Wisconsin Environmental Groups Voice Concerns Over Federal Review Of Cardinal-Hickory Creek Line

Federal officials are recommending approval for a plan to allow a new high-power transmission line to cross the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. But some environmental groups in the state worry the plans don’t do enough to protect natural resources.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its draft compatibility determination last week. The plan would allow the creation of a new right-of-way through the refuge for the Cardinal-Hickory Creek project, a proposed transmission line between Madison and Dubuque, Iowa.

The new right-of-way would follow an existing gravel road and railroad through the refuge and cross the Mississippi River near Cassville, Wisconsin. The utility companies would also restore habitat in an existing utility right-of-way.

Tim Yager, deputy manager for the refuge, said he believes the project could help reduce the overall impact of the infrastructure.

“By moving that right-of-way to areas that are already affected — both the railroad and the road — we believe we can reduce (habitat) fragmentation,” Yager said.

Fragmenting habitat can have a negative impact on certain species’ ability to thrive and reproduce, he said.

Yager said wildlife officials would prohibit work on the transmission project when bald eagles are nesting in the area, starting in late January to early June. But he said the construction could impact vegetation in the refuge.

“Through the permitting process, we would make sure those impacts are avoided and minimized as best as possible, then mitigated if need be,” Yager said.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service also published a draft of their final environmental impact statement for the Cardinal-Hickory Creek project. Both agencies are taking public comment on the drafts until Tuesday, Nov. 26.

Some environmental groups are expressing concerns that the plans don’t include enough protections for the refuge.

Chuck Tennessen, community organizer for the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, said the USDA report includes plans to address certain problems “as needed.”

“That could be an area that does not get addressed properly because it’s not spelled out how they should be addressed,” Tennessen said.

He said the report also doesn’t adequately consider alternatives to building the new line, an issue his group raised when the state Public Service Commission was considering the project over the summer.

“The document dismisses several different options for substituting for this expensive line by evaluating them all individually, like low-voltage alternative or distributed energy alternative or energy efficiency alternative,” Tennessen said. “What we think is missing is a comprehensive review of a combination of those alternatives that would be significantly less expensive and have less environmental impact.”

Yager said he understands environmental groups’ concerns about the project.

“My preference would be that it not cross the refuge as well,” Yager said. “But … I do feel like the utilities did a fair and decent attempt to find an alternative location that wouldn’t involve crossing the refuge.”

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved the Cardinal-Hickory Creek project in September. The line still needs approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service and the Iowa Utilities Board.

American Transmission Company, Dairyland Power Cooperative and ITC Midwest say the new line is needed to increase service reliability and use of renewable energy sources.

Editor’s note: American Transmission Company is an underwriter of Wisconsin Public Radio.