last week the Wisconsin Public Service Commission released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement … and it’s a biggie, as ATC’s Anne Spaltholz would say, “Cuddle up with your Kindle and enjoy the read!”

The Comment period is open until Friday October 3rd, 2014, and because the PSC’s on-line comment page says that comments made are not part of the record, are only for staff consideration regarding the environmental review, send directly to the Environmental Coordinator for the Badger Coulee Project, Marilyn Weiss: Marilyn.Weiss@wisconsin.gov

CAUTION: PLEASE USE THE PSC’S COMMENT PAGE WITH CAUTION — USE IT WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE COMMENTS ARE NOT PART OF THE RECORD.  On most of the Comments filed in this docket:  “NOTE: Public comments are currently being solicited by Commission staff for this docket. These comments will be used by staff in its scoping and analysis of this case, but will not be part of the official record.” Many, many of the comments submitted on the Comment page will not be included in the project record.  If you have filed a comment intending it to be part of the record, please check yours for that notice (theirs is not in red, though it should be!).  The PSC policy on Comments is: Only comments submitted in response the notice of hearing will be included in the record from which the Commission makes its decision.

To be clear, there are two tracks — comments to be considered by staff that are NOT part of the record, and, AFTER the “notice of hearing” comments that WILL be part of the record if filed during that window of time.  That means that once that “notice of hearing” is issued, you’ll need to refile any comments you’ve made earlier and resubmit them during that window after the “notice of hearing” or they will not be part of the record, and will not be considered by the Commission.  This is very important — I’m sure many of you were making comments thinking it was part of the record for the Commission.  This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t weigh in on environmental review, but it does mean that if you want your Comments to be part of the project record, remember to resubmit during that window.

In the meantime, here’s the DEIS:

Draft EIS Volume 1 (13969KB)
Draft EIS Volume 2 Cover (130KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Index (640KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 01 (6892KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 02 (6550KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 03 (5210KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 04 (4591KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 05 (4917KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 06 (5089KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 07 (4608KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 08 (4579KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 09 (6209KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 10 (9006KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 11 (10054KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 12 (9426KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 13 (5948KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 14 (4841KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 15 (5261KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 16 (5432KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 17 (5237KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 18 (5105KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 19 (5636KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 20 (5097KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 21 (6477KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 22 (5527KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 23 (4994KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 24 (4405KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 25 (4543KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 26 (3959KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 27 (4469KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 28 (5324KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 29 (4425KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 30 (4779KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 31 (4559KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 32 (4057KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 33 (5201KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 34 (5211KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 35 (5941KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 36 (5675KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 37 (5504KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 38 (7227KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 39 (6885KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 40 (4858KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 41 (5035KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 42 (3698KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 43 (3783KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 44 (3920KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 45 (4269KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 46 (4059KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 47 (4280KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-1 – Route Map 48 (4720KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-2 – Proposed route alternatives and existing electric transmission system (1912KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-3 – Ecological regions and elevations in the project area (7568KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-4 – Trout streams and outstanding and exceptional resource waters (8339KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-5 – Depth to bedrock in the project area (9114KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-6 – Important bird areas in the project area (510KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-7 – Leopold-Pine Island Important Bird Area Partnership properties (5848KB)
Draft EIS Figure Vol. 2-8 through 2-40 – Construction photographs (3782KB)