09/04/2026
Dear EASD Families, Staff, Community Members, and Local and State Leaders:
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT:
1. The Elkhorn Area School District Board of Education has formally adopted a resolution (https://aptg.co/4bKgQP) opposing the proposed BECI 765-kV transmission line being located within our District boundaries or near our schools, educational facilities, outdoor learning spaces, and student transportation routes.
2. We are asking Midcontinent Grid Solutions to remove the routes impacting the Elkhorn community from further consideration.
3. We also encourage our families and community members to make their voices heard by signing the petition at www.no765line.org and submitting comments directly to Midcontinent Grid Solutions at [email protected] (no later than Monday, Sept. 7).
Midcontinent Grid Solutions is currently studying potential routes for the proposed Bell Center–Columbia–Sugar Creek–Illinois/Wisconsin State Line (BECI) 765-kV transmission project. The proposed project would stretch approximately 190 miles, cost an estimated $1.2 billion, and commonly utilize structures approximately 175 feet tall within a right-of-way approximately 180 feet wide.
One of the reasons this issue is particularly important to EASD is its proposed connection to the Sugar Creek Substation, located north of Elkhorn, approximately two miles from West Side Elementary School. Preliminary study segments approach northern and western Elkhorn and areas served by our District.
At its September 3 meeting, the Board of Education adopted a resolution formally opposing the siting and construction of this project within District boundaries or near our schools, educational facilities, outdoor learning spaces, and student transportation routes, as currently proposed. The Board also called upon Midcontinent Grid Solutions to remove study segments impacting the District and Elkhorn community from further consideration.
We want to be clear that no final route has been selected, and a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity application has not yet been filed. That is also why we believe now is the time for our community to be engaged and make its voice heard. At this stage, we do not have final tower locations or a school-specific analysis of potential impacts on construction traffic, student transportation, emergency access, noise, electric and magnetic fields, outdoor educational spaces, or District operations.
Our concern also extends beyond our schools. EASD encompasses approximately 90 square miles across eight municipalities, and the preliminary routes have the potential to impact productive agricultural land, wetlands, residential properties, and the rural character of the communities we serve.
The Board's resolution asks that existing utility, highway, and railroad corridors be fully evaluated before creating any new transmission corridor. It also calls for transparent Wisconsin-specific cost and benefit information, independent site-specific analysis of potential impacts, and meaningful protective setbacks from schools, playgrounds, athletic fields, outdoor learning areas, residences, and other places where children regularly gather.
We encourage you to make your voice heard. The informational flyer being circulated regarding the project provides a petition and additional information at www.no765line.org. You can also provide comments directly to Midcontinent Grid Solutions by emailing [email protected] by September 7 (Monday).
I would encourage you to share how the proposed routes could impact you, your family, your property, our schools, our agricultural community, or the broader Elkhorn community. I would also encourage our local and state elected officials to engage in this process and advocate for the interests of the families and communities they represent.
We recognize the importance of maintaining a reliable electrical grid and planning for Wisconsin's future energy needs. At the same time, we believe those needs can and should be addressed in a manner that protects our students, families, schools, property owners, agricultural land, and the communities we serve.
The Board's position is straightforward: we oppose bringing the proposed BECI 765-kV transmission line through the Elkhorn Area School District and our community as currently proposed.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about this issue and, most importantly, for making your voice heard.
Sincerely,
Jason Tadlock
District Administrator
Elkhorn Area School District
