabotageSabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
- Civil DisobedienceCivil disobedienceCivil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
- CU (Powerline)CU (Powerline)CU is the designation of a line for high voltage direct current transmission between the Coal Creek Station power plant south of Underwood, North Dakota at and the Dickinson converter station near Rockford, Minnesota at ....
- Coal Creek StationCoal Creek StationCoal Creek Station is the largest power plant in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Located at near the Missouri River between Underwood, North Dakota and Washburn, North Dakota, it is the largest lignite-fired electricity plant in North Dakota...
External links
- Powerline Blues: Minnesota Public Radio feature by Mary Losure
- CU Powerline and Activism in Western Minnesota: website by Rebekah Holmes
- Power Line Controversy: List of resources about the CU Project controversy put together by the Minnesota Historical SocietyMinnesota Historical SocietyThe Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
- CU HVDC System: Page put together by the ABB Group about technical details of the CU Project