Minnesota - Governor's Office • MuckRock

13 Communications
4 Files

Communications

From: Climate Investigations Center

10/17/2022

Subject: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

Mail

To Whom It May Concern:

This request focuses on the planning and safety of a nationwide high pressure carbon dioxide (CO2) pipeline network spanning nearly every state.

We submit this records request in light of the HuffPost article “The Gassing Of Satartia” by Dan Zegart, which details an accident in Mississippi where a large CO2 pipeline ruptured in February 2020, flooding a small town with a dense cloud of CO2 and injuring dozens of people, some of whom were found unconscious, trapped in their cars while trying to escape. Most residents were unaware of the danger prior to the incident or how to respond.

Pursuant to the Minnesota Data Practices Act, I hereby request the following records:

I request copies of all communications, reports, notes, and discussions pertaining to the safety of carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines that have been built or will be built within Minnesota as part of a national carbon capture and storage (CCS) plan being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and it’s Carbon Capture Program.

Specifically, I request all copies of any notes, communications, and/or discussions between the Minnesota's Governor's Office and any state or federal agency regarding CO2 transport and CO2 pipelines related to CCS. The agencies in question include, but are not limited to the agencies listed below:

• Interagency Task Force on Carbon Capture and Storage
• Department of Energy: Office of Fossil Energy, Carbon Storage Program
• Department of Interior: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
• Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC)
• Department of Transportation (DOT)
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC)

I also request copies of any notes, communications, discussions including but not limited to the following topic areas:

Routing and Risks
• Any specific CO2 pipeline routes discussed within Minnesota
• Consideration of potential risks to communities or environmental justice concerns during route planning process
• Risk of leaks from CO2 pipelines
• Pipeline construction specifications - diameter, pressure, capacity of pipelines to be built
• Experiments or modeling of CO2 pipeline accidents
• Warning systems for nearby communities
• Specialized CO2 training for first responders
• Information and/or training for health care staff in treatment of hypercapnia (CO2 poisoning)

The time frame for this request is 2003 to the present.

Climate Investigations Center (CIC) requests these records so that communities may have adequate information in order to protect themselves from the hazards posed by CO2 pipelines. The state’s Public Records/Open Records/FOIA law is designed to ensure transparency and for that reason, agencies are to liberally interpret the law in favor of disclosure and to process records in a timely manner.

Disclosure of these records, especially for proposed pipelines, cannot reasonably present a danger to public safety and instead would provide a powerful tool for community input prior to construction. Additionally, to the extent your search results contain information that is legally exempt from disclosure, non-exempt material must be separated from those records to the extent feasible and provided in response to this request.

Because CIC requests this information for the public benefit and has no commercial interest in the material, I also request a waiver of fees. Should you decide to charge fees for providing copies of records in response to my request, please notify me. If practicable, provide copies of records in their native format. I also request that you provide records in electronic form. Please reach out to me with any questions or issues regarding this request.

Thank you for your assistance.

Daniel Zegart
Senior Investigator
Climate Investigations Center
info@climateinvestigations.org

Kert Davies
Director
Climate Investigations Center
info@climateinvestigations.org

From: Office of the Governor of Minnesota

10/27/2022

Subject: Data Practices Request - Acknowledgment

Good afternoon,

This email acknowledges receipt of your data practices request dated October 17, 2022 that our office received on October 27, 2022. I have begun processing your request and will be in touch with updates or questions.

Thank you,

Jake

Jake Smith | Deputy General Counsel
Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Ste. 130
Saint Paul, MN 55155-1611

One Minnesota
Web<http://www.mn.gov/governor> | Twitter<https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2FGovTimWalz&data=04%7C01%7Cjake.smith%40state.mn.us%7C1f601220b9454719696e08d8adb06112%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C637450320342348366%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=cplJGrk8nh60WeEnfBeiJoXOAVreHUVtQYyafzwjFwA%3D&reserved=0>| Facebook<https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovTimWalz&data=04%7C01%7Cjake.smith%40state.mn.us%7C1f601220b9454719696e08d8adb06112%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C637450320342348366%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=2rS%2FWkTjr6deVWdLOC0r7YA8fc4op%2By0i7a0LGjP9%2B0%3D&reserved=0>| Instagram<https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fmngovernor&data=04%7C01%7Cjake.smith%40state.mn.us%7C1f601220b9454719696e08d8adb06112%7Ceb14b04624c445198f26b89c2159828c%7C0%7C0%7C637450320342358303%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=oltVqPjnUXvWQyNZcQxCP16WlwBY9xXhiCwFBcw%2Be1s%3D&reserved=0>

DISCLAIMER: This e-mail is intended to be read only by the intended recipient. It may contain confidential and/or privileged information, and may be protected from disclosure by law. If you are not the intended recipient, any review, dissemination, retransmission, distribution or copying of this e-mail (or its attachments) is strictly prohibited. If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this e-mail and any attachments.

From: Muckrock Staff

11/11/2022

Subject: RE: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to follow up on the following Minnesota Government Data Practices Act request, copied below, and originally submitted on Oct. 17, 2022. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

From: Office of the Governor of Minnesota

11/13/2022

Subject: RE: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

Good afternoon,

Thank you for your email. We are still collecting data in response to your request. I will update you when I have more information.
Thanks,
Jake

From: Muckrock Staff

11/28/2022

Subject: RE: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

To Whom It May Concern:

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

From: Office of the Governor of Minnesota

12/01/2022

Subject: RE: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

Good afternoon,

We are still working on reviewing and processing your request. I will update you once I have more information.

Thank you,
Jake

From: Muckrock Staff

12/16/2022

Subject: RE: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

To Whom It May Concern:

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

From: Office of the Governor of Minnesota

12/16/2022

Subject: RE: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

Good afternoon,

We are still working on reviewing and processing your request. I will update you once I have more information.
Thank you,
Jake

~WRD0005
- Download

From: Muckrock Staff

01/02/2023

Subject: RE: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

To Whom It May Concern:

Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.

From: Office of the Governor of Minnesota

01/03/2023

Subject: RE: Minnesota Government Data Practices Act Request: Minnesota - Governor's Office

Good morning,

Thank you for your email. We are still working on reviewing and processing your request. I will update you once I have more information.

Thank you,
Jake

From: Office of the Governor of Minnesota

01/10/2023

Subject: Data Practices Request 1 of 3

Good afternoon,

This is in response to your data practices request dated October 17, 2022 that our office received on October 27, 2022. Attached please find the first of 3 files. I will send the remaining data in subsequent emails. Documents have been redacted or withheld pursuant to Minnesota Statutes §§ 13.03 and 13.43. Our office has elected not to charge for costs related to this request, but we reserve the right to charge for future requests.

Thank you,
Jake

Jake Smith | Deputy General Counsel
Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Ste. 130
Saint Paul, MN 55155-1611

2022 10 27 Data Request Responsive Data_Part1
- View
- Embed
- Download
<iframe src="https://www.muckrock.com/foi/file/1059386/embed/" width="100%" height="600px"></iframe>

From: Office of the Governor of Minnesota

01/10/2023

Subject: Data Practices Request 2 of 3

Jake Smith | Deputy General Counsel
Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Ste. 130
Saint Paul, MN 55155-1611

2022 10 27 Data Request Responsive Data_Part2
- View
- Embed
- Download
<iframe src="https://www.muckrock.com/foi/file/1059387/embed/" width="100%" height="600px"></iframe>

From: Office of the Governor of Minnesota

01/10/2023

Subject: Data Practices Request 3 of 3

Jake Smith | Deputy General Counsel
Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Ste. 130
Saint Paul, MN 55155-1611

2022 10 27 Data Request Responsive Data_Part3
- View
- Embed
- Download
<iframe src="https://www.muckrock.com/foi/file/1059389/embed/" width="100%" height="600px"></iframe>

Files

pages

12/16/2022

~WRD0005
- Download
01/10/2023

2022 10 27 Data Request Responsive Data_Part1
- View
- Embed
- Download
<iframe src="https://www.muckrock.com/foi/file/1059386/embed/" width="100%" height="600px"></iframe>
01/10/2023

2022 10 27 Data Request Responsive Data_Part2
- View
- Embed
- Download
<iframe src="https://www.muckrock.com/foi/file/1059387/embed/" width="100%" height="600px"></iframe>
01/10/2023

2022 10 27 Data Request Responsive Data_Part3
- View
- Embed
- Download
<iframe src="https://www.muckrock.com/foi/file/1059389/embed/" width="100%" height="600px"></iframe>