Stop Utilities from Investing Our Money in Obsolete Systems that Protect Their Profits
ON MARCH 26, 2015, WITH 24 HOURS NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC, THE WISCONSIN PSC MET AND APPROVED THE NORTHERN ROUTE FOR BADGER-COULEE TRANSMISSION LINE, DISMISSING THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE APPLICATION, AND DETERMINING IT AS COMPLETE AND THOROUGH.
THE WPSC ORDER SHOULD BE COMPLETED SOMETIME WITHIN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.
WE THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS PETITION. WE WILL CONTINUE TO GATHER STATEMENTS AS PART OF A POTENTIAL CITIZENS APPEAL ACTION.
A system based on remote central generation and long-distance transfer of electricity is unreliable, inefficient, and vulnerable to attack by man or nature.
A less centralized system using local (distributed) generation and energy management tools enables reliability, resiliency, ratepayer cost savings, and environmental sustainability.
Transmission supports increased consumption of all sources of electricity including coal and fracked gas.
Tell the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) to deny the Badger Coulee regional high-voltage transmission line, whose impacts will be felt beyond the state.
By approving Badger Coulee, ratepayers in and out of Wisconsin will be saddled with unnecessary debt, and our nation tethered to an antiquated, monopolistic business model that rewards utilities for increased consumption and increased infrastructure.
By denying Badger Coulee, we save money, protect property rights, and create jobs through locally generated energy and efficiency.
There is CAUSE TO PAUSE and no valid ratepayer reason to rush forward
A few pennies a month of UNGUARANTEED savings aren’t worth the risks to health, environment, and quality of life.
Tell the PSC to serve the public and deny the line.
I hereby request the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin deny the Badger-Coulee high voltage transmission application, and encourage State of Wisconsin lawmakers to write the commission asking for Badger-Coulee to be denied.
Reliability, economic and public policy needs could be better served with load management, energy efficiency and distributed (local) power including solar. The current application and Environmental Impact Statement ignore these more cost effective solutions, and the high voltage transmission option imposes profound, negative effects on lands, economies, cultures, health, and security.
Over the last four years, the utility applicants have ignored requests made by 12 state legislators, more than 90 municipal governments, thousands of ratepayers and the PSC staff to evaluate the benefits that would come to Wisconsin ratepayers if comparable funds were applied to accelerated energy efficiency, load management and distributed power including solar. These investments guarantee lower operation costs and carbon emission reductions while creating sustainable jobs in Wisconsin communities.
Badger-Coulee must be denied until decision makers and ratepayers can include consideration of these energy investment options.
