EAU CLAIRE, Wisc. — Today, Rebecca Cooke, candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District, called out Derrick Van Orden’s contradictory record on the BECI and MariBell transmission lines. Cooke has consistently called for a halt on both transmission lines, warning of the harm they’d cause to Wisconsinites’ land, farms, and public health. 

Meanwhile, Derrick Van Orden has only just reversed course at the last minute after staying silent on the issue. Mere weeks before the election, he’s now opposing the 765-kV line as resistance grows across Wisconsin. His voting record tells a different story. Van Orden has repeatedly voted for legislation that advances transmission lines, including:

  • Voted for Energy Dominance Financing, which guarantees loans for qualifying energy projects like BECI and MariBell, and appropriates $1 billion for the program through FY2028. 
  • Voted to cancel $760 million of unspent funding designed to help local governments assess transmission-line impacts and provide economic-development funding to affected communities.
  • Voted for a $100 million program for planning regional and offshore transmission projects. 
  • Voted for tax incentives such as federal tax credits for electricity generation projects, like transmission lines.
  • Voted to allow qualifying project sponsors to receive expedited environmental reviews, moving energy infrastructure projects through the federal review process faster. 

“Wisconsinites are sick of politicians who say whatever they think voters want to hear at the last minute, only to turn around and vote differently once they get to Washington. We need a representative who is genuinely committed to protecting our economy and communities, and who understands how harmful these lines would be to our health, businesses, and farms,” said Rebecca Cooke. “Voters won’t be fooled by Van Orden’s sudden change of heart. His record of supporting these lines and stripping away programs intended to reduce their harm is what counts. We have to press pause on these projects, and we must elect politicians who will enforce it.”

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ABOUT REBECCA COOKE

Rebecca Cooke is a waitress, small business owner, and nonprofit leader who has focused her career on building community and serving others. Born and raised on an Eau Claire dairy farm and appointed by Governor Tony Evers to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Rebecca understands the challenges facing the small towns and rural communities for which she has fiercely advocated throughout her life. 

A sixth-generation Wisconsinite, Cooke comes from a long tradition of dairy farming and knows too well the challenges facing farming families. Like a lot of Wisconsin farmers, her family had to sell their cows because of the price of milk and competition with larger dairies. After working her way through college, Cooke moved home to open her own small business and nonprofit that provides start-up capital and hands-on education for women-owned businesses throughout 18 counties in northwestern Wisconsin. In addition, she now runs a hospitality business and waitresses three nights a week. 

Follow the campaign online at CookeForWisconsin.com, Facebook (/CookeForCongress), Twitter (@RebeccaForWI), and Instagram (@CookeForCongress).