Not a Done Deal

No765 Line
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Politics
  • Updated Semiweekly

Two 765,000-volt transmission lines — MariBell and BECI — are proposed to cross southern Wisconsin. No 765 Line, Inc. is a Wisconsin nonprofit helping landowners and communities understand the projects, the process, and what they can do about it. Conversations with the people tracking the lines, the law, and the land. More at no765line.org.

Episodes

  1. 5d ago

    Did anybody in Wisconsin ask for this? Two days inside the MGS open houses

    Two days inside MGS's BECI open houses. On day two in Baraboo (UW-Platteville's Lange Center, Aug 25), Michael talks with Jim, whose family and neighbors sit in the path near Lodi, and with Kris Brewer, one of the Sauk County organizers who had volunteers, clipboards, and sign-ups running before the doors opened. Then board member Emile Smith sits down at the Gays Mills open house (Aug 24) with Donna Bell, town of Scott clerk and landowner, whose century farm on Bell Center Ridge lies under two of the proposed route segments - and whose township was told by Dairyland Power, the developer of "MariBell," the other 765 kV project, "don't worry, you're notinvolved." MGS is taking comments on its BECI study segments through September 7, 2026. We've made it simple: ⁠no765line.org⁠ -> Take Action -> Comment to MGS. This podcast is for general information only and is not legal advice. For decisions about your land, consult your own attorney. Sources for figures cited in this episode: - FERC order on MGS Wisconsin's BECI transmission incentives (ER26-2376, 195 FERC ¶ 61,251, June 26, 2026) background: ⁠https://no765line.org/news-beci-ferc-incentives/⁠ - Commissioner-to-utility moves since 1996: WPR, "Wisconsin lawmakers propose bill to slow the 'revolving door' between regulators and utilities" (https://www.wpr.org/news/wisconsin-bill-slow-revolving-door-between-regulators-utilities); Urban Milwaukee, Dec 22, 2025 (Valcq/Alliant) and Feb 10, 2026 (revolving-door bill) - Local government actions (23): ⁠https://no765line.org/take-action/resolution-tracker/⁠ Cold open - did anybody from Wisconsin ask for this line? || 0:13 | Back in Baraboo - day two of the open houses || 1:18 | Arrival at the Lange Center || 1:57 | Jim - who asked for this line? || 5:35 | Kris Brewer - organizing in Sauk County || 9:48 | Emile & Donna Bell - a legacy farm near Bell Center (Gays Mills) || 17:56 | Before September 7 - what you can do |

  2. Aug 21

    Voices from Baraboo: 342 people, one library, and the BECI study segments

    On August 20, a Sauk County informational meeting about the proposed BECI 765 kV transmission line filled the Baraboo Public Library past capacity; the sign-in sheet counted 342 people, with crowds standing outside for the whole meeting. Afterward, Michael Browne turned on a recorder. Five conversations: Sue Stackman, whose fourth-generation century farm in Rock Springs sits in the path; Chris and Dawn Speerings of North Freedom, where a proposed turn tower would stand less than 100 yards from their bedroom; Kay Luxdon, whose Hill Point dairy farm hosted this year's dairy breakfast; Joel Johnson and Janet Johnson on how 342 people ended up at the library; and Tennille Osthoff, vice chair of No 765 Line, on what happens next. MGS open houses run August 24-27, and segment comments are due September 7. For information on how to submit comments to the developer: no765line.org/take-action/comment-to-mgs/ Details and event times: no765line.org/events (0:00) Cold open: "It's going to cost us all" (0:18) Sue Stackman: a century farm in Rock Springs (4:33) Chris & Dawn Speerings: a tower 100 yards from the bedroom (11:18) Kay Luxdon: a Hill Point dairy farm and a letter in the garbage (14:26) Joel & Janet Johnson: how 342 people ended up at the library (22:34) Tennille Osthoff: what happens next Speakers appear with their permission; the views in these interviews are the speakers' own. This podcast is for general information only and is not legal advice. For decisions about your land, consult your own attorney. Music: "Slow Burn" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), CC BY 4.0.

  3. Aug 11

    78 study segments, a September 7 deadline — and what landowners can do (w/ Rob Danielson)

    Days after Midcontinent Grid Solutions mailed landowners across nine southern Wisconsin counties and published 78 preliminary "study segments" for the proposed BECI 765 kV transmission line, Michael Browne sits down with Rob Danielson — who has tracked utility expansion projects since the 2010 Badger Coulee fight — to walk through what just happened and what to do next: the information-request "punch list" every landowner should sendhow to work the August 24–27 open houseswhy the September 7 comment deadline mattersand why this is Not a Done Deal. Details and event times: no765line.org/events. This podcast is for general information only and is not legal advice. For decisions about your land, consult your own attorney. | 0:35 | Welcome; who Rob Danielson is | | 6:33 | What a 765 kV line actually is (250-ft easement, ~200-ft towers) | | 10:22 | Who's building MariBell and BECI | | 14:46 | How MISO planning works — and who drives it | | 17:12 | The 78 study segments, the letters, and the February target | | 22:27 | Take it seriously: land, family, habitat — and lawyers | | 25:07 | The landowner punch list: maps, easement width, construction areas, access roads, towers | | 32:59 | You have more power than you think — the Badger Coulee precedent | | 36:07 | Template letters and finding sample language | | 44:37 | The 37-month precedent vs. a 7-month sprint | | 49:37 | The existing-corridor question: § 1.12(6) and the 9% figure | | 1:00:16 | County-by-county open house schedule (Aug 24–27) | | 1:01:24 | Working the open house: letters, names, forms, siting engineers | | 1:07:24 | After the open house: surveyors and land agents | | 1:09:44 | One thing to do today | Further citations: MGS project site: mgs-projects.com/BECIOpen house schedule + September 7 comment deadline — no765line.org/events MISO Long-Range Transmission Plan Tranche 2.1 (approved Dec. 10, 2024; 24 projects, ~$21.8B): misoenergy.org → "Transforming the Grid: MISO's $21.8B Tranche 2.1 Transmission Portfolio" Wisconsin's siting priority law — Wis. Stat. § 1.12(6): docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/1/12/6What a 765 kV line is (easement width, tower height, comparisons): no765line.org/the-765-line/Badger Coulee CPCN proceeding (2013–2015) — PSC of Wisconsin docket 5-CE-142 (apps.psc.wi.gov ERF)- Music: "Slow Burn" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 — creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • 3 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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About

Two 765,000-volt transmission lines — MariBell and BECI — are proposed to cross southern Wisconsin. No 765 Line, Inc. is a Wisconsin nonprofit helping landowners and communities understand the projects, the process, and what they can do about it. Conversations with the people tracking the lines, the law, and the land. More at no765line.org.

Information

  • Creator
    No765 Line
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © No765 Line
  • Show Website
    Not a Done Deal