Better Alternatives for the Driftless Area
RE: Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line
Because of the unique and fragile landscape of the Driftless Area, Friends of Military Ridge Trail join with the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, a conservation advocacy community in Southwest Wisconsin to express serious concerns about the negative environmental and economic impact of the proposed Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line.
Because of the unique and fragile landscape of the Driftless Area, Friends of Military Ridge Trail join with the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, a conservation advocacy community in Southwest Wisconsin to express serious concerns about the negative environmental and economic impact of the proposed Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line.
- The proposed huge infra-structure is not needed. Ellen Nowak, Chairwoman of Wisconsin's Public Service Commission, said the state has excess electricity. "Right now, there’s not a need for a lot of new generation of any source in Wisconsin."
- This project is unsuitable for the unique Driftless landscape. The Driftless Area contains more than 100 small prairie remnants on ridgetops too rocky to plow, representing one of the highest concentrations of native grasslands in the Midwest. Additionally, it contains the headwaters of the Pecatonica and Sugar rivers and many high-quality trout streams.
- Unnecessary fragmentation jeopardizes threatened species. Southwest Wisconsin has been identified as the highest priority for landscape-scale grassland protection and management in Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Plants and animals like the regal fritillary butterfly and grassland birds such as the bobolink, upland sandpiper and grasshopper sparrow which have disappeared in more developed parts of the Midwest survive in the Driftless Area.
- Forty year or more obligation. The construction, maintenance and de-commissioning of this line locks rate-payers and the landscape itself into a 40+ year commitment. The magnitude of this obligation demands careful consideration of all options.
- Less invasive, more economical alternatives are available. Upgrading existing lines, local renewable energy projects already being built, accelerating energy efficiencies, and practical load management techniques can insure a reliable, steady flow of electrical energy at a much lower cost economically and environmentally.
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Impact on Military Ridge Trail
Because of these many concerning factors, the Board of Friends of Military Ridge Trail opposes the construction of the Cardinal Hickory Creek Transmission Line. In addition to the problems listed above, the proposed line would run parallel to the Military Ridge Trail for a considerable distance creating an eyesore to the landscape. For more information, click on the link to Driftless Area Land Conservancy.
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