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Dear Editor;
In August 2017 the Mount Horeb Village Board cast a unanimous opposition vote to the proposed Cardinal-Hickory Creek (CHC) high voltage transmission line, and in August 2018 the Mount Horeb Area Economic Development Corporation also passed a unanimous opposition vote. CHC is an unnecesary and environmentally destructive 125 mile 345 kilovolt high capacity line proposed to run from Middleton to Monfort, WI and then to Dubuque County, Iowa. Nearly 160 local municipalities, school boards, businesses, and organizations that will be directly and negatively affected by CHC have passed opposition, information request, or "cost/benefit analysis" resolutions.
The CHC application now before the Wisconsin (WI) Public Service Commission is being proposed by for-profit utility companies including American Transmission Company (ATC). CHC would run through the very heart of the Driftless Area which we know as home. Mt Horeb is the gateway to the Driftless Area.
A recent Letter to the Editor in support of CHC, written by Wind on the Wires, was published in many local papers whose communities would be negatively affected by CHC. Why are only companies who profit from transmission lines writing letters in support of CHC? All members of the WOW board of directors work either for large for-profit companies, or work for organizations with members who benefit from building and/or owning utility scale power generation. Who will pay for CHC? We will, the electric ratepayers.
WOW claims CHC would "help deliver" clean energy and result in more wind power consumed in WI. Many electric customers assume wind power is the ONLY reason to support CHC, and to justify the negative effects of the line. The critical fact is CHC would be an open source line, and carry all forms of power generation, mainly fossil fuel generated. In 2016, power generated in the Midwest was 8% wind power and 73% fossil fuel generated.
There is no demand for added power. Electricity use has been flat or declining for 10 years in WI. Based on the most recent regional utility data, CHC is projected to carry only 2-4% of the power consumed in WI over the next 40 years. Power flows in both directions, and it is feasible for CHC to transport coal and natural gas power out of WI to the wider marketplace
The proposed CHC line will have serious economic and environmental impacts for the Driftless Area communities and landscapes. Tourism will suffer due to the loss of scenic appeal. Farming operations will be severely compromised due to land fragmentation. Quality forest, water, and native habitats will be irreparably damaged.
CHC is not needed, is an unwelcome financial burden, and will economically and environmentally damage our irreplaceable Driftless Area. Let's continue to stand up for our local economies and environments by opposing the proposed CHC. Groups to contact for more information includeSOUL of Wisconsin http://soulwisconsin.org , Driftless Defenders http://driftlessdefenders.com/ , Grant County CHC Steering Committee, and Western Dane Preservation Campaign wdpc2020.com.
Kerry Beheler
Mount Horeb