Opponents of the proposed 190-mile transmission line through Wisconsin’s Driftless Area held a “Day of Power” event at the State Capitol in Madison Wednesday, and gained the support of a bipartisan group of lawmakers, according to a report in the Wisconsin State Journal.
The power line, which would be built by Midcontinent Grid Solutions, is opposed by the No 765 Line advocacy group.
At Wednesday’s rally, members of the group pressed lawmakers on their respective positions on the controversial Maribell and BECI lines.
The 175-foot-tall, 765-kilovolt line has been characterized as an electron superhighway needed more by large data centers than Wisconsin residents.
Advocates want lawmakers to hold a special legislative session to change state laws dictating how power lines are built.
New power lines in Wisconsin are primarily approved and regulated by the three-member Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, an independent agency whose stated mission is to ensure safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible utility services.
No 765 Line advocates also want a regional planning commission to reconsider plans for the transmission lines, which would be built through several southwestern Wisconsin counties, and they want a hearing on the project application by Midcontinent Grid Solutions.
As they lobbied the Legislature, advocates received commitments from 23 lawmakers on at least one of their requests and some agreed to support all three.
So far, 82 local governments have passed resolutions in opposition to the power line proposal.
