A 17-mile, 138,000-volt power line will not be strung across a Jefferson County wildlife area once prized by famed conservationist Aldo Leopold, state regulators decided Thursday.
The decision came as Leopold was lionized as a "true Wisconsin hero," by Mark Meyer, a member of the state Public Service Commission. Meyer and the other commissioner, Dan Ebert, agreed that another route should be chosen for the power line.
American Transmission Co. of Pewaukee had proposed routing the power line along a road that crosses the Faville Grove wildlife sanctuary, 750 acres of rolling prairie, swamps and meadows that are managed by the Audubon Society.
The proposal drew hundreds of letters and e-mails in opposition from members of the Madison Audubon Society and even some of Leopold's former students, who said a tall power line would mar restoration efforts as well as the pleasure visitors have when visiting a prairie Leopold sought years ago to preserve.
"I'm elated," said Roger Packard, one of the Audubon Society's managers of the wildlife sanctuary. Even up until Thursday's vote, he wasn't sure how the PSC would decide the case.
"So it was a cliffhanger," he said. "We're very excited about it, and very relieved."
The decision means American Transmission Co. can proceed with construction of the $22 million project next year, said ATC spokeswoman Mary Carpenter.
The two commissioners decided that the line should instead be routed along Newville Road, a narrower road in the Lake Mills-Waterloo area. That route had been opposed by farmers and residents along that stretch, as well as Jefferson County officials who expressed concern about the impact a power line would have on use of a county bike trail that follows that road.
That means the line will be coming right toward Susan Darsch's property on Rock Lake Road in Lake Mills. She was upset when informed of the commission's decision Thursday afternoon.
"It affects more homeowners if they take Newville Road," she said.
"I don't really want those poles coming this way, if you want the truth. But it looks like they're coming this way."
The commissioners decided that ATC had proven that the new power line was needed to meet rising demand for electricity in Jefferson County. The line would connect two electric substations and will serve as a nearby link for a future substation that's being planned by city officials in Lake Mills.
ATC faces plenty of controversy when it proposes new power lines, and this project was among the smaller ones from the company that owns and operates high-voltage power lines in eastern Wisconsin.
Issue heated up
The case became even more contested after ATC decided to pursue the Faville Grove route.
"This case has more issues per mile than any other I've dealt with," commissioner Meyer said.
ATC had proposed using the sanctuary route because it already has a much smaller distribution power line along the road that bisects the sanctuary and because it would require taking more wetlands and less farmland and removing fewer trees than the route selected by the commission. But commissioners said ATC's analysis calculated how many acres of wetlands would be lost but failed to assess the quality of those wetlands.
The Faville Grove area was significant because Aldo Leopold worked there in the 1930s and 1940s. His efforts, which included saving rare orchids, helped form the conservation, wildlife management and land ethic principles about which he wrote at length in his later years.
Noting the state and federal support for conservation and restoration work in the sanctuary area, commissioners said they chose an alternate route that would use Newville Road.
Commission chairman Ebert cited the "the unique conservation and historic value of the Faville Grove sanctuary. It's an important part of Wisconsin history, and it's a valuable part of the state's conservation strategy."
Meyer said that cutting through Faville Grove could harm future efforts for public recreation, education and habitat restoration. He also warned that it could cause a chilling effect for property owners as they consider whether to donate parts of their land for conservation use.
Construction is expected to start on the line in fall 2007, with the line expected to be operational by spring 2008, said Mary Carpenter of ATC.Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
