TOWN OF TRENTON, Wis. — The American Transmission Company has refiled its application for data center-driven power lines in Ozaukee County, removing one proposed corridor and swapping its preferred and alternate routes — a development residents and their legal counsel say reflects months of organized advocacy.
The Responsible Energy Alliance, a coalition of property owners in Ozaukee and Washington counties, has argued for months that new transmission lines should follow existing easements rather than cut across private land.
ATC submitted its revised proposal for the Ozaukee County Interconnection Distribution Project earlier this week. In August, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin revoked the completeness designation of the original proposal and ordered ATC to refile its application.
Erik Olsen, a lawyer representing the Responsible Energy Alliance, said the updated proposal reflects both the group's efforts and some cooperation from ATC and Vantage, the developer behind the $15 billion Port Washington data center complex.
"The American Transmission Company and Vantage also did their part a little bit to accommodate what we were advocating for," Olsen said. "The preferred route now follows existing transmission line infrastructure, except for a really minor part, and that's what the law says it's supposed to do."
For some members of the coalition, the revised maps brought immediate relief. David Aversa's Ozaukee County property was removed from the latest maps entirely. TMJ4 spoke with him about his plight on multiple occasions.
But the updated filing did not bring the same relief to everyone. Beth Csaszar, who lives in Washington County along what is now designated the alternate route, said the progress is meaningful — but incomplete.
"Our neighbors, it's off the table for them. We won't stop fighting until it's off the table for us," Csaszar said. "There's still confusion. How many feet from the center line? What's the easement looking like? (There are) just a lot of unanswered questions."
The REA hosted a town hall at Elderberry Manor in the Town of Trenton Wednesday evening, where Olsen and others provided updates to members.
Olsen said they have to continue their advocacy, given the alternate route still goes through so-called "greenfields." He says these meetings can be an example to communities facing similar situations.
"I guess people need to get involved early, and they need to organize themselves in a way that they can effectively advocate, really, for the law to be followed," Olsen said.
The new application will now go through the PSC's approval process, but its effect on the timeline for power delivery to the data center campus is not yet clear. A spokesperson for Vantage Data Centers told TMJ4 in August that they are still working to ensure the "responsible development of transmission infrastructure."
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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