Contact: Freya Reeves
Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce
(608) 443-1952
( Madison , WI – June 27, 2006) Citing the need for dependable electrical service to meet growing demand in Dane County and the wider region, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) Board of Directors has adopted a resolution in support of the American Transmission Company’s recent proposal to install a new, extra-high voltage (345kV) transmission line from Middleton to Rockdale.
“Communities throughout the Dane County region are growing rapidly, and reliable energy will be more important than ever,” declares Jennifer Alexander, President of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. “The population of Dane County is expected to increase at a rate of 60,000 people in this decade alone, and an improved transmission infrastructure will help assure businesses and residents that the lights will still be on 20 years from now.”
The Public Service Commission stated in its Strategic Energy Assessment that the demand for electricity in Wisconsin is expected to grow by 2 percent annually through 2012, and recent U.S. Census Bureau data shows Dane County’s population growing at more than double the rate of the state in general. Dane County ’s businesses and residents depend on reliable, affordable electricity to power their businesses and homes. Electrical customers should conserve power when possible, but conservation alone will be insufficient to meet growing demand. Electricity sales in the Dane County area alone increased 79 percent between 1980 and 2000. Currently, up to 70% of the county’s electrical generation is imported through the state’s transmission system, and except for a recent rebuild of an existing line in northern Dane County , no new extra-high voltage lines have been added in the county since 1978.
Alexander emphasized, “Greater Madison is seeing the growth of companies in the high-tech and biotech sectors, leveraging opportunities that arise from the research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Health care, manufacturing, agriculture and many other key sectors are becoming increasingly technology-driven as well. These firms require reliable energy resources, and it is in the region’s best interest to assure that we can provide them.” She continued, “Just released census data shows that Dane County is the fastest growing county in the state. Increasing our energy inputs, while increasing our efficiency in the use of that energy, will allow us to sustain a growing economy and high quality of life.”
ATC recently unveiled proposals for three different routes. The GMCC is not endorsing a route for the location of the new extra-high voltage transmission line. That decision will be made by the Public Service Commission after months of studies have been completed and public hearings have provided individuals and organizations an opportunity for input. Whichever route is chosen, the proposed transmission line is scheduled to be placed in service by summer 2011.
