Supervisors hear transmission line presentation

By Steve Van Kooten

During the Board of Supervisors’ special meeting on March 10, Rob Danielson, a landowner in the town of Stark and resident of La Farge, presented information in opposition to the contentious MariBell transmission line that would go through Crawford County.

The 765 kilovolt (kV) transmission line would span between Genoa and Portage in Wisconsin, divided into two segments, with two different developers.

The first part of the project, named MariBell, covers the 140-mile line west of Bell Center in Crawford and Vernon counties from Marion, Minn., while the second half going east is identified as BECI, going 200 miles to Sugar Creek, Ill. Danielson estimated the transmission line will impact approximately 1,000 square miles in Wisconsin.

The MariBell portion is a proposal from Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) and GridLiance. The other half is being developed by Transource Energy BHE Transmission.

According to Danielson, the incentive behind expanding transmission in the Midwest (an area called MISO covering 15 states that includes Wisconsin and a province of Canada) is to develop the ability to generate electricity in remote areas using renewable methods and export it east to another region of the country.

MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) is a member-based organization that manages the electric grid in its area and maintains the wholesale energy market.

Danielson questioned whether there was a substantial amount of renewable energy warranting a power line of that size. He cited the Potomac Economics’ annual report, which says the MISO’s annual average renewable energy generation is around 17 percent.

Potomac Economics is an independent evaluator for the MISO region that monitors regional transmission markets and expansion proposals.

Danielson said MISO’s renewable energy production has grown, on average, one percent per year.

“If you go back, it’s not the state’s goal that we had when we joined the MISO market in 2005. At that point, the utilities were really concerned that we wouldn’t have enough electricity, we wouldn’t have enough transmission. In fact, they projected a whopping 2.2 percent per year growth in energy use paired with a 2.5 percent growth in demand per year compounded,” he said.

He added that the increased need for energy consumption or transmission demand for the area never materialized. 

“Over the next 20 years, Wisconsin electricity use remained statistically flat... Basically, we’re looking at a huge prediction in demand for transmission lines that didn’t materialize,” Danielson made clear.

Public input

The project is in the public information phase, which began as soon as the transmission developers made their first public notices. Danielson estimated MariBell’s information phase began in June this past year.

“It ends after the developers have collected input from landowners, citizens, local governments, counties, state agencies, tribes and organizations concerning the overall scope of their transmission proposal,” he said.

The input is used to identify issues the project may create for area residents, the environment or other issues and is included in the application the developers submit to the Public Service Commission (PSC) for approval.

“A large number of directly impacted landowners face hazard and unimaginable loss due to the close proximity of their dwellings to existing transmission line corridors that are being considered for expansion,” said Danielson.

The MariBell transmission line would require a 250-foot easement (125 feet on either side of the line). 

Danielson said there are several structures, including residential homes, that are partially or entirely inside the easement needed to use the developer’s preferred route to Bell Center. He provided multiple examples of structures that would be within the easement needed to accommodate the line. 

“Bottom line is there are many Driftless assets that would be put at risk if Dairyland fails to act on our urgent public input over the next four to seven months,” Danielson explained.

He added that the PSC expects developers to work with landowners and resolve those issues, preferably before the application is submitted.

“No one knows what will happen, and right now, this is our chance to make modifications... to see that the application that goes in alleviates as many issues as we can identify,” he said.

The public can take action by backing and supporting the affected landowners, engaging accredited individuals to make environmental recommendations to the applicants so the problems can be addressed, and working with lawmakers.

One possible outcome is that the project could be stopped entirely.

“MariBell is not a done deal,” Danielson said. “Certain landowners are becoming informed, organizing, and formally requesting utility attention. With the help of elected officials, they are gaining public platforms, and in my opinion, they’re winning widespread support in the court of public opinion.”

Danielson said there are 17 transmission line projects that have been stopped in the United States, with a contributing factor being “intense landowner opposition.”

Other reasons Danielson cited were a lack of need and the possibility of alternative methods for transmission, such as buried transmission lines.

Impacts

Danielson brought up the environmental and economic consequences the project may have on the area, including corona discharge light pollution, which causes a glow or flickering around parts of the transmission line.

“They create avoidance behaviors in animals that have UV light sensitivity,” he said. “In other words, the animals see this glowing phenomenon, and they do what animals do when they’re around something they’re not comfortable with — they skedaddle.”

The lines can also cause noise that has been described as hissing, sizzling or humming, among other noises. Danielson claimed a line the size of the MariBell could generate sound as loud as 60 decibels 65 feet from the outer wire of the line.

“That’s extremely loud. That’s the equivalent of a handheld vacuum cleaner... it’s equivalent to a busy restaurant, and it’s also the same volume as a barred owl scream,” he said.

Another concern is electromagnetic field health risks.

“Not all people experience this, but there are some people [that] have real and debilitating health symptoms from electromagnetic sensitivity,” said Danielson. He claimed the field strength was similar to a microwave constantly running.

The line could also alter the perception of the area from being a natural environment to an industrial one.

Supervisor questions

One supervisor asked Danielson if it is true that representatives of the transmission line developers had already been out talking to impacted landowners along the route and threatening use of eminent domain if the landowner won’t cooperate?

“I’ve heard that from a person that experienced it, so I would believe what they are saying,” Danielson responded.

Supervisor Mary Kuhn responded to the pictures Danielson had shown of homes that would be located within the expanded easement for the transmission line.

“What happens to those people whose houses are in those easements?” Kuhn asked. “Are they paid for the value of their house? For the easement? Do they have to move their house? How does that work?”

“It varies, and a lot of it depends on the negotiation,” Danielson responded. “Ideally, we want to have all of those adjustments made now before the application goes in so the landowner is not stuck with the situation where they might have a house within the easement.

The lawyer that spoke at the public meeting in Gays Mills said that what happens in terms of adjustments is ranging a lot, both because of the landowner’s interest and because of the utilities’ preferences. 

“So to answer your question, simply, it’s probably going to be unadvisable for those houses. They’ll still exist in an application, especially if they’re into the footprint, or the expanded footprint,” Danielson said. “How that gets solved, if it’s not solved now by moving the line further away, is what would keep me awake as a landowner in that situation.”

Kuhn’s other question was, “If they want to get from Genoa to Portage, why don’t they just run a straight line east?”

“State law requires developers to first utilize existing transmission line corridors,” Danielson explained. “So that’s law. They’re following existing transmission lines — that’s the best answer to your question.”

Lisa White, Grant County resident and candidate for the 17th State Senate District, pointed out that Cassville is currently grappling with a proposal to build a data center and a nuclear power plant. She stated that because of the large amount of electricity required by data centers, she sees a connection with the MariBell transmission line proposal currently affecting Crawford County.

Danielson pointed out that the public is currently being bombarded with headlines talking about data centers and the amount of electricity they will require. He emphasized it is crucial to evaluate the source of that information in order to understand whose interests might be served by conveying it.

“When I look at the statements from the utilities on the electricity demand for data centers, I find that information more useful,” Danielson said. “For instance, there’s a letter that WE Energy just brought to the Public Service Commission proposing 170 megawatts of solar. They detail all of the coal plant retirement plans and all of the data centers in their footprint and conclude their letter by stating that, therefore, the 170 megawatts of power that we want to add is justified.”

Danielson said that another study projected a two and a half percent increase, which they basically said would be equivalent to the amount of power used by Milwaukee.

“That sounds like a lot, but actually it’s just Milwaukee, not the suburban areas,” Danielson clarified. “That is the best estimate I’ve seen — about two-and-a-half percent. That is not a big generation increase.”

Supervisor Craig Anderson had a question about what existing 161 kV line easement the MariBell developers propose to use.

“I know of two existing transmission lines approaching Bell Center from the west, one along County S, and one a little further north, through the Village of Gays Mills,” Anderson stated. “Has Dairyland specified exactly which corridor they’re proposing to use?”

“As I understand it, from an e-mail I received from Dairyland, at the open house meetings today in Gays Mills and on Thursday in Retreat, they’ll have maps showing their preferred route and their alternative route,” Danielson responded. “So, the alternative could very well be one of the ones that you’re talking about right now, because Wisconsin requires there be a preferred route and an alternative route for a new application.”

Gillian Pomplun of the Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout contributed to this story.