08/21/2026
The Lake Ripley Management District would like to make residents and property owners aware of an upcoming public open house regarding the proposed Bell Center–Columbia–Sugar Creek–Illinois/Wisconsin State Line (BECI) 765-kV Transmission Project being developed by Midcontinent Grid Solutions.
The project is currently in the early planning and public input phase. The project developers are inviting the public to review project information, view study segment maps, ask questions, and provide comments before potential transmission routes are developed.
Jefferson County Open House
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
County Fairgrounds Activity center
503 N. Jackson Ave
Jefferson, WI, 53549
There is no formal presentation. Residents may attend at any time during the open house. Project representatives will be available throughout the event to answer questions, discuss the project, and receive public input. Detailed study-segment maps will be available for review.
Additional Information:
Residents are encouraged to review the available project information before attending the open house. The information below was provided by Midcontinent Grid Solutions.
BECI Project Website (includes an introductory video): https://mgs-projects.com/BECI
BECI Interactive Project Map: https://mgs-projects.com/BECI
BECI Open House Information: https://mgs-projects.com/BECI -house
About the Project:
The proposed BECI project is a new 765-kilovolt electric transmission line planned to extend approximately 190-miles across southern Wisconsin. According to the project developers, the transmission line is intended to strengthen the regional electric grid and meet future electricity demand.
As proposed, it would run on 150–200-foot steel towers across southern Wisconsin, including the Lake Ripley watershed area. It is a pass-through line: built to move bulk power across the region, not designed to deliver power to our area.
As proposed, the towers stand up to 200 feet tall. The wood-pole lines already crossing these counties run about 70 feet. A mature oak tops out near 65. The corridors are not designed to deliver power to the communities they cross — and the data-center projects driving recent demand forecasts are separate proposals in separate proceedings.
One of the study areas shows the line travelling through, or extremely close to, the District’s 240-acre Preserve. This Preserve has been a contiguous 200-acre nature preserve for over 30 years. Our wetlands are vital networks for providing critical ecosystem services such as storing floodwaters, filtering harmful pollutants from surface runoff and sustaining rich regional biodiversity. Our woodland complexes are critical parts of our landscape for sustaining high biodiversity, regulating water cycles, and storing massive amounts of carbon. They provide essential migration corridors for wildlife while buffering ecosystems against climate and environmental stresses. Our prairies create essential spaces for wide-ranging wildlife, improving water storage and protecting native biodiversity. The Preserve is also an extremely important stop-over site for migrating birds.
The Lake Ripley Management District opposes this transmission line coming through Lake Ripley’s Watershed. The District has been diligently working towards our mission, which includes protecting the Lake Ripley watershed, for the last 35 years. The District’s residents, the State of Wisconsin, the federal government and many local, state or private organizations have supported the District over the years through grants, donations and in-kind services.
At this time, no final transmission route has been selected. The project team is evaluating broad study segments and seeking public input before developing preliminary route alternatives.
The Lake Ripley Management District encourages residents, landowners, farmers, and businesses to learn about the project, review the available information, and participate in the public input process.
Show up! It’s the most persuasive thing you can do. Contact your State Senator and Assembly Representative to let them know your stance on this issue. Show up to Public Service Commission meetings and public hearings which serves as the formal record. Attending a meeting or filing a comment is how people are heard.
Midwest Grid Solutions are asking for public feedback on the study segments by September 7th, 2026. You can mail your comments to Midcontinent Grid Solutions, LLC, 3902 Milwaukee Street, P.O. Box 7426, Madison, WI, 53714.
For Town of Oakland residents, contact Wisconsin Assembly District #46 – Representative Joan Fitzgerald: 608-237-9146 and [email protected] and Wisconsin State Senate District #16 – Senator Melissa Ratcliff: 608-266-9170 and [email protected].
