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“We’re not saying there’s not a need for a power line,” Friends President Pat Caffrey of rural Trempealeau, Wis., said in an interview Tuesday. But it should be kept as short as possible in the river area, he said.
Utility representatives answered questions Tuesday about the proposed Twin Cities-to-Rochester-to-La Crosse transmission line at open houses at the Centerville Community Center and River-port Inn in Winona, Minn.
“We have a transmission line going by our house right now,” said Collin Hirner of rural Trempealeau, who was at the Centerville open house with his wife. The new line might follow the same route, Hirner said, adding his family hasn’t had any health problems related to the current line. They attended “to see what’s going on,” he said.
The 150-mile line between La Crosse and the southeast Twin Cities is one of three new 345-kilovolt electric transmission lines proposed by the CapX 2020 utilities alliance to meet future electric needs. Eleven regional utilities, including Xcel Energy and La Crosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative, are part of the alliance and first announced their plans in 2006.
The project is subject to state and federal approval. Chuck Thompson, Dairyland’s manager of siting and regulatory affairs, said he thinks 2011 is the soonest construction could begin, and the line should be completed by 2014.
Maps showing possible corridors envision the line crossing the Mississippi River at either Alma, Wis., Winona or La Crescent, Minn./La Crosse.
Friends of Trempealeau Refuge is concerned about the proposed routing of part of the line, Caffrey said in a letter to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.
The Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge and the Upper Mississippi River Valley are crucial parts of the Mississippi River flyway, an important bird migration route, he wrote. The proposed tall towers with multiple lines would be a significant additional collision hazard for resident and migrating birds, he said.
In his letter, Caffrey said his group supports crossing the river at La Crescent or Alma, with a route away from the river from Alma to La Crosse. Routing a very tall, intrusive power line directly in the middle of the river valley would be an ill-advised environmental and economic mistake, he said.
The Alma crossing might pose the least environmental impact, the supervisor of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge said in a February letter to utility officials. Don Hultman also said the La Crosse crossing would be the second choice.
“We do not believe the proposed Winona or Trempealeau crossings are worthy of further consideration,” Hultman wrote, adding those locations likely would involve new rights-of-way across portions of national wildlife refuges that the agency probably would not approve. Utility officials no longer are considering a Trempealeau crossing.
“We’re trying to do this in a way that best preserves the environment and is most convenient for community members, while making sure we’re able to have a reliable supply of electricity,” Dairyland spokeswoman Katie Thomson said.
Steve Cahalan can be reached at (608) 791-8229 or scahalan@lacrossetribune.com.
