The Citizens Energy Task Force (CETF) and Save Our Unique Lands of Wisconsin will ask the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) to reconsider their formal approval of the Badger Coulee regional transmission line. Debra Severson of CETF said in addition to not seeing economic projections of the line at flat or declining growth rates, they’ve not seen an analysis of viable cost effective alternatives.
The Badger Coulee line is projected to cost $580 million and the 180 mile line will run from La Crosse to Madison. Utilities say the line will give the state a more robust electrical system, provide savings to Wisconsin customers, and make it easier to import wind energy from Iowa and Minnesota.
The CETF disagrees and maintain that the economic benefits go to utilities while ratepayers will be saddled with massive unneeded debt and the health, environmental and quality of life consequences that come with the lines.
Severson said filing a Petition for Rehearing with the PSC is a defined part of the official administrative hearing process. The next step would be Filing a Petition for Judicial Review with the circuit court to challenge the legal validity of the PSC decision should the PSC elect to deny or ignore the Petition for Rehearing request.