Town ready for data center power line fight

A standing-room-only crowd filled the gymnasium at the Saukville Town Hall last Wednesday to express opposition to American Transmission Co.’s proposal to run high-voltage transmission lines through the community to help power a data center complex on Port Washington’s north side.

The approximately 100 people listened as the Town Board approved a resolution expressing “in the strongest possible terms” the township’s opposition to the new routes, stating any additional lines should be constructed “within the existing electrical transmission rights of way and corridors within Ozaukee County.”

Town Chairman Kevin Kimmes read the resolution to the crowd, asking not for people’s opinions about the proposed routes for the power lines — “I think we’re all here for the same reason,” he said. “I know you guys are not (in favor of them)” — but for suggestions on how to strengthen the town’s case against them.

“We have no authority,” Kimmes said, noting that lies strictly with ATC and the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, which will ultimately determine where the lines are located. “They can go and do what they want for the public good. The question is do we want to collectively come together with a voice. The Town Board is a voice here.”

ATC is proposing to make a number of changes to the grid in the area to bring electricity to the data center, and the preferred route for its so-called western line would bisect the Town of Saukville.

The company is looking at a north and south  route to bring power to the area, each of which has two alternative pathways.

Tom Ravn, 3815 Hwy. I, noted the lines would run on land between two gravel mining operations, one an active site and the other a closed mine, and both are expected to become wildlife habitats.

David Aversa, 3301 Center La., said the lines would cut through his property, including a portion of the Kinnamon Conifer Swamp, which is a recognized natural area of regional significance. 

The area also has natural wetlands that are important, Aversa said, and is home to  a natural spring that a 2016 study by Beloit College terms “one of the most spectacular” they had identified.

The proposed route would require clear cutting about 500 mature, 70-year-old pine and spruce trees, he said, and would potentially impact the habitat that supports the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, which is a federally designated endangered species. The land is also a critical avian habitat, he said.

“It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” Aversa said of the ATC proposal. “My property is one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in the county.”

Several people at the meeting spoke of groups willing to work with the town to fight the power lines, including the Blue Dotted Line and the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

“They thought this is something they could help us with,” Tom Uttech, 4305 Hwy. O, said. “But they warned me this whole thing is stacked against us.”

Others at the meeting noted that high-voltage lines “make a lot of noise 24/7,” as one man said, while others pointed to the fact they will require ongoing maintenance that will cause ongoing disruptions.

One woman suggested the town opt to become an intervenor when the power line routes go before the PSC, saying that will give it a bigger voice.

The board agreed to include many of these suggestions in the resolution it approved, including references to the Kinnamon Conifer Swamp and the ongoing noise and maintenance issues.

The resolution notes that the transmission lines are “not for the common good of the State of Wisconsin or residents of Ozaukee County or the Town of Saukville but is substantially by the needs of the data center.”

It noted that the lines would run through environmentally sensitive areas, and that they could cause “severe detrimental effects to dairy production.”

“Failing to use existing ATC right of way will negatively affect the pristine nature of the town in violation of and contradictory to the town’s vision statement,” the resolution reads, noting the community’s master plan celebrates the town’s bucolic nature.

The resolution also notes that the town will investigate whether it should hire an attorney to represent its interests before the PSC, and may seek intervenor status.

The resolution will be shared with ATC, the PSC, area legislators and Gov. Tony Evers, Kimmes said. 

Town Supr. Marcia Nosko, who was in a meeting with State Rep. Robert Brooks’ office earlier in the day, told the group that  he was concerned abut the impact on the town and has written a letter regarding their concerns to ATC.

The tough thing, Kimmes noted, is that no matter where the new lines are placed, it will impact someone in the area.

“That’s what’s so difficult about this situation,” he said.

Town Clerk Raquel Engelke said a copy of the resolution will be posted on the town website.

An ATC representative said last month that the company plans to apply for the routes this fall. It expects a decision from the PSC on which routes it can use sometime next year.