Residents fight against data center power lines
Residents in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, continue to fight against a proposed 1.4 billion dollar power line project intended for the Port Washington Data Center Campus. Over 2,500 citizens have submitted comments to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC), demanding the approval process be restarted due to significant changes in the proposal.
Residents of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, particularly those in Fredonia and Sackville, are actively opposing a power line proposal crucial for the Port Washington Data Center Campus. This fight has intensified with over 2,500 citizens submitting comments to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) within a week, many advocating for a complete restart of the approval process.
The core of their argument is that the power line proposal, led by American Transmission Company, has undergone substantial changes, rendering the initial application incomplete. The project, estimated to cost over 1.4 billion dollars, has a wide variance in its cost estimates, adding to the confusion for residents. Collins Whitfield, part of the Responsible Energy Alliance, expressed personal concern over the potential removal of trees on his family farm due to a proposed easement, despite recent indications of a shift in the easement location.
Neighbors want the power lines to follow existing easements rather than rural backyards. They argue that the PSC's decision in December to deem the application complete was premature, given that more than 500 additional documents have since been added to the proposal. They believe there is a strong chance the PSC will agree to restart the process due to the obvious incompleteness of the application.