Media contacts:
American Transmission Co.: Kaya Freiman, 877-506-6117, kfreiman@atcllc.com
ITC Midwest: Tom Petersen, 319-297-6793, tpetersen@itctransco.com
Dairyland Power Cooperative: Katie Thomson, 608-787-1323, katie.thomson@dairylandpower.com
ATC, ITC, Dairyland Power announce revised preliminary corridors for Cardinal-Hickory Creek Transmission Line Project Proposed transmission line would provide reliability, economic and public policy benefits
MADISON, WIS. ─ Following months of review, American Transmission Co., ITC Midwest LLC and Dairyland Power Cooperative have revised preliminary corridors for the Cardinal-Hickory Creek Project as part of the federal regulatory review process.
“After the open houses in May, we incorporated public input and have revised our preliminary corridors, which will soon be submitted to the Rural Utilities Service for review,” said Pete Holtz, ATC project manager. “The project team worked to balance a number of factors, including environmental impacts and constructability. The revised preliminary corridors include the addition of approximately 200 parcels and removal of more than 2,800 parcels from the maps.”
ATC, ITC and Dairyland recently sent notification letters to property owners who may be affected by the project and a postcard to those whose parcels have been removed from the revised preliminary corridors.
The project would connect ATC’s Cardinal Substation in the Town of Middleton, Wisconsin, with ITC’s Hickory Creek Substation in Dubuque County, Iowa. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., the regional electric transmission organization, approved the need for the approximately 125-mile, 345,000-volt project as part of a portfolio of 17 transmission line projects that were identified as Multi-Value Projects. These projects are expected to deliver multiple benefits to electric consumers across the Midwest region by improving electric system reliability, providing economic benefits to utilities and electric consumers, and expanding electric infrastructure to support public policy for greater use of renewable energy.
“Dairyland’s cooperative members–and energy users across the region–depend on a reliable, safe transmission system to meet their needs every day,” said Ben Porath, Dairyland vice president, power delivery. “Investing in a robust transmission system is necessary for regional reliability and to support stable energy prices by reducing grid congestion. Cardinal-Hickory Creek will also help sustain renewable energy generation growth. Dairyland is committed to diversifying its generation portfolio with more renewable resources, and the ability to reliably transport that energy will be of great importance.”
As part of the project evaluation process, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service will prepare an environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
“Landowners and local officials have an important role to play in this process,” said Angela Jordan, ITC area manager for local government and community affairs. “We have already and will continue to incorporate feedback through our ongoing process of working with local landowners, citizens and other stakeholders about this important project next year.”
The project will require state regulatory approvals from Wisconsin and Iowa agencies as well as federal approvals from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Army Corps of Engineers. The utilities anticipate filing applications with state regulatory agencies in 2018 in Wisconsin and 2019 in Iowa. Based on the regulatory process and involvement of multiple local, state and federal regulatory agencies, the companies are anticipating that the project would be in service in 2023.
For more information, including maps, visit www.cardinal-hickorycreek.com .
