MADISON – Today, State Representatives Andrew Hysell (D-Sun Prairie) and Tara Johnson (D-Town of
Shelby), joined by other legislators in districts affected by proposed high-voltage transmission projects,
called for the restoration of Governor Evers’ proposal to give the Public Service Commission of
Wisconsin (PSC) the power to grant additional review time for unprecedented 765-kilovolt transmission
lines proposed across their constituents’ land.

In his 2025-27 executive budget proposal, Governor Tony Evers gave the PSC Chairperson power to
grant an additional 180-day extension of the review period for a transmission line when needed for large
and complex projects. Sadly, the Joint Committee on Finance, led by Senator Howard Marklein and
Representative Mark Born, removed this provision from the state budget as part of Joint Finance
Omnibus Motion #4 in May of last year. All Democrats on the Committee voted to retain the extended
review provision.

State representatives from areas affected by the proposed BECI and MariBell lines emphasized the urgent
need for sufficient time to review these proposals.

“Legislative Republicans, led by Senator Howard Marklein, said ‘no’ to giving Wisconsin communities
and farmers affected by these lines a chance for an extra six months to make their case to the PSC,” said
State Representative Andrew Hysell. “Republicans are now expressing deep concerns about these
proposed projects, but when they were given an opportunity to give Wisconsin landowners more
protection, they voted no. As an elected representative of the Wisconsinites impacted by these proposals, I
am calling to restore Gov. Evers’ proposal and ensure that the PSC can make sure these constituents’
voices are heard.”

Representative Hysell represents Wisconsin’s 48th Assembly District, which includes areas that could be
affected by the proposed BECI transmission project.

“The proposed MariBell line will wreak havoc on The Driftless and the constituents I represent in the
96th Assembly District,” said State Representative Tara Johnson. “The landowners, farmers, and residents
who are impacted by this deserve every opportunity to question and challenge the need for it and the route
that it travels. Republicans have failed to listen to and protect the will of the people of Wisconsin. We do
not plan on making these same mistakes.”

Representative Johnson represents Wisconsin’s 96th Assembly District, which includes areas potentially
impacted by the proposed MariBell Transmission Project.

The legislators’ request comes as two proposed 765-kilovolt transmission projects move through the
planning and regulatory process in Wisconsin. Under current law, once submitted, the PSC has 180 days
to review and take action on transmission line proposals, and the Chairperson may grant an additional
180-day review period in order for the PSC to take into account the extensive environmental review,
testimony from affected parties, and other evidence that must be considered as part of an application.

Governor Evers’ 2025-27 budget would have created an additional 180-day period for the PSC to review
these proposals, and increased funding for the PSC’s intervenor-compensation program, which helps
members of the public bear the costs of participating in the PSC’s review process as a full party. The
nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau cited upcoming major utility construction proposals, including
transmission lines, as the rationale for these changes. Republicans on the Joint Committee on Finance
rejected both.

The proposed Bell Center-Columbia-Sugar Creek-Illinois/Wisconsin State Line project, or BECI, would
extend approximately 190 miles across Wisconsin from Crawford County to Walworth County.
Communities throughout the affected region, including in the 48th Assembly District, have passed
resolutions opposing the project and called for more extensive review and scrutiny of the proposal –
Midcontinent Grid Solutions, the project’s developer, anticipates submitting their proposal to the PSC in
early 2027.

The proposed MariBell Transmission Project would extend approximately 140 miles between Marion,
Minnesota and Bell Center, Wisconsin. The project is being developed by Dairyland Power Cooperative
and GridLiance Heartland, and is currently expected to submit for PSC review in late 2026. Much like the
BECI line, potential affected communities in the 96th Assembly District and beyond have expressed their
opposition to the project and called for an extensive review process to ensure that the concerns of affected
communities are heard and addressed.