FREDONIA, Wis. — More than 2,500 citizens submitted comments to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission in the last week, with many demanding that the approval process for a heavily debated power line proposal be restarted.
Based on a search of the PSC's docket Wednesday afternoon, more than 2,500 comments came in during a brief, week-long public comment period that took place over the last week at the PSC's direction.
The comments target a multi-route proposal from the American Transmission Company (ATC), estimated to cost more than $1.4 billion. Depending on the route ultimately chosen, the proposal could see power lines built through rural properties to support the "Lighthouse" Port Washington data center campus.
More than 500 additional documents have been added to the proposal since the PSC ruled the application complete, according to a July PSC filing asking ATC to clarify the changes.
Opponents argue the proposal has changed so significantly since regulators declared it complete in December 2025 that the review and approval process must start over.
TMJ4 has been following these residents larger fight against the data-center-driven power lines since September 2025. A group of residents from multiple communities and multiple counties formed the Responsible Energy Alliance to advocate for the alternative route. That route would see the power lines routed mainly through existing easements rather than through their properties.
Collins Whitfield, a lawyer and member of the Responsible Energy Alliance — said the case is personal. Trees he planted on his family's farm decades ago could be removed to make way for a power line easement. It's part of the reason why he and his wife Denise Quimby, both Washington County residents, filed a comment with the PSC.
"From 1957 to 1969, my dad, my grandfather, and I, we planted them along the driveway, along County Road A," Whitfield said. "The last (communication) indicated that they are moving the easement to the North, so the trees wouldn't be affected. But I don't know if that is something that can be relied upon."
Nick Buck, a member of the alliance who works in project costing, said the proposal's cost estimates alone make a sound decision impossible.
"The estimated precision is +10/-30 percent, and on a project this big, that number comes out to a half a billion dollar swing," Buck said. "What we're asking is that they look at this and say it's too much to make sense of. It's incomplete."
Whitfield said he believes the coalition has a strong argument on the completeness question.
"I think on the completeness issue, we do have a good chance yes," Whitfield said. "Because it's so obvious, it's not complete."
The PSC holds the ultimate authority over the final route. Both the developer Vantage and the Ozaukee County Board have thrown support behind the alternative route, the plan that uses existing easements.
The commission is scheduled to take up the completeness determination at its meeting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning. The agenda for the meeting can be viewed here, and the PSC's docket entry can be viewed here. Project maps from ATC can be viewed here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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