Aug. 24, 2004
608.877.3544
608.575.9755 (mobile)
MADISON, Wis. – American
Transmission Company officials today applaud the Marathon County Board for its
vote granting ATC permission to build part of the Arrowhead-Weston power line
on county-owned property.
“This
is an important day for the people of central Wisconsin,” said Mark Williamson,
vice president of major projects for ATC.
“We have taken a critical step, and we commend and thank the board for
its thoughtful analysis and for recognizing the need for this project and the
benefits it will provide this community and all of Wisconsin.”
Today,
the board voted to allow ATC to build the Arrowhead-Weston Project on about 1.6
miles of county-owned land, of which only 1,115 feet is new right-of-way, in
the southeast corner of the Nine Mile Recreation Area. Williamson said the
decision to grant ATC access is a winning situation for all people of Marathon
County. “The county will receive millions of dollars of impact payments,
additional private landowners will not be asked for the use of their land, and
most importantly, the reliability of the area’s electrical power grid will be
dramatically improved, paving the way for economic growth,” Williamson said.
The
Arrowhead-Weston project will be constructed on nearly 80-percent existing
rights-of-way (transmission lines, gas pipelines, railroads or highways) and
will run from Wausau to Duluth. The line will cross the property of about 850
landowners who will be compensated for the use of their land based on
fair-market value. Counties and other local municipalities through which the
line passes receive one-time environmental and annual impact payments.
Construction has begun on
the western end of the line in Minnesota, and successful negotiations with
private landowners in Marathon and Clark Counties have resulted in securing
more than 80 voluntary easements. Construction is expected to begin in Marathon
and Clark Counties later this year.
more
“We are making progress, and
the vote by the County Board helps to ensure that the lights will stay on and
businesses will have the electricity they need to grow and create new jobs,”
Williamson said.
ATC plans, constructs,
operates, maintains and will expand its transmission facilities to provide
adequate and reliable transmission of power. ATC provides nondiscriminatory
service to all customers, supporting effective competition in energy markets
without favoring any market participant. A member of the Midwest ISO regional
transmission organization, ATC owns more than 8,900 miles of transmission lines
with a total investment of approximately $1 billion in transmission facilities in
portions of Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. For more information, visit
our Web site at www.atcllc.com.
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