Nov. 14, 2025
VERNON COUNTY, Wis. – Residents of Vernon County and the surrounding area are being alerted to upcoming public meetings regarding the MariBell Transmission Project, a significant cross-state power line being promoted as a project to boost regional energy reliability and capacity.
The MariBell Transmission Project team is planning informational open houses in November, including one in Westby on Nov. 20, to provide community members with opportunities to learn more about the project’s timeline, design, and proposed route. Additional public input sessions, mandated by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW), are anticipated to occur at a later date.
Upcoming public information meetings:
Project Overview and Technical Scope
The MariBell project is being jointly developed and co-owned by Dairyland Power Cooperative, headquartered in La Crosse, Wis., and GridLiance Heartland, LLC, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Transmission, LLC. Dairyland is a generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative that provides wholesale electrical requirements for 24 distribution cooperatives and 27 municipal utilities, serving approximately 750,000 people across a four-state service area.
The project involves construction of an approximately 140-mile, 765 kilovolt (kV) / 161 kV double circuit transmission line. This segment, extending from Marion, Minn., to Bell Center, Wis., is part of a larger 273-mile, 765 kV transmission line known as the North Rochester-Columbia line.
The MariBell line is planned to span six counties in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, the proposed transmission line would cross portions of Vernon and Crawford counties. In Minnesota, the route covers Olmsted, Mower, Fillmore, and Houston counties.
The developers plan for the line to utilize existing transmission corridors (rights-of-way) where possible to limit land impacts and maximize efficiency. The anticipated right-of-way width for the new line is approximately 200 feet, and the structures are expected to be steel lattice towers standing between 130 and 200 feet tall. Following the regulatory review process and extensive stakeholder engagement, the MariBell Transmission Project is currently expected to be in service by 2034. The application for the preferred and alternative routes is anticipated to be filed with the PSCW in 2026.
Rationale: Reliability and Economic Benefits
The project originated from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), the regional grid operator. MISO identified and approved the line as part of its Long Range Transmission Planning in December 2024. MISO chose Dairyland Power Cooperative to develop, operate, and maintain the MariBell transmission project.
The developers and MISO state the line is necessary to maintain a reliable, resilient, and flexible power grid. A strong interstate connection between Minnesota and Wisconsin will enhance the transfer of power and strengthen the transmission system. The project aims to meet rising energy demand across the Upper Midwest. This new infrastructure is designed to replace outdated technology, some of which dates back as far as the 1950s.
“A strong interstate transmission connection between Minnesota and Wisconsin will improve the reliability and flexibility of the region’s transmission system, while supporting economic benefits and growth,” said Ben Porath, Dairyland Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He added that the collaboration with GridLiance will leverage the core competencies of each organization for the benefit of all Midwest energy consumers.
Natalie Smith, President of GridLiance, affirmed that they “are pleased to support MISO in its efforts to enhance power reliability by strengthening the transfer of cost-effective energy resources between Minnesota and Wisconsin”.
According to information from stakeholders and the project website, the project is expected to deliver economic benefits to residents in the Upper Midwest. For Wisconsin, the project is projected to generate $30 million or more in state tax revenue over its lifetime. The overall local and state tax revenue generated in Minnesota and Wisconsin over the life of the project is forecasted to reach $430 million, which can support local infrastructure like roads, schools, parks, and emergency response services.
Proposed or Possible Routes
A final or preferred route for the MariBell Transmission Project has not yet been determined or formally proposed to regulatory bodies. The project is still in the early planning and permitting phases. However organizations like the Crawford Stewardship Project have speculated on some potential routes based on existing transmission lines and routing paths used in other projects.
Opposition and Concerns
Some opposition to the project has already cropped up. Opponents raise several key arguments and concerns around large-scale transmission projects like MariBell. Rob Danielson began studying transmission projects began when he became an affected landowner in 2010 due to the proposed Badger Coulee transmission line. Danielson served on the Town of Stark Energy Planning and Information Committee and recently appeared on a Crawford Stewardship podcast on WDRT recently. Danielson and others with Crawford Stewardship have outlined their questions/concerns.
1. Questioning the Necessity and Justification of the Line
- Grid Reliability: Opponents argue that the line is “not needed to ‘keep the lights on'” because Wisconsin’s electrical grid is already very reliable, and energy use projections in the state are generally flat or declining.
- Challenging the Planning Process: Critics, such as Danielson, suggest that the utility system is one where the companies selling the electricity (the utilities) are also the ones designing and proposing the delivery methods (transmission lines). He believes that the planning process by organizations like the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) demonstrates a “prejudice for growth” and does not adequately consider customer desires, energy efficiency, or distributed generation.
- Alternatives Exist: Opponents claim there are better, less expensive alternatives for the 21st-century energy system. These alternatives include:
- Modern, local solar generation, particularly when paired with battery storage.
- Distributed generation (local power resources).
- Demand response and energy efficiency improvements.
2. Environmental and Siting Impacts
- Lack of Robust Environmental Analysis: Opposition groups argue that federal agencies have failed to adequately consider the environmental impacts of such transmission lines.
- Habitat Destruction: The large-scale nature of the projects, such as the Cardinal-Hickory Creek line, threatens sensitive lands, unique habitats, and migratory birds. The MariBell project involves 765 kV lines requiring a 200-foot-wide cleared easement, which opponents argue “tears a larger hole through the habitat” than existing, smaller lines, potentially destroying forests and established habitats.
- Geographical Concerns: Concerns have been raised about the massive towers’ potential instability in the region’s karst geology.
- Visual Impact: Concerned landowners and citizens cite the massive visual impact of the largest transmission towers ever proposed for Wisconsin (up to 200 feet tall) and the sheer scale of the clear-cut right-of-way.
3. Economic Costs and Financial Motives
- Cost to Ratepayers: The costs of these large transmission projects have a regional cost allocation. Critics argue that the project is “expensive” and built using ratepayers’ money, suggesting the guaranteed annual return on investment for developers “lines their pockets”. The high costs of litigation in transmission disputes have also contributed to price hikes for projects.
- Uneconomic Dispatch (Coal Support): Opponents contest the utilities’ claim that the lines primarily support renewable energy. They argue the line will be “open access,” meaning it can carry power from any source, including fossil fuel generation. Critics further suggest that the lines could delay the clean energy transition by taking up transmission capacity that might otherwise be used for cleaner resources and helping to keep uneconomic coal plants running longer.
4. Lack of Local Community Engagement
While Dairyland has stressed its commitment to community input, but critics say that focuses on the early stages of planning. Danielson noted that although Dairyland stated it had begun working with potentially affected parties, as of the time of the podcast (Oct. 20), “no landowners, local governments, state agencies, or tribes, are reporting that they have been contacted”. There is a general concern that grid developers routinely overlook hosting communities, potentially fueling opposition and delays.
Utility Rights of Way and Eminent Domain in Wisconsin
The MariBell project is subject to review by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW). For new high-voltage transmission lines intended to be operated at 100 kV and above, utilities must secure a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from the PSCW before construction or condemnation proceedings can commence. Wisconsin’s regulatory process combines the determination of need and the selection of the route into the CPCN permit.
The process of obtaining land rights typically involves securing an easement, which is a legal contract that grants the utility the right to build, maintain, and protect the power line on a landowner’s property, while the landowner retains general ownership. The easement document for high-voltage lines must specifically describe the interest transferred, detailing the right-of-way width, the number and type of structures, their maximum height, and the maximum voltage of the lines.
When utilities negotiate new easements with landowners, Wisconsin law mandates that the landowner be provided materials outlining their rights and options. The landowner must be given a minimum of five days to review the proposed agreement before signing. If negotiations fail and a voluntary agreement cannot be reached, the utility may invoke its statutory right of eminent domain, also known as condemnation. If a condemnation action proceeds, a local commission ultimately determines the amount of “just compensation,” or fair market value, to be paid to the landowner for the acquired rights. Because the MariBell project requires a CPCN, the utility must receive approval from the PSCW before it can use condemnation to acquire property. In fact, if the proposed route application is successful, the utility must still get approval from the PSCW before condemnation can be used to acquire property.
What should we learn from the one and only public information meeting for 2 counties being held an hour’s drive from the proposed line route? And a condensed timeline until construction- all intended to keep the public in the dark until the last minute to make organized resistance difficult.
While the project developers claim no definitive route, their landsmen are working in Crawford, and reports of belligerent and bullying behavior are reported from landowners.
And all of this to ship power to the data centers near Chicago. I get it that the clean energy from the wind farms needs to get to the people, but building one huge line instead of building out our regional grid doesn’t seem like a way to insure reliability, as suggested by the evaluation by Potomac Energy.
And no mention of the cost to ratepayers here to ship energy to data centers in the city.
I hope this story stays up to date.
Daniel
Dairyland power that is supposed to be a cooperative. Seems as though they are abusing their power and wasting the peoples money on things they do not want nor do they need. They are wasting money on multiple of these “projects”. Seems like they are proving they are not a cooperative at all and their incentives for listing as such should be stripped from them.
I have to say I was thankful for the large turnout of citizens at the goat and pony show put on by Dairyland and appreciated residents speaking truth to big money. As one person put it- glaciers knew to leave this area alone and we sure as hell don’t need a powerline to Chicago data centers plowing through here now.