Landowners sue over proposed Driftless-area power line
Landowners in western Wisconsin have filed a lawsuit against Dairyland Power Cooperative and GridLiance to halt the proposed MariBell Transmission Project. The lawsuit, filed in Vernon County, alleges the high-voltage power line would be a private nuisance and cause significant harm to properties in the Driftless region. Opponents also link the project's necessity to the proliferation of data centers in the region.
Residents in western Wisconsin's Driftless region have initiated a lawsuit against Dairyland Power Cooperative and GridLiance Heartland, aiming to halt the MariBell Transmission Project, a proposed 765-kilovolt power line stretching from Minnesota to Wisconsin. The lawsuit, filed on May 11 in Vernon County Circuit Court by the Coalition Against Maribel 765 Inc. and led by farmer Tim Woodhouse, asserts the transmission line would constitute a private nuisance, causing substantial harm to private property owners.
The developers argue the project is crucial for bolstering the Midwest's electrical grid reliability. However, attorney Erik Olsen, representing the landowners, contends the large steel towers are unsuitable for the Driftless area. Marquette University Law School Professor Sarah Fox noted that the plaintiffs must demonstrate both the existence of a nuisance and unreasonable conduct by the defendants.
Crucially, the complaint suggests the project's necessity is directly tied to the surge in data center development across Wisconsin and the Great Lakes, a point attorneys are expected to emphasize. While the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) approved the transmission project based on earlier forecasts, residents remain skeptical given the significant power demands of new data centers. Dairyland and GridLiance plan to submit an application to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission this fall, with project completion estimated by 2034, but the lawsuit could influence regulatory bodies to take landowner concerns more seriously.