CASSVIILLE, Wis. – Two utility companies began preliminary construction work on the controversial 102-mile Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line through the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife near Cassville. These steps are under way even while the project still faces hurdles in the courts. Tower footings will be poured by the end the month, said LaCrosse-based Dairyland Power and Canada-owned ITC Midwest. Their transmission line would link Dubuque in Iowa and Madison in Wisconsin. There is some risk that the companies could still lose in court to conservation-minded opponents and wildlife enthusiasts. Although the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago stayed an injunction against the project last week, the conservationists have gone back to U.S. Judge William Conley in Madison to issue another preliminary injunction. Conley has expressed concern about damage the line could cause not only to the wildlife refuge but also elsewhere.
Towers across the Mississippi. Opponents see an unfriendly and dangerous blight on a federal wildlife refuge. Companies cite demand growing demand for electricity in southern Wisconsin.