09/30/2026
I deeply appreciated the opportunity to hear from folks at yesterday’s Rally Against Line 765 event at Korth Park in Lake Mills. Events like this one are so important in standing up for our community, and I am grateful for everyone’s continued engagement and advocacy.
I have heard from many of you who are concerned with how quickly this project is proposed to move through the planning and approval process. This is a concern I also have. The Governor’s 2025-27 executive budget proposal actually gave the PSC an additional 180-day extension it could use during the review period of large projects like BECI. This would be on top of the 180-day extension the PSC can already use. This additional extension would have allowed the PSC to hear from more residents impacted by proposed projects, perform more thorough reviews, and better evaluate whether projects are following all relevant state laws. Unfortunately, legislative Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee eliminated this provision from the budget. Republican legislators also eliminated the Governor’s proposal to increase funding for the PSC’s intervenor compensation program, which helps community members afford the often-expensive costs associated with participating in the PSC’s review process. These two reforms, along with addressing the “default to yes” provision and improving property-owner compensation, are included in the list of reforms I am actively exploring ahead of next session. Our state must do a better job at prioritizing and protecting property owners, farms, and our environment.
