Construction work on a high-voltage transmission linking Iowa and Wisconsin has been completed and the line is fully operational, according to the Associated Press.
American Transmission Company, Dairyland Power Coop., and ITC Midwest began work on the 102-mile Cardinal-Hickory Creek line between Iowa’s Dubuque County and Wisconsin’s Dane County in April 2021. Construction wrapped up late last week, ITC Midwest spokesperson Rod Pritchard said. The 345-kilovolt line was fully energized Thursday.
The utilities say the line will improve electrical reliability and support renewable energy projects.
A coalition of conservation groups filed a federal lawsuit in March seeking to block the final mile of construction across the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge near Cassville, arguing that the line would damage the refuge and that the utilities improperly acquired the land from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A federal appellate court in May allowed the work to continue, but the original lawsuit is still pending.
The utilities said in a news release Friday that they tried to protect the refuge during construction, using wooden mats to reduce soil disturbance, and that no grading took place.
