78 study segments, a September 7 deadline — and what landowners can do (w/ Rob Danielson)
Days after Midcontinent Grid Solutions mailed landowners across nine southern Wisconsin counties and published 78 preliminary "study segments" for the proposed BECI 765 kV transmission line, Michael Browne sits down with Rob Danielson — who has tracked utility expansion projects since the 2010 Badger Coulee fight — to walk through what just happened and what to do next:
* the information-request "punch list" every landowner should send
* how to work the August 24–27 open houses
* why the September 7 comment deadline matters
* and why this is Not a Done Deal.
Details and event times: no765line.org/events [https://no765line.org/events].
This podcast is for general information only and is not legal advice. For decisions about your land, consult your own attorney.
| 0:35 | Welcome; who Rob Danielson is |
| 6:33 | What a 765 kV line actually is (250-ft easement, ~200-ft towers) |
| 10:22 | Who's building MariBell and BECI |
| 14:46 | How MISO planning works — and who drives it |
| 17:12 | The 78 study segments, the letters, and the February target |
| 22:27 | Take it seriously: land, family, habitat — and lawyers |
| 25:07 | The landowner punch list: maps, easement width, construction areas, access roads, towers |
| 32:59 | You have more power than you think — the Badger Coulee precedent |
| 36:07 | Template letters and finding sample language |
| 44:37 | The 37-month precedent vs. a 7-month sprint |
| 49:37 | The existing-corridor question: § 1.12(6) and the 9% figure |
| 1:00:16 | County-by-county open house schedule (Aug 24–27) |
| 1:01:24 | Working the open house: letters, names, forms, siting engineers |
| 1:07:24 | After the open house: surveyors and land agents |
| 1:09:44 | One thing to do today |
Further citations:
* MGS project site: mgs-projects.com/BECI [mgs-projects.com/BECI]
* Open house schedule + September 7 comment deadline — no765line.org/events [no765line.org/events]
* MISO Long-Range Transmission Plan Tranche 2.1 (approved Dec. 10, 2024; 24 projects, ~$21.8B): misoenergy.org [misoenergy.org] → "Transforming the Grid: MISO's $21.8B Tranche 2.1 Transmission Portfolio"
* Wisconsin's siting priority law — Wis. Stat. § 1.12(6): docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/1/12/6 [docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/1/12/6]
* What a 765 kV line is (easement width, tower height, comparisons): no765line.org/the-765-line/ [no765line.org/the-765-line/]
* Badger Coulee CPCN proceeding (2013–2015) — PSC of Wisconsin docket 5-CE-142 (apps.psc.wi.gov [apps.psc.wi.gov] ERF)-
* Music: "Slow Burn" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 — creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
