{"id":3233,"date":"2011-06-03T11:13:11","date_gmt":"2011-06-03T18:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/?p=3233"},"modified":"2011-06-03T14:45:10","modified_gmt":"2011-06-03T21:45:10","slug":"the-truth-revealed-its-all-connected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/?p=3233","title":{"rendered":"The truth revealed… it’s all connected"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yeah, I know, duh, but here we go again, it IS all connected.\u00c2\u00a0 ATC now admits that they want to just go east from Alma, who needs LaCrosse, but we knew that…<\/p>\n

American Transmission Co. announces second round of open houses for Badger Coulee Transmission Line Project<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

ATC updates plan for $425 million power line linking Madison, LaCrosse<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s more info linked here on the Badger – Coulee Transmission site<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So today, I fired off Information Requests for American Transmission Company:<\/p>\n

NoCapX and U-CAN Information Requests to ATC 1-9<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And of course, they’re scheduling meetings on this when we’re in the evidentiary hearing on the Hampton-“LaCrosse” line, and note, these are ATC sponsored meetings, not official at all, but most useful in gleaning info about their plans, note it starts now at Alma, where CapX plans to cross the Mississippi:<\/p>\n

\n

CHECK THIS ATC MAP (similar to the one below)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Compare with the map from an article in the Wisconsin State Journal:<\/p>\n

\"4de6d1f10bb56image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I’ve asked Charlie Higley and Dennis Dums about Citizen Utility Board’s<\/a> position on this, Charlie’s out of the office, that’s all I’ve heard so far… the quote has a presumption of prior need and questions current need, and it’s that presumption that is ?!?!?!<\/p>\n

Here’s the full article from the State Journal:<\/p>\n

New ATC transmission line project surges ahead<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

JUDY NEWMAN | jdnewman@madison.com | 608-252-6156<\/span><\/span> madison.com<\/span><\/span> <\/a><\/p>\n

About 40,000 homes and businesses from Middleton to north of La Crosse are getting letters this week from American Transmission Co. telling them a powerful electrical transmission line could be built within 3,000 feet \u00e2\u20ac\u201d or about half a mile \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and inviting them to public meetings later this month.<\/a><\/p>\n

Plans for the so-called Badger Coulee line, introduced in 2010, are moving into phase 2. ATC has taken the broad swath from south-central to western Wisconsin and identified dozens of corridors to consider for the project, which will carry 345 kilovolts of electricity over 150 miles and will cost about $425 million.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 In Dane County, the line could run north from the town of Middleton or it could skirt the west edge of Waunakee and go through DeForest\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s north side, then head up Highway 12, Interstate 39 or Highway 51.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 It could run along the edge of communities such as Prairie du Sac, Lodi, Poynette, Portage, West Baraboo, Elroy or Viroqua. It also could travel through Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells or Mauston.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u00a2 Richland County will be spared.<\/a><\/p>\n

The area being studied has been expanded north into Trempealeau and Jackson counties. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because the Badger Coulee line might meet up with CapX2020, a 700-mile series of mostly 345-kilovolt lines stretching from the Dakotas. CapX2020 proposes to cross into Wisconsin at Alma, in Buffalo County.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We could, conceivably, connect with their line. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be at their end point,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said ATC local relations manager Sarah Justus.<\/a><\/p>\n

Eleven utility companies have joined forces to build CapX2020, including WPPI Energy, of Sun Prairie, and Dairyland Power Cooperative and Xcel Energy, which cover parts of western Wisconsin. The state Public Service Commission is expected to decide within the next week if a revised proposal for the Alma crossing has enough information for a full-fledged review.<\/a><\/p>\n

At the south end, the Badger Coulee line is expected to hook up to the 345-kilovolt transmission line across Dane County that will start construction later this year.<\/a><\/p>\n

ATC says Badger Coulee is needed to bring less expensive power from states to the west into the Upper Midwest and to improve the reliability of Wisconsin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s electric transmission grid over the long term. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re looking out 10, 20, 30, 40 years,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Justus said.<\/a><\/p>\n

If the line is built, it would add about 75 cents a month to a $100 utility bill, she said.<\/a><\/p>\n

Charlie Higley, executive director of the Citizens\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Utility Board, said he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s waiting to take a stand on the proposed line until he sees ATC\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s justification for the project when it applies for approval from the PSC.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We understand the need to increase transmission capabilities to the west. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a long-standing issue for Wisconsin. But that said, the recession really changed the amount of electricity people use. That may have some impact on whether this line is needed,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Higley said.<\/a><\/p>\n

A recent PSC report said peak power use is growing more slowly than before the recession but moving power to customers, via transmission lines, remains a challenge in Wisconsin.<\/a><\/p>\n

Citizen groups have formed in western Wisconsin. Joan Kent, whose home is in one of the possible corridors, is on a committee formed by the town of Stark, near La Farge, to get information about the project. The committee doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t believe the line is needed, Kent said.<\/a><\/p>\n

She also is concerned about Badger Coulee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s impact on the Kickapoo Valley\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s scenic beauty. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be such an eyesore that it will hurt tourism significantly,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kent said.<\/a><\/p>\n

Recreational trails in the Sparta and Tomah areas could also be on the transmission line\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s path, and the line will have to cross the Wisconsin River at some point. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153No route is without challenges and (will be) universally accepted and loved,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Justus said.<\/a><\/p>\n

ATC will hold eight public meetings later this month, including one in Waunakee, to discuss the alternatives, answer questions and take public comments. It expects to narrow the list of routes to two alternatives in fall 2012 and submit an application to the PSC in 2013. If approved, the line could be in operation in 2018.<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yeah, I know, duh, but here we go again, it IS all connected.\u00c2\u00a0 ATC now admits that they want to just go east from Alma, who needs LaCrosse, but we knew that… American Transmission Co. announces second round of open …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[585,337],"tags":[180,586,14],"class_list":["post-3233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-badgercoulee-wisconsin","category-hampton-alma","tag-american-transmission-company","tag-badger-coulee-transmission-line","tag-capx-2020"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3233"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3238,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3233\/revisions\/3238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nocapx2020.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}