Chippewa Valley Times

MADISON – Today, Senator Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) and Senator Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) urged their Republican colleagues to expedite the First Right of Refusal legislation and schedule it for a Senate vote. Assembly Bill 470 (AB 470) and Senate Bill 481 (SB 481) would grant incumbent transmission facility owners the right to construct, own, and maintain certain transmission facilities under Public Service Commission procedures if the facility is a regionally cost-shared transmission line.

The urgency follows MISO’s Monday announcement of their initial draft proposal for Tranche 2 transmission solutions, which includes potential projects in Wisconsin. The estimated cost for the Tranche 2 portfolio is approximately $23 billion. According to numerous economic development associations and chambers of commerce across Wisconsin, if a merchant developer is selected to build these projects in Wisconsin without shifting existing ratepayer costs, it could burden Wisconsin ratepayers with more than $1 billion over the project's lifespan.

Similar legislation has been adopted by nearly all neighboring states and most states within the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region. AB 470/SB 481 passed both the Assembly and Senate utility committees with bipartisan support and was approved by the State Assembly last month.

“Last year, Senate Republicans needed Democrats to accomplish big things for Wisconsin – we can do it again one last time before the session ends,” said Senator Jeff Smith. “Transmission line ownership, construction, and operation decisions should be made with accountability by Wisconsin regulators who work to see that Wisconsin’s public interest is met. It’s time to put Wisconsinites first instead of protecting out-of-state interests.”

Senator Brad Pfaff added, “We have spent the last twenty years making public policy changes to ensure that Wisconsin has transmission infrastructure that is safe, reliable, economically efficient, and focused on the State’s best interests. We can continue to be a leader on this while ensuring Wisconsin residents are working on these vital projects throughout our state. The Legislature needs to get serious about energy costs and protecting Wisconsin ratepayers by sending this legislation to the Governor.”