No765 meeting at Viroqua Eagles Club rallies Driftless communities against proposed high voltage transmission corridor

Aug. 16, 2026

By Tim Hundt

VIROQUA, Wis. – More than 100 Driftless residents packed the Eagles Club in Viroqua last week to organize resistance against a massive transmission system proposed to cross southern Wisconsin.

The meeting, hosted by the volunteer coalition No765, marked another step for the group’s efforts to help communities organize along the second leg of a massive high voltage transmission corridor running through the unglaciated Driftless Area. This second segment of the bulk power line, known as the Bell Center–Columbia–Sugar Creek–Illinois/Wisconsin State Line (BECI) Project, has taken many local landowners by surprise as letters notifying them of potential property impacts have only recently begun arriving in mailboxes.

“We did not realize that this was going to blow up the way it has,” said Jay McCloskey, a No765 organizer who addressed the crowd. “A big focus is going to be around all of you on BECI.”

The sudden arrival of developer letters has sent shockwaves through communities along the newly unveiled BECI corridor. While these eastern landowners are just beginning to organize, their neighbors along the western MariBell segment have been actively mobilizing for months. The No765 group has already held several packed informational meetings across the region, including prior events in Retreat, Viola, Ferryville, and Gays Mills, and is now deploying its experience to help the eastern counties catch up.

The high voltage system consists of two separate segments overseen by different developers. The western MariBell project, which spans from Marion, Minnesota, to Bell Center, Wisconsin, is a joint venture between La Crosse based Dairyland Power Cooperative and NextEra subsidiary GridLiance Heartland. Developers plan to file a formal Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin in the fall of 2026.

The eastern continuation, known as the BECI project, is planned to carry the power from Bell Center past the Kickapoo Valley Reserve to Hillsboro, Portage, and south to the Illinois border near Sugar Creek in Walworth County. That segment is being developed by Midcontinent Grid Solutions, a joint venture of Transource Energy and Berkshire Hathaway’s BHE Transmission. Developers recently published 78 preliminary candidate study segments and set a public comment deadline of September 7, with plans to submit a formal application to state regulators in February 2027.

Both projects fit into a broader national grid reliability plan overseen by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, the regional grid manager. Known as Project 26, the corridor is part of a larger $21.8 billion Long Range Transmission Plan Tranche 2.1 portfolio designed to build an 1,800 mile backbone of 765 kilovolt lines across the Midwest.

The regional grid operator and project developers maintain that the multi billion dollar buildout is necessary to preserve reliability as older fossil fuel generators retire and regional power demand grows at an estimated annual rate of 1.14 percent to 1.25 percent. Proponents argue that ultra high voltage 765 kilovolt lines are highly efficient, transferring two to three times more power than smaller lines with 50 percent lower transmission losses, and that a single massive line reduces the total land footprint compared to building multiple smaller corridors.

Opponents, however, argue that Wisconsin’s electricity demand has remained flat to declining for 20 years, with total retail sales actually lower in 2024 than in 2005. They point to the findings of the grid operator’s own Independent Market Monitor, Dr. David Patton, who repeatedly concluded that the massive 765 kilovolt layer is not justified and should be postponed.

Opponents argue that constructing 150 to 200 foot steel towers on corridors up to 250 feet wide will permanently scar the delicate Driftless landscape. They raise serious concerns over local property devaluations of 10 percent to 45 percent, soil erosion on steep unglaciated ridges, threats to migratory birds, and loud crackling noises that can reach the volume of a handheld vacuum cleaner. Many residents also contend that local ratepayers will carry the cost in their monthly electric bills, which could rise by $13.52 per month, solely to pass power through the region to feed massive technology data centers near Madison and Chicago.

Below is a video of drone rising above an existing (80 foot) 161kv tower in Crawford County to the 200 foot level to illustrate the size of the proposed towers. The drone has a “pool noodle” attached to the bottom for reference. (video by No765 coalition)

“The applicants will always tell you that you do not need to intervene,” said Rob Danielson, a local landowner and No765 board member. “They will say that you can just add comments, but they will say nothing about the power of intervention.”

Danielson and other coalition representatives spent a portion of the Eagles Club meeting explaining the critical difference between public comments and formal intervention in Public Service Commission proceedings. An intervenor is admitted as a formal party to the state case, giving them the legal standing to submit written expert testimony, present evidence, and cross examine utility witnesses. Opposition leaders emphasized that a strong, organized group of intervenors is the most effective legal tool to stop the projects, noting that several similar transmission lines across the country have been stopped by intense landowner opposition.

To help landowners navigate the complex state regulatory system, the group shared a list of upcoming public forums and resources. Volunteers have established an online documentation clearinghouse at bit.ly/765links where property owners can find sample information request letters, interactive corridor maps, and landowner rights guides.

Upcoming public events hosted by local coalitions include a town hall meeting at the Retreat Sportsman’s Club in De Soto on Monday, August 17, at 5.30 p.m.. Sauk County residents plan to host a presentation and informational meeting on Thursday, August 20, at 5.30 p.m. at the public library in Baraboo, and Walworth County organizers will hold an opposition meeting on Sunday, August 23, at 4.00 p.m. at Brown Dog Farm near Elkhorn.

“We are telling people we can stop this,” said Joel, a local organizer. “We are going to stop this, and 100 percent is the goal.”

Vernon County Moves Toward Formal Legal Challenge

In Vernon County the legal battle over the proposed MariBell transmission line is entering a critical new phase, as Vernon County moves forward with specialized legal counsel following a summer of major administrative and legal transition.

The Latest from the General Government Committee

During the August 5, 2026, Vernon County General Government Committee meeting, newly appointed Corporation Counsel Brian Weber and Administrative Coordinator Nate Torres provided a crucial update on the county’s efforts to mount a formal defense. Weber reported that he and Torres had met with an “expert in the field” of utility regulation to assess the legal avenues available.

Later in the meeting, the committee voted to enter into a closed session to confer with legal counsel regarding the MariBell line and the Western Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. Upon reconvening in open session, the committee took decisive action, voting unanimously to approve an agreement for specialized legal services with Progressive Law Group LLC. This firm is expected to represent the county’s interests as a formal intervener in the state’s regulatory proceedings.

How the Legal Fight Began

The proposed MariBell line is a double-circuit transmission system planned to run from Marion, Minnesota, to Bell Center, Wisconsin, crossing the Mississippi River near Genoa. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) assigned the western leg of the project to Dairyland Power Cooperative and NextEra Transmission, while Transource Energy is slated to construct the eastern segment extending to the Columbia substation near Portage.

The massive scale of the project—featuring 200-foot-tall steel towers cutting through the fragile Driftless Area—sparked immediate, intense opposition from local landowners and environmental advocates. In March 2026, the Vernon County Board of Supervisors took a unified stand, unanimously passing Resolutions 2026-17 and 2026-18 to demand technical information from the developers, alongside Resolution 2026-19, which formally declared the county’s opposition to the project.

However, local officials quickly recognized that these local resolutions lacked the legal “teeth” to stop the line. The ultimate authority to approve or deny the project lies with the three appointed commissioners of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) through the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) process.

To have a real impact, Vernon County realized it must seek formal intervenor status, which grants full party status to submit expert testimony, conduct discovery, and cross-examine utility witnesses. To offset the substantial costs of hiring specialized utility lawyers, former Corporation Counsel Nikki Swayne reached out to Richland and Crawford counties to explore a joint legal consultation. While Richland County declined to participate, Crawford County expressed strong interest in collaborating on a shared defense.

Transition of County Attorneys Delays Progress

Despite early momentum, the county’s legal timeline suffered a setback due to an unprecedented double-transition in county leadership.

In late April 2026, Nikki Swayne issued her resignation as the contracted Corporation Counsel, effective late July. This decision followed a tense political debate after the General Government Committee rejected a proposal to transition her contracted role into a full-time, in-house county position. Simultaneously, Cassandra Hanan resigned from her post as Administrative Coordinator.

The county board eventually hired Johns Flaherty & Collins to take over legal services, with Brian Weber assuming the lead role on July 1, 2026. Meanwhile, Nate Torres officially stepped in as the new administrative coordinator on June 23, 2026.

This simultaneous transition meant that both the county’s chief administrator and its lead legal counsel were onboarding at the same time. Casework transition meetings were held in late June, and while Swayne provided a transitional memo, the shifting of hands naturally put the Maribell file into a temporary holding pattern. Swayne had previously placed active coordinate planning with Crawford County in “standby mode” pending the arrival of the new administration.

With the onboarding process now complete and the recent committee vote to hire Progressive Law Group LLC, Vernon County is finally positioned to resume its coordinated legal strategy to defend the Driftless Area before the PSC.