The deregulation of electricity has at times pitted rural dwellersagainst townsfolk, and region against region. Now in Minnesota andWisconsin, that battle has come to a head with plans to build a newpower transmission line. On the one hand are residents of major citiesacross the Great Lakes who want cheap power, and on the other are thosewho would be forced to live near the wires. The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Stephanie Hemphill reports:
Transcript
The deregulation of electricity has at times pitted rural dwellers against
townsfolk, and region against region. Now in Minnesota and Wisconsin, that
battle has come to a head with plans to build a new power transmission line. On the one
hand are residents of major cities across the Great Lakes who
want cheap power, and on the other are those who would be forced to live
near the wires. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Stephanie Hemphill
reports.
Like most states in the region, Wisconsin uses more electricity every year
– about 2% more than the year before. And it’s expensive to generate that
additional power at home. So some of that power now comes from as far away
as Montana and Canada, where it’s produced cheaply at big coal and
hydroelectric plants. But utility companies say the lines that bring the
power to Milwaukee, Chicago, and other big Midwestern cities have reached
capacity. So Minnesota Power and Wisconsin Public Service are together
proposing a new link in the regional electric grid, to run between Duluth
and Wausau.
The federal government encouraged this large-scale approach to electricity
distribution when it deregulated the wholesale power market in 1992.
Minnesota Power’s Jim Roberts says – now that distributors are allowed to
buy power from suppliers anywhere in the country – many long-distance
transmission lines are simply overloaded.
“People are gonna try to find the cheapest source of electricity, wherever
it may be, so there’s a tremendous demand on transmission to get that cheap
electricity to their customers. If there’s a lot of cheap generation
somewhere, and only one transmission line, you’re limited.”
And as states move toward deregulation at the retail level, there will be
even more pressure on transmission lines. Roberts says the proposed Duluth
to Wausau line will help prevent blackouts and will keep prices low for
customers all over the Midwest.
But at hearings last fall, farmers and cabin owners along the planned route
spoke out loud and clear against it. Mark Liebaert farms land his
grandfather settled, south of Superior.
“Minnesota Power pretends they’re your neighbors and your friends and yet
they’re proposing the most environmentally damaging project to come before
the Public Service ever. Why? Because they wanna make money off it. My
ancestors that are gone still look upon me and I know they are proud that
we are fighting this fight. And I also know my grandchildren someday will
be very glad that we stood together and beat this proposal from Minnesota
Power. Thank you.” (applause)
Liebaert and other critics say Wisconsin should build power plants close to
the big cities that need the electricity. They say there’s no need to cut
a 150-foot-wide swath through farms and forests and line it with towers up
to 135 feet high, just to bring power to the region’s major urban areas.
And landowners aren’t the only ones fighting the line. The Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources says several routes for a new line were
studied, and the Duluth to Wausau route now being considered is the one
that would cause the most environmental damage. The National Park Service
doesn’t like the route either, saying it would slice across part of the St.
Croix National Scenic Riverway.
And the Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s own environmental analysis
raises questions about whether the line is needed. Officials there say a
combination of upgrades to existing lines and new local generation could
provide enough power.
Some of the people testifying at public hearings on the line are impatient
for new technologies. Retiree Jim Speck told the Public Service
Commission, as long as power companies are allowed to build the lines they
want, they won’t develop alternative sources of energy.
“There are other sources and Minnesota Power says they’re working on them.
If you don’t need to work on them quite so quickly, if you can get by with
the old technology, there’s not as much incentive. The Commission I hope
will hold their feet to the fire of these companies and say no we’re not
gonna let you get by with the old stuff, you’ve got to develop the new
stuff.”
The new stuff includes alternative sources of energy like wind and solar.
They are increasingly being added to the mix, but power companies say
realistically they won’t provide enough electricity in the near future to
meet the increased demand.
Hearings on the proposed powerline, meanwhile, are taking place in
Wisconsin and Minnesota. If either of the states rejects the plan, the
line won’t be built. For the Great Lake Radio Consortium, I’m Stephanie
Hemphill in Duluth.