Judge halts Badger Coulee lines through town of Holland

Town opposes lines, which route through scenic area.

A court ruling puts a temporary freeze on construction of a high-voltage power line through the Holmen area.

This week’s ruling by Judge Todd Bjerke indicates a need for the Badger Coulee line, but orders construction stopped until the Public Service Commission reconsiders the line’s route through the town of Holland, Wis.

“One, that the Badger Coulee line wasn’t really needed,” Town vice-chairman Bob Stupi said, “and secondarily, if it was needed, as determined by the state, that it should not be routed on a second set of power lines through our town but on existing power lines as mandated by state law.”

The town has opposed the Badger Coulee project for years, mainly because of the size of the power poles and the designated route through a scenic area. 

The American Transmission Co. has resisted using the same power poles as the CapX 2020 line, which also has towers in the Holmen area.