ATC's power line application ruled incomplete again
For the second time, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission has deemed American Transmission Co.'s application to build the Rockdale-west Middleton power line incomplete.
PSC Division Administrator Robert Norcross mainly sought additional cost and environmental impact information on ATC's proposed Beltline route for the 345-kilovolt line, in a letter sent Wednesday to the company.
The PSC determined in November that the application ATC submitted in October was incomplete. The PSC gave ATC more than 100 questions to answer, said ATC spokesperson Sarah Justus.
"This time there's a lot fewer questions," she said.
The PSC specifically wanted information on: comparing the cost and environmental impact of routing the power line north or south of the Beltline; the impact on Beltline traffic during construction; the cost and number of structures needed to cross wetlands between Stoughton Road and the Yahara River; and engineering problems associated with routing the power line along East Broadway from Stoughton Road to Raywood Road west of South Towne mall.
The Department of Transportation stated in an April 2 letter that the power line could cross its Beltline right-of-way, if it would come to terms with ATC on compensation for utility easements and the impacts on Beltline traffic if helicopters are needed to install towers in Yahara River wetlands. If the line is built above ground along the Beltline, the DOT wants it to skirt interchange ramps at Verona Road, Rimrock Road and County N. The DOT sees "advantages" in locating the line on the north side of the Whitney Way and Park Street interchanges, said Robert Fasick, a DOT engineer, in an April 2 letter to ATC.
Dane County Corporation Counsel Marcia McKenzie expressed concerns about crossing wetlands along the southern route and asked the PSC not to exempt the power line from the county's permitting process.
"This is nonsense. Dane County's regulations ... are designed to protect the environment and are consistently applied to every project built in the county. There's no evidence whatsoever that the regulations ... would 'preclude or inhibit' any ATC request," McKenzie wrote in an April 25 letter to the commission.
Justus said the PSC's request for more information is expected in a project this complex. Although the firm was still reviewing the request, Justus said ATC's response should be quicker than the five months it spent answering the last round of questions.
The time it takes to respond isn't expected to significantly add to the cost of the project now estimated in 2012 dollars to range from $213.5 million to $255.9 million depending on the route selected, Justus said.
Asking for more information isn't similar to "moving the goal posts," said PSC spokesman Timothy Le Monds, but typically happens at least once in a project of this size. Norcross told ATC that more questions might arise depending on the information it receives.
Once the PSC determines it has all the information it needs, it's required to issue a decision within 180 days, unless granted a 180-day extension by a circuit court.
"We expect this one to go 360 (days)," Le Monds said.
File photo
The application for ATC to build a new power line has been deemed incomplete.
