Judge Says Transmission Line Can’t Cross Wildlife Refuge

A federal judge has ruled that a high-voltage transmission line cannot cross a protected wildlife refuge, saying that the review process undertaken by two federal agencies that greenlighted the project as flawed. U.S. District Judge William Conley concluded that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Rural Utilities Service failed to comply with federal law when they conducted environmental reviews of the project and issued developers the permits necessary to cross the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. The decision raises questions concerning the future of the $492 million Cardinal-Hickory Creek project as it currently is routed. The 102-mile transmission line is planned to run from Dane County to Dubuque County, with a crossing through the refuge near Cassville. Meanwhile, the three developers undertaking the project, American Transmission Company, ITC Midwest, and Dairyland Power Cooperative, continue construction in areas unaffected by the order.