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Dear Editor;
Last year Driftless Defenders created an online change.org petition admonishing three federal agencies to "STOP the Destruction of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge," which would happen if the Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line was built. We believed such construction would violate the purpose of the Refuge and we wanted to support four conservation groups who were suing the agencies for approving the CHC project. We garnered 50,000 signatures and forwarded the petition to the agencies and various government officials.
On January 14, 2022 Judge Conley of the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin ruled in favor of the conservation groups, blocking construction of CHC through the Wildlife Refuge. He determined that the transmission line was not compatible with the Refuge's mission, the government's environmental review was inadequate, and their decision granting a right-of-way was "arbitrary and capricious."
We thank everyone who signed our petition and are extremely pleased to share this critical legal victory with you.
Sincerely,
Driftless Defenders Leadership Team
Michelle Citron, Kate Cooper, Betsy D'Angelo, Susan Michmerhuizen, Frank Sandner, Lea Stroncek
Iowa County