Doyle, legislators agree on power plan
10:50 PM 10/27/03
Melissa Trujillo Associated Press

Legislators and the governor agreed on a bill Monday that would streamline the process for approving power plants and transmission lines. <

The measure calls for the Public Service Commission and the Department of Natural Resources to work simultaneously on applications and to fast-track less complex projects. <

The bill came about after Gov. Jim Doyle issued an executive order requiring the DNR and PSC to develop ways to streamline the approval process after a massive power blackout hit parts of the Midwest and Northeast in August. <

"If we don't have alternative transmission capabilities, we are really at the mercy of one of those hiccups happening in Ohio significantly affecting life here in Wisconsin," Doyle said. <

Four major transmission lines bring power into Wisconsin. Illinois has 25 and Minnesota has 18. <

Projects like new power plants or transmission lines need approval from the PSC, which regulates utilities, and the DNR, which is the state's environmental agency. <

Currently, the DNR usually doesn't begin considering an application until the PSC has approved it, which could take up to a year, said PSC spokesman Dan Ebert. <

Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, chairman of the Senate Energy and Utilities Committee, said utilities need quicker approval so they can meet Wisconsin's growing energy demand. <

"We're going to get squeezed as time goes by," Cowles said. <

Under the new bill, each agency would consider an application together and work with the applicant to identify sticking points before the process begins. <

The agencies also would have to decide on the same type of environmental review. <

"What's envisioned with this legislation is to formalize a process so the applicant is working with both agencies up front and there's no surprises late in the game," said Dave Siebert, acting director of the DNR's Office of Energy. <

The bill also would: <