08/17/2026
This is an important local issue, as it could potentially impact our local environment, lower land values, break up family farm parcels, and destroy the aesthetics of our countryside. We urge everyone to comment by Sept. 7th!
So much news, so little time! But here is the big breaking news to share NOW:
There is a new, high-voltage power line coming to Columbia County, and I recommend that we advocate for its thoughtful, reasonable siting * BY SEPT. 7 * AND in the months to come.
I will try to give the most important points here and leave the comments open. Please forgive any errors -- I just learned about this a few days ago, and it's a lot to process!
WHAT: The line is the BECI (Bell Center-Columbia-Sugar Creek-Illinois) 765-kV transmission line project. Towers will be 175 feet high, with right-of-way widths of 180 feet. (This dwarfs the existing 345-kV American Transmission Company power line [with approx. 100-foot towers] that runs down the Interstate 94 corridor.)
WHO: MGS, or Midcontinent Grid Solutions, is the company (it is a joint venture between Transource Energy and BHE Transmission, and it is backed by Berkshire-Hathaway) who received the contract in January, 2026, from MISO, or Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which is the electrical grid operator for the central 15 US states and one Canadian province.
WHERE: The line will connect a new line in Minnesota to a new line in Illinois, and it will run 190 miles through Crawford, Richland, Sauk, Columbia, possibly Dane, possibly Dodge, Jefferson, and Walworth Counties in Wisconsin. The reason all of the counties are not known is that there are currently several proposed different routes. All of the routes go through the Columbia power station in Portage, but NONE OF THE PROPOSED ROUTES RUNS ALONG THE INTERSTATE 94 CORRIDOR, as would seem logical. Instead, they run through small communities, farms, and particularly in the Driftless Region, through fragile and economically essential environmental and aesthetic resources.
HOW: This project was approved by MISO in December 2024 and permitted by FERC, or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in June 2026. Normally, federal permitting of a major project like this would undergo extensive public notice and comment and environmental review, but pursuant to recent Trump administration executive orders, Federal Register notices, and administrative memoranda, these requirements have been substantially curtailed. (Please note, this is a factual explanation for the apparent shocking fast-tracking of this project; this is not a partisan opinion. See, e.g. Executive Order 14154 (Jan. 20, 2025), "Unleashing American Energy," directing the Council on Environmental Quality to rescind rules requiring draft environment impact statements and long public comment periods; the Federal Register of Feb. 25, 2025, "Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations"; and Executive Order 14270 (April 9, 2025), "Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy," directing 10 federal agencies with energy-related oversight to initiate processes to sunset many or all of their existing regulations).
The line's physical construction and actual route must be approved separately by state regulators, specifically Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC).
WHEN: The PSC will likely receive MGS's application in early 2027. Please note: The PSC is led by three directors appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate. Gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany's campaign platform focuses heavily on cutting state bureaucracy and reducing regulatory red tape. This could lead to potentially more pro-business, less individual- and environment-protective PSC directors and policies as of January 2027. (Again, this is a relevant and factual comment about Tiffany's stated platform, not a partisan opinion. Tiffany's campaign website states that he will drive down energy costs by "unleashing reliable baseload power.")
MORE ABOUT WHEN: After the PSC receives such applications, it (currently) requires a lengthy environmental assessment process and public comment opportunity. Stay tuned for those dates!
HOWEVER, MGS itself is also currently soliciting comment - ONLY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 7th. In recent letters to landowners, MSG stated that its public engagement begins "in late summer 2026" -- yet it is requesting public feedback by September 7! Its first open house will not be until August 24 -- BUT IT REQUESTS OUR COMMENTS BY SEPTEMBER 7. So, let's do it!
WHAT CAN WE DO? Municipalities are mobilizing quickly to provide official feedback on the proposed routes, and I successfully advocated for a County vote on a feedback resolution this Wednesday (meeting is at 6:00 pm). I believe this project should be sited along existing right-of-way corridors for minimal impact to our county residents. Residents and businesses may also email MGS at [email protected] or leave phone messages at 608-895-0798. And you are encouraged to attend MGS's open houses, where there will also be an opportunity for comment (please visit this link for dates and locations: https://mgs-projects.com/BECI -house).
Credit to Tim Escher for the photo simulation.
