The Minnesota Department of Commerce has released a final environmental impact statement for a high-voltage transmission line proposed by Xcel Energy. Copies of the environmental impact statement (EIS) will be available at several area libraries, the Commerce Department said in a news release.

The EIS describes the potential human and environmental impacts along the proposed route of the Minnesota Energy Connection Project. The 345-kilovolt transmission line would run for approximately 180 miles, and connect an electrical substation in Sherburne County with a new substation proposed to be built near Garvin. The project would span across Sherburne, Stearns, Kandiyohi, Wright, Meeker, Chippeway, Yellow Medicine, Renville, Redwood and Lyon Counties, the Commerce Department said.

Two main routes have been proposed for the project. One proposed route would come into Lyon County from the north, passing near the cities of Granite Falls, Hanley Falls and Cottonwood. The other proposed route would enter Lyon County from the east, through Redwood County.

The EIS looks at the proposed project’s impact on human settlement, as well as factors like soils, surface water, farmland and wildlife. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will use the EIS in the process of deciding whether to grant Xcel Energy a certificate of need for the project, and a route permit.

On Jan. 29, Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Todnem filed updated documents recommending that the Public Utilities Commission issue a certificate of need and route permit for the transmission line project.

Print copies of the EIS will be available at several libraries in the proposed project area, the Commerce Department said. The list of locations includes the Willmar, Montevideo, Canby, Olivia, Redwood Falls and Marshall-Lyon County Libraries.