DRIFTLESS - On Tuesday, October 13, 173 people checked in for ‘A Day of Power’ in Madison. Teams of residents from 10 counties met with legislators or their staff in 49 offices about MariBell and BECI, two proposed 765,000-volt (765 kV) transmission lines. The day ended with the ‘State of the Campaign’ address in the Capitol Rotunda.
At lunchtime, a video of singer/songwriter Larry Long’s new ‘No 765 Line’ song was played, featuring beautiful views of Driftless Region properties and scenes that stand in the line’s path.
By October 15, 26 of the 49 offices had said yes to at least one of the three requests their teams brought. Those requests wee:
- Meet with No 765 Line and colleagues across the aisle by December 15, 2026, to prepare bipartisan legislation for introduction in January 2027.
No 765 Line reports that 22 of the 49 legislators support the first ask including local representatives Senators Sarah Keyeski, and Brad Pfaff (Senator Howard Marklein did not agree), and Representative Travis Tranel, (Representative Tara Johnson did not agree).
- Advocate for and support a public informational hearing on MISO’s Tranche 2.1 plan, the regional grid plan that includes both lines, by December 15, 2026.
No 765 Line reports that the 16 of 49 legislators supporting the second ask include local representatives Senators Sarah Keyeski, Howard Marklein, and Brad Pfaff, and Representatives Karen De Santo, Travis Tranel, and Tara Johnson.
- Send the Public Service Commission a letter, filed in docket 2708-NC-100, asking it to hold a full public hearing on Midcontinent Grid Solutions Wisconsin’s application to become a utility.
No 765 Line reports that the 11 of 49 legislators supporting the third ask include local representatives Senators Sarah Keyeski and Brad Pfaff, and Representatives Karen De Santo, Travis Tranel and Tara Johnson.
No 765 Line is planning another educational event for interested citizens. ‘Nature on the Line’ will take place on Sunday, October 25, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the North Crawford High School Performing Arts Center, 47050 County X (off Highway 131 between Soldiers Grove and Gays Mills). The event will feature three speakers discussing impacts to wildlife and water from large transmission projects.
PSC hearing
As relates to ask number three for a full public hearing about BECI developer Midcontinent Grid Solution’s (MGS) application to PSC to become a Wisconsin public utility, a response came two days after residents in harms way filled the Capitol rotunda.
On Thursday, October 15, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin issued its Notice of Proceeding in docket 2708-NC-100.1
That is the case in which MGS asks to become a Wisconsin electric utility.
The notice gives landowners, residents, organizations and local governments two ways to participate: as members of the public who comment, and as parties who intervene. Requests to participate are due by Thursday, Oct. 29.
Three legislators had asked for a full public hearing in the docket: Senator Brad Pfaff on October 12, Representative Tara Johnson on October 14 and Representative Travis Tranel on the morning of October 15.
Participant comments
Residents from each of the 10 counties to potentially be impacted by the proposed MariBell and BECI 765 kV transmission lines participated in the ‘Day of Power’ in the Capitol Building in Madison. Below, we have comments and reflections from some of those who attended.
Those counties include Vernon, Crawford, Richland, Sauk, Columbia, Dodge, Dane, Jefferson, Walworth and Rock.
Crawford County: Jay McCloskey, chair of No 765 line, says that The MariBell and BECI lines would have catastrophic impacts on the 10 counties that would be affected. Construction of these lines would desecrate the heart of Driftless Region in Vernon and Crawford counties, and in the counties to the east. The natural beauty of all 10 of these counties resulted in 6 to 8 million tourists in 2024, generating $2.5 billion in annual revenue, with over 36,000 related jobs. Tourists visit for the beauty, the natural resources, hunting, fishing, bird-watching, agritourism and more. The impact upon revenue and jobs from tourism would be very significant—and devastating for communities and people that depend upon this.
The ‘Day of Power’ generated significant support from the 49 legislators that our teams of constituents visited. This presented their constituents with the opportunity to provide information and education, for legislators and their staff, about the 765 kV projects. They were able to both share personal stories about the impacts these projects would have, and to educate legislators, leaving them with packets of information.
It also resulted in significant media coverage that provided awareness of these projects to a much larger audience—including legislators in counties that would not be directly impacted. Overall, it served as a wake-up call for legislators.
We are winning in the court of public opinion, especially after this event. The court’s judges are legislators, and are essential to preventing these transmission line projects from being built. We need legislators statewide to take action, and to support legislation in the next session, to accomplish this.
Richland County: potentially impacted Richland County landowner Janet Johnson said that all of those on the wide swath of this ‘backbone transmission line’ (Maribell/BECI) will suffer from environmental, financial and health impacts. We already have suffered from the very thought of this.
I know of businesses who have been put on "hold," as their clients have chosen NOT to build due to the uncertainty of this transmission build out. People are losing sleep over the thought of this beast of a transmission line dividing their property and being stolen from them by a private developer. Stress is unhealthy! Not to mention all the possible detrimental health effects caused by 765,000 kV of electricity running through the sky. There are so many wrongs involved here.
We achieved HOPE last week at the Capitol with our ‘Day of Power.’ Many of us with No 765 Line have been working tirelessly to bring awareness of this violation for the better part of a year. People are listening. Some of our elected representatives are DOING SOMETHING.
We had a lot of press coverage, further out than our local papers. I really feel like all eyes are on Wisconsin. We are being watched by so many who are going through similar overreach in their own counties and states. We are leading a non-partisan grassroots initiative that's truly American. That in and of itself is HOPEFUL!
Sauk County: potentially impacted landowner Jacob Hutter said that to be honest the impact on us as a family will be immeasurable. The lines are not even a done deal and the effects that it has had on our health, daily life and finances have been terrible. If these lines come right through the middle of 1.678 miles of our family farm, we will have no choice but to leave. We will be leaving a farm that my wife's family has been on since the mid 1800's, and the home that my wife and I built just two years ago on the land that was supposed to be our FOREVER home.
As for the immediate surrounding communities and the Sauk County community as a whole, the impacts will be rippling and generational. This is because of health impacts, farming and business impacts, destroying and altering thousands of acres of farm and natural lands, financial and power bill impacts, and the list goes on and on.
It is very hard to say what we achieved that day at the Capitol, but we met our goal of raising awareness, offering some education, and urging our legislators to understand that THEY are the ones that MUST put forth laws and rules that will protect not only us, but also future generations. While doing so, we hope that the significance of what is happening may have reached more of Wisconsin and not just those directly impacted.
My wife and I thought that reaching out to our elected officials would make a difference. That’s because they are the ones that can make laws and rules We both felt that there was a large group of reps that were open to listening to the three asks, and trying to understand what we were wanting from them.
Afterwards, we felt a little deflated because we may have been listened to, but did not feel HEARD. So much of the day felt like lip service, and they were going through the motions that they felt that they had to, but in the end it felt like we were getting dismissed in many of the offices we visited.
In closing I would like to leave you with this. Our land is essentially being TAKEN from us! My wife and I both served in the military, I am a disabled combat vet. I was trained and then sent off to foreign lands to kill other people for other people's land, but yet I can not fight for my own land and family in MY OWN COUNTRY! I am so grateful to our volunteers and to No 765 Line that have taken notice, and are engaging with us. Without that, my family would not stand a chance.
Columbia County: David Bartnick of Lodi attended the ‘Day of Power,’ and says building the 765kV lines will impact all of Wisconsin. The potential health impacts could be devastating for so many. Wisconsin does not currently have any legislation regarding 765kV lines nor does it offer protection from ElectroMagneticFields (EMF) exposure from the lines or the substations.
As a nurse for my community, I worry about the health effects of those who could potentially live under or near the line. The fact that long-term studies have never been completed by independent agencies scares me. And it really makes me question why not. Why haven't studies been done?
The United States of America does not have policy on the 765kV line nor clear standards for EMFs. Nor does the state require proper setbacks.
We the people really need to push on this BEFORE lines are placed. If the current administration is so focused on MAHA-then they need to step it up. All the 765kV projects should be halted. Long-term studies should be completed with clear standards laid out. Anything less is unacceptable.
The United States of America and the State of Wisconsin need to step it up for the care of your people and ensure a safe place to live. Actions speak louder than words!
I feel that the ‘Day of Power’ had multiple achievements.
It unified and empowered the people of Wisconsin in a common cause. It showed the individual families that are struggling with these massive, unneeded towers coming through their land, that they are not alone.
It also, hopefully, opened the eyes of our legislators that allowing this to come through our state is not acceptable. I hope our legislators see that their constituents are watching them, and are holding them accountable to do what is being asked of them.
Simply complaining to MGS and the PSC isn’t enough. The big corporations don’t care about the potential impacts. They would never want these monstrosities in their area, so why would they even consider putting them in anyone else’s? Laws must be written to set standards and safeguards for energy transmission.
The response from our representatives was mixed. The two representatives that our group spoke with were ‘Yes’ across the board. I spoke with other members that didn’t have as much success. That concerns me greatly that we have individuals representing us that are not listening to their constituents. They are in their positions for us.
Dane County: potentially impacted landowner Carrie Hoppman said that it’s hard to briefly describe the impact of what the proposed 765kv line would do my communities. I am affected in two counties, Richland County is our hunting/recreational land, and our home is in the Town of Bristol in Dane County. So I see the detrimental impact to two beautiful areas, and what it will do to the residents and their way of life, the environment, and health concerns for humans and animals.
Richland County is part of the fragile Driftless Area that has been untouched by the glaciers. There is no other place like it. It’s sad to think of the destruction it will do to this fragile environment, and all that comes with it. Dane County is where we are blessed to live among beautiful farm fields. I watch how hard these farmers work to take care of their land and cattle, and how proud they are to have that way of life. What is going to happen to them, when this destruction greedily takes away their land that has been in their way of life for generations. What right does anyone have to even think they can take our land away from us and destroy it, and still make us pay for the project? When all of this land is gone there is no getting it back. Plus the eyesore of these giant towers which will lower our property values.
Walworth County: potentially impacted landowner Rachel Catlett stated that the transmission line will devastate my rural community. Personally, it will ruin the 10 years of work I have put into my farm as a small regenerative sheep farm. I have worked very hard to build soil, protect the wetland on my property, attract diversity in soil microbiology, plant life, and bird and insect diversity on my farm.
Our community's roads won’t be able to withstand the traffic,. The construction will be extremely disruptive. The economics of the project will affect our property values, and the cascading effects will impact our community and our schools.
Walworth County generated over a billion dollars from tourism last year alone. People will not come and spend those dollars because of these lines. Much of those dollars come from agritourism, including on-farm breweries, wineries, flower farms, pumpkin growers, orchards, and organic farms.
Those industries cannot sell their products while lying to a customer base that values stewardship, given these lines and the environmental disruption. I do not even know what the health effects will be on humans or animals - they have never been studied. There are no lines of this size in Wisconsin. We are being guinea pigs for an out-of-state transmission company.
I am not entirely sure what we achieved at the ‘Day of Power.’ I do know we made our voices heard, but the Capitol was not filled with legislators. We spoke with staffers, which was productive.
Whether they can convince the representatives who represent Walworth County remains another issue. I was not heartened by their response. None of my representatives could give us a firm yes. That was hard to hear. They still do not seem to understand that the time to act is now, and that Wisconsin lacks clear laws protecting the environment, local landowners, and municipalities, when it comes to these large infrastructure projects. We need our legislature to work for us, and not the interests of out-of-state influences. I was discouraged.
It is important to speak face-to-face with elected representatives. It is our civic responsibility to meet them and explain what we need. I think representatives sometimes go to the Capitol and are influenced by agendas that don't align with constituents' needs and desires, so it's our job to stay in touch and hold them accountable.
My representative is not very accessible and does not make himself available. So it is up to us to remind him, with our presence and with open and regular communication. Of the three asks, they only addressed the first as a maybe. I think there were other legislators who were more responsive. I think it depends on the district you are from.
