A federal judge has declined to stop construction of the Cardinal-Hickory Creek power line between Iowa and Wisconsin while warning there is no guarantee it can cross the Mississippi River as planned. U.S. District Judge William Conley denied a request by power line opponents to halt construction of the 102-mile line from Dubuque County to Dane County in Wisconsin, saying he has no authority over what the utilities do on private land. But Conley cautioned the utilities behind the more than $500 million project that they are risking ratepayer money and he will not allow them to build in protected areas simply because the transmission companies plowed ahead with ground-clearing without assurances that the fish and wildlife crossing will be approved.
