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Dear Editor:
Warning: Blue Mounds and Mount Horeb will soon be "Fenced-In" by the Cardinal Hickory Creek 345kv transmission line!
I recently attended several hearings sponsored by the USDA-Rural Utilities Service who are evaluating the Federal Environmental Impact of the proposed 345kv Cardinal Hickory Creek transmission line and are considering a 9% loan for its construction. For the hearing in Cassville, I decided to drive along the southern proposed route and attempted to imagine the aesthetic impact this line will have. On my way, I drove to the top of Blue Mounds and climbed both towers and was, as always, struck by the beauty and expanse of our spectacular Driftless region.
Blue Mound is an ancient landform that stands proud above the Driftless region. For those of us who live here, it's a park refuge, a navigational landmark (even used for this purpose by pioneers), a seasonal wonder of changing colors, and a darned tough hill to bike up! If the CHC line is built it will have a devastating aesthetic impact. At 175ft tall, the proposed CHC towers will reach to about half the height of Blue Mound and extend east-to-west as far as the eye can see. Now that's a fence!
Why is the CHC transmission line needed? From reports I've read, the demand for electric power in southwest Wisconsin has been flat for many years. So why should we, as taxpayers, provide a $45,000,000 loan for its construction? Why, as residents of Wisconsin, should we pay a guaranteed 10% return on investment to its builders? Why, with the construction of new and proposed wind farms and solar installations, should we transmit this cheap, renewable energy away from Wisconsin? And most importantly, why should we tolerate the installation of a 175ft fence that will cut though the Driftless region and wrap around Mount Horeb, essentially strangling our growth to the south? Frankly ... I don't know why, and it has been very difficult to get straight answers from those who supposedly do.
Fortunately, it's not too late to stop its construction (destruction!). You can learn more about this process and what you can do to voice your opposition at NoATC.com. And please, contact your local politicians and the Governor to express your opposition. We don't need to be strangled by this unnecessary 175ft fence!
Sincerely,
Tim Scott,
Mount Horeb