SUGAR CREEK, Wis. — Rachel Catlett was one of the first voices against a proposed 765-kilovolt power line through Walworth County, which could go across her farm. She learned through the mail this week that she's also in the path of a potential 345-kilovolt line.
"My husband handed me a piece of paper and said, 'We got another letter,'" Catlett said. "We're just being inundated with out-of-state transmission lines. "It's like getting hit by lightning twice."
The 345-kilovolt line is known as the Wisconsin Southeast Transmission Project, or WISE. The 106-mile project is proposed by Viridon and is planned to connect to the Sugar Creek substation just north of Elkhorn.
The previously announced 765-kilovolt BECI Project from Midcontinend Grid Solutions also plans to connect through the Sugar Creek substation. That transmission line proposal has received near-universal disdain from Walworth County residents and municipalities since it was unveiled two months ago.
"When you mess with people's homes and the character of the community, that's a bridge too far," Catlett said.
One of the strongest critics against both the BECI Project and the WISE Project is Walworth County Land Use & Resource Management Director Michael Cotter.
He explained last week that the Sugar Creek substation is eyed as the connection point for BECI, WISE, and another 345-kilovolt power line proposal, which would require a large expansion through farmland.
"In my mind's eye, I can look and see 165 acres that are going to be a substation. That's what's coming," Cotter said. "We're outgunned here, we're outgunned in Madison. That fight happened in Washington, DC and no one told us."
Catlett said she and her neighbors are refusing to back down from the power line plans, even after another pamphlet arrived on her doorstep.
"Start putting all of your documentation into another folder because here we go again," Catlett said.
Viridon is hosting open houses throughout Southeast Wisconsin on the WISE Project in upcoming weeks. Walworth County's event is planned for Dec. 1 at The Todd Venue in Elkhorn.
The full list of WISE Project open houses through the power line's affected counties is below. All events have scheduled sessions between 11am-1pm and 4pm-6pm.
- Nov. 16: Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Fond du Lac
- Nov. 17: Comfort Suites Conference Center in Johnson Creek
- Nov. 18: Juneau Community Center in Juneau
- Nov. 19: Brookfield Conference Center in Brookfield
- Dec. 1: The Todd Venue in Elkhorn
- Dec. 2: The Loft at Greay Goose in Janesville
- Dec. 3: Roma Lodge in Mt. Pleasant
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