The Latest Legislative Issues 

There are only a few days left of this year’s legislative calendar during which legislators can act. Time is of the essence. Contact your State Senator and Representative as soon as possible and urge them to support SB 481 and AB 470.

BACKGROUND  Legislation has been introduced (SB 481/AB 470) that would ensure Wisconsin utilities be allowed to continue building, operating, and maintaining the transmission grid in this state. Furthermore, the bills would keep regulatory control in the hands of the Wisconsin PSC.

Without these bills, transmission projects would be put up to competitive bid under a new federal regulatory scheme that would allow out of state investors to build, own and control parts of Wisconsin’s transmission system. This would render the grid less reliable, less efficient, and inevitably more costly to consumers.

Failure to pass these bills would harm utility investors. Currently the transmission grid is primarily owned by Xcel Energy and the American Transmission Company which, in turn, is owned by Alliant Energy, MG&E, WEC Energy Group and various municipal electric utilities. The transmission grid forms part of the asset base upon which income is derived for these Wisconsin utilities, out of which they pay dividends to shareholders. To the extent that out-of-state developers move in and take over construction of new transmission projects Wisconsin utilities and their shareholders will be financially affected.

TALKING POINTS  In your correspondence try to make the following arguments:

• I am a shareholder of Wisconsin utility stock and (if retired) I rely on the dividends I receive to supplement Social Security and other retirement benefits.
• Please vote in favor of SB 481 and AB 470 that will allow Wisconsin utilities to continue to build, operate and maintain the transmission grid in this state.

• Without these bills various out-of-state developers will wind up owning and operating parts of our transmission grid, which will make the system less reliable, less efficient, and therefore more costly to consumers.

• Experience from other states has shown that out of state developer’s transmission projects nearly always experience significant cost overruns and the federal regulatory process leads to lengthy delays in needed transmission line expansions.

• Without these bills Wisconsin will lose regulatory control over who builds out the grid.