May 20 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Putting a high-voltage transmission line through Wisconsin's center of environmental activism was never going to be easy.

But the former head of a group that battled utilities over the controversial Wausau-to-Duluth power line said even he's surprised by the anger and angst aroused by American Transmission Co.'s plan to build a 35- to 55-mile, 345,000-volt power line across Dane County.

A report released last year by a host of groups that analyzed data submitted by American Transmission Co. concluded new power lines are needed to keep up with rising demand for electricity from the Madison area's rapid growth.

"I thought that by getting this information out there, we'd have this robust debate but I didn't expect it to get quite so charged so early," said Steve Hiniker, executive director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, who was formerly the head of the Citizens' Utility Board, a utility ratepayer group.

At issue is American Transmission Co.'s attempt to build the first major high-voltage transmission line in a heavily populated part of the state. Until now, ATC's major projects included short lines that didn't require new right-of-way, and the $420 million Wausau-Duluth line, slated to open in 2008.

But in the past six months, as ATC came closer to announcing potential routes for a line in Dane County, opposition groups have formed, and utility critics have raised questions about the need for the line. Three possible routes will be announced Tuesday.

With fall elections looming, politicians are responding to the outcry. Six Dane County legislators joined local groups in calling for a six-month moratorium on ATC moving forward with its projects. They say the analysis done by groups working with ATC is tainted because ATC, a for-profit utility, funded the study.

In light of rising electric utility rates, it's time for an independent review, said Nino Amato, the former head of a utility customers group who resides in the county.

"Given Wisconsin's new high-cost status, it's time that a comprehensive integrated resource planning study of Wisconsin's energy infrastructure be conducted independently. ATC is a for- profit corporation with a vested interest in the outcome," Amato wrote in a letter this week to the Dane County Board.

"Without an independent review by citizen utility experts, ratepayers will no longer have the consumer safeguards to balance the financial interests of the powerful utility monopolies."

ATC is the Pewaukee-based utility that owns and operates the high- voltage power lines in eastern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

On Thursday, the Dane County Board agreed with opponents, endorsing unanimously a resolution calling for an independent study to verify the line is needed and to evaluate whether energy efficiency, renewable power or other measures could make the line unnecessary.

ATC said this week that one of the routes will follow the Dane County beltline highway, another would be more southerly, through the Fitchburg area, and a third would use rural townships in the southern part of Dane County.

It remains to be seen who will put up the money to fund another study.

Hiniker said the energy initiative provided an opportunity to get the information about Dane County's energy needs to the public more than a year ago, long before the often-rushed six-month review process the Legislature has imposed on the commission, Hiniker said.

That's a sharp contrast to the old utility way of doing business, which was to draft plans in secret and present them to the public not long before hearings were scheduled at the commission.

"We used to do it in the dark and people would be upset," said Mark Williamson, ATC vice president of major projects. "Now we do it in the light, and people are still upset, but at least they have the information and we know what we're arguing about."

Williamson said Friday he welcomes another study, but added, "Let's get at it."

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