Cardinal Hickory Creek Facing Federal Law Suit

There appears to be more legal challenges for a proposed high-voltage transmission line that would run from Dubuque to Dane Counties. In a recent filing, four conservation groups have brought a lawsuit against the US Army of Corps of Engineers for how they handled the Cardinal-Hickory Creek project. Organizations listed in the suit include the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and the Defenders of Wildlife. The groups are alleging that the Corps did not meet federal standards related to assessing environmental impacts prior to the agency issuing permits for the project back in 2017 and 2018. The almost half-a-billion-dollar transmission line is a joint venture of American Transmission Company, ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative. The same conservation groups have also filed lawsuits against the Rural Utilities Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as the Wisconsin Public Service Commission.