Power line Group Meeting
The Webster Resist the Power Line group will meet at the Town Hall Tuesday at 7pm Oct 7 to work on a draft resolution to present to the Board of Supervisors. This is a citizen group, and the meeting is open to anyone who has an interest in the subject of the proposed Dairyland power line expansion project, which has a possible route bisecting our Town.
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Resolution #2025-01 Town of Webster, Vernon County Wisconsin, Resolution Regarding Potential 765 kV Transmission Line Development
TOWN OF WEBSTER, VERNON COUNTY WISCONSIN, RESOLUTION REGARDING POTENTIAL 765 kV TRANSMISSION LINE DEVELOPMENT
WHEREAS, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and Dairyland Power Cooperative have announced intentions for a 765 kV transmission line known as, "LRTP Project #26, North Rochester - Columbia;" that is designated to pass, in part, through Vernon, Crawford, Richland, Sauk and Columbia Counties and in Vernon, Crawford and Richland Counties with an additional, double-circuit, 161 kV transmission line;
WHEREAS, LRTP Project #26 proposed to pass through our area would be part of a 765 kV transmission "backbone" system continuing from Columbia (Portage, WI) to another regional electricity market that serves Chicago and points east;
WHEREAS, Dairyland Power Cooperative has announced that it is in the process of contacting potential landowners and local governments for input;
WHEREAS, Dairyland Power Cooperative (DPC) is a member of MISO and stakeholder-participant in MISO LRTP Tranche 2.1 planning;
WHEREAS, a transmission line of this size and characteristics has never been considered or constructed in Wisconsin, to date;
WHEREAS, the cost of the Project that would be assumed by ratepayers has been estimated at $10.6 billion;
WHEREAS, within MISO's most recent FAQ, the regional utility interests' estimate of costs and benefits from the Tranche 2.1 expansion lines (including a potential 765 kV project through our area) would lead to an expense of about $13.50 per month for an electric customer using 1,000 kWh per month;
WHEREAS Public Service Commission of Wisconsin staff engineers have found that upgrades of existing transmission lines can provide the same benefits at much less expense to ratepayers;
WHEREAS pertinent transmission planning sponsored by regional utilities assumes delays in the replacements of a number of existing transmission lines;
WHEREAS the U.S. Department of Energy has highlighted the potential of using advanced carbon composite conductors to significantly increase the capacity of rebuilt transmission lines, potentially quadrupling the amount of power they can transport;
WHEREAS, the official, Independent Monitor of the MISO wholesale electricity market and MISO transmission planning, Potomac Economics, has found that MISO's Tranche 2.1 transmission lines, including the Project: ● Assume a view of the future that is, "extremely unlikely;"
● Forecast potential benefits to customers that are, "overstated" or "invalid" in five of eight key categories;
● Would lead to "uneconomic investment [that] will raise costs and undermine investment in resources, storage and other alternatives to transmission;"
● The MISO Board should "postpone approval of Tranche 2.1" transmission lines;
WHEREAS, citing the above findings of Potomac Economics, the Public Utility Commissions of North Dakota, Montana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana filed a complaint before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission {EL25-109} requesting, "that FERC (i) find that MISO and the Board violated the Tariff and (ii) direct the [MISO] Board to declassify Tranche 2.1 projects as MVPs, and (iii) order MISO to revise its Tariff to require a filing of the business case supporting future LRTP MVP projects to be reviewed and approved by FERC;"
WHEREAS, MISO's Tranche 2.1 transmission expansion planning requires a very large buildout of wind and solar facilities which, traditionally, have relied on very substantial federal tax credit incentives that are now scheduled for elimination in 2028 as determined in the July 2025 Federal Reconciliation Budget Bill;
WHEREAS use of electricity and summer peak demand in Wisconsin have been statistically flat over the last 10 years;
WHEREAS, An Environmental Impact Statement jointly authored by the Wisconsin Public service commission and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources found that even, smaller, 345 kV transmission lines, "may result in negative effects to property values, tax credits and heritage tourism" and mentions studies showing devaluations from 10 to 45% depending on proximity, visibility, size of parcel and whether sited in an industrial or natural setting; WHEREAS, Wisconsin law stipulates one time and continuing "Environmental Impact" payments to affected counties and municipalities for siting high-voltage transmission lines while disallowing payments made to landowners, the most affected parties;
WHEREAS, LRTP Project #26, North Rochester - Columbia;" as designed would add hazardous obstacles for numerous migrating and resident raptors, water fowl and songbirds that routinely utilize the Mississippi River flyway;
WHEREAS, MISO assumes that electrical energy use will substantially increase and that §1.12(2)Wisconsin Energy Policy stipulates that, “a state agency or local governmental unit shall investigate and consider the maximum conservation of energy 2 resources as an important factor when making any major decision that would significantly affect energy usage;"
WHEREAS, Wisconsin does not yet have legal statute regulating the use of 765 kV transmission lines and proposals for said regulation are expected to come before state lawmakers;
WHEREAS, now is the most opportune time for municipal governments to gain knowledge about 765 kV transmission in order to make recommendations to state lawmakers towards the realization of suitable regulations; and
Whereas, the existing, 69 kV transmission corridor through the Town of Webster crosses about five Amish farms and there are approximately twelve Amish farms within a distance of 1.5 miles from the existing transmission facility.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that
The Township of Webster in Vernon County requests Dairyland Power Cooperative to provide the following information either in written or electronic format, and may also present in-person before our Board before December 31, 2025:
1. A map of eligible, existing transmission line routes for the considered 765 kV/ 161 kV transmission line project through Vernon, Crawford and Richland Counties.
2. Images of the types of towers that might be used for the transmission line Project in Vernon, Crawford and Richland Counties.
3. The range of the heights of these 765 kV/161 kV transmission towers, in feet.
4. The range in total easement widths that these 765 kV/161 kV transmission towers would require, in feet.
5. The name(s) of the entity or entities that would be the owner(s) of the Vernon, Crawford and Richland County sited portions of the 765 kV/161 kV transmission line.
6. Estimated date that the 765 kV/161 kV transmission line is expected to be proposed to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.
7. Estimated total cost of Project #26, North Rochester - Columbia transmission line that includes the 765 kV /161 kV segment in Vernon, Crawford, Richland, Sauk and Columbia Counties. 3
8. Estimated total cost of regional generation additions in the Electric Generation Expansion Analysis System (EGEAS) for MISO's Long Range Transmission Planning (LRTP) Tranche 2.1.
9. If the cost of Project #26, North Rochester - Columbia including the 765 kV / 161 kV and other segments in Vernon, Crawford, Richland, Sauk and Columbia Counties would be shared with electric customers in other states, please provide a list of those states.
10. Estimated capital cost per Vernon Electric Cooperative member-owner with average 1000 kWh / month use over 20 years for Project #26, North Rochester- Columbia including the 765 kV/ 161 kV and other segments in Vernon, Crawford, Richland, Sauk and Columbia Counties.
11. A list, including location information, and including substations, for all existing transmission facilities whose updates or replacements would be avoided or delayed if the Project #26, the North Rochester-Columbia transmission line is constructed.
12. A list, by name and with location, of other "reliability issues" that Project #26, North Rochester - Columbia transmission line would avoid, delay or eliminate.
13. Documentation from MISO that accounts for considering the use of carbon composite conductors when alternatively rebuilding the avoided transmission facilities, and addressing other "reliability issues" in MISO's Long Range Transmission Planning (LRTP) Tranche 2.1 addressing other "reliability issues" in MISO's Long Range Transmission Planning (LRTP) Tranche 2.1
14. A list of the "significant economic development benefits" that the Project would deliver to the local economies adjacent to the proposed project through Vernon, Crawford and Richland counties.
15. Documentation explaining MISO's calculation of a net monetary benefit for Wisconsin residential electric customers if the estimated cost of Tranche 2.1 transmission and power plant additions, per ratepayer, is around $27.50 per month while, potentially, returning only $10 to $18, per ratepayer, in value per month.
16. Documentation from MISO Tranche 2.1 planning with estimates of the percentage of electrical power assumed to be provided from distributed solar and distributed battery storage resources in years 1, 10 and 20.
17. A list of prior, combination 161 kV and 765 kV transmission projects the expected developers of the Project have installed with their locations. 4
18. An estimated percentage of power transported by MISO Project #26 that would be consumed in Wisconsin compared to the percentage consumed by Chicago and points east by continuation 765 kV facilities through Wisconsin to the PJM electricity market.
19. The average poundage of herbicide expected to be applied per year, per thousand square feet of developed land to maintain the easement. If landowners use organic practices on their land, what accommodations will be available to those landowners?
20. The number of trees expected to be removed in the course of the development.
21. The number of buildings expected to be condemned in the course of the development, in Vernon County and in the entire LRTP Project 26.
22. The line corridor bisecting the Town of Webster crosses 5 Amish farms and there are multiple Amish farms within 1.5 miles. The local Amish community have expressed their absolute opposition to the line, what consideration is being given to the possible expansion of the line on the Amish community?
23. Please provide written documentation that Dairyland Power Cooperative, GridLiance, and NextEra Transmission LLC* have used in the past to address special needs and interests of Amish landowners and communities.
24. Please explain how Dairyland Power Cooperative, GridLiance, and NextEra Transmission LLC, during the public information phase, intend to sponsor and hold additional, informational meetings with Amish landowners to receive questions and provide answers.
25. Please explain how Dairyland Power Cooperative and NextEra Transmission LLC, during the public information phase, will schedule follow-up meetings with Amish landowners to consider possible accommodations. 26. Please provide written documentation with examples of adjustments and other accommodations made by Dairyland Power Cooperative and/or NextEra Transmission LLC and GridLiance in the past to address requests made by Amish landowners and communities.
View Agenda from
Oct 21, 2025