Atc tranmission lines updates

Learn more about the actions we’re taking

What You Need to Know About ATC Transmission Lines

American Transmission Co. (ATC) is proposing the construction of high-voltage lines through Ozaukee and Washington counties in order to meet the tremendous energy demands associated with 1.3 gigawatt hyperscale data center in Port Washington, WI. That’s the equivalent of the energy needed to power 600,000 homes – more homes than any city in Wisconsin.

The ultimate routing of transmission lines will be determined by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC). If the PSC approves ATC’s preferred routing through Restoring Lands’ nature preserves, ATC will then pursue an eminent domain action in circuit court to condemn the property. Put plainly, despite our strong objections to placing transmission lines across forever-conserved lands, ATC can take our property for their own convenience in constructing a transmission line.

Our Conservation Commitment

For more than 30 years, Restoring Lands has worked to conserve and restore southeastern Wisconsin’s most ecologically significant places, including Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve, Riverbend Conservancy, Fellenz Woods, and Sauk Creek Nature Preserve. The organization has permanently protected more than 7,500 acres—most of which remains in private ownership under conservation easements voluntarily donated by landowners who wished to preserve their land for future generations.

Many of these conserved lands lie within or adjacent to ATC’s proposed western route. As proposed, the line would negatively and irreversibly impact properties that were intentionally protected for public benefit, habitat conservation, water quality, and outdoor recreation.

We are advocating for a smarter, more responsible alternative to ATC’s preferred transmission line route. Our team—including natural resource specialists, technical experts, and special legal counsel knowledgeable in these PSC proceedings—is actively engaged in defending the integrity of YOUR permanently conserved lands.

Our position regarding routing is aligned with several key stakeholders, including: Vantage Data Centers (owner/developer of the Port Washington Lighthouse data center campus), Ozaukee and Washington Counties, the City of Port Washington and Towns of Trenton, Saukville, and Fredonia.

Why We're Concerned About the Proposed Routes

ATC’s preferred powerline route to supply the new data center would cross approximately 350 to more than 500 acres of conserved land in Washington and Ozaukee Counties, including the public nature preserves at County Line Preserve and Center Lane Preserve.

ATC has presented multiple route options, but both of its preferred and preferred-contingent routes would significantly impact conserved landscapes—between 367 and 521 acres, depending on the route.

Constructing the 180-foot-tall transmission towers requires clearing a 150-foot-wide corridor, roughly the width of a 6–8 lane divided highway. This level of disturbance would profoundly diminish the ecological integrity of preserves such as County Line, Center Lane, as well as several easement properties.

Who Makes the Final Decision?

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) will ultimately determine the final route. The PSC is responsible for ensuring safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible utility services statewide.

Learn more: https://psc.wi.gov/pages/home.aspx

Our Role in the Process

We are working collaboratively with landowners, community associations, and municipal leaders to ensure that any final route reflects:

Community-informed decision-making – As a formal intervenor in the proceedings, we will be your eyes, ears, and voice to make sure our community conservation values are heard by decision-makers.
Environmental responsibility – Our experts are conducting environmental and wildlife assessments to document the ecological impacts that the proposed routes would have on our local habitats, water quality, and wildlife corridors.
Preserving the rural character and natural areas of the community – The nature preserves you’ve helped us forever conserve and steward represent millions of dollars of private philanthropy and public investment in delivering the environmental services like flood and climate mitigation, restoring wildlife habitat, and protecting waterways while preserving the rural character of our community. We want people to continue enjoying recreational opportunities on our land.
Sharing Our Expertise – Restoring Lands leadership and experts provided comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement, see the document here.

Your Role in the Process

Provide written comment directly to the PSC or attend PSC public hearings. Public comment and hearing opportunities will open to the public later this year. Visit the PSC Website to learn more.

Donate to support Restoring Lands’ mission

Restoring Lands’ Position as an Intervenor in the Wisconsin PSC Review of ATC Transmission Lines

Restoring Lands has formally intervened in the Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s review of ATC’s proposed high voltage transmission line for the data center. As an intervenor, our role is to provide data, analysis, and testimony that help ensure the PSC’s final decision is environmentally responsible, community informed, and consistent with statutory requirements.

ATC’s preferred western route would require constructing 180-foot transmission towers and clearing a 250-foot-wide utility corridor through areas that have been permanently conserved in western Ozaukee and eastern Washington Counties. To put those dimensions into context, consider that the Statue of Liberty is only 151 feet tall from toe to torch. These cleared corridors and transmission towers would affect lands protected through decades of community investment, philanthropic support, and voluntary conservation agreements.

Our responsibility—as the organization entrusted with the long-term stewardship of these landscapes—is to ensure that the PSC fully understands the environmental, ecological, and community impacts of any proposed route.

What We Are Advocating For

Restoring Lands believes the Public Service Commission should not approve the application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for American Transmission Company (ATC) because of concerns about ATC’s application process, the impacts on land along the proposed route, and this transmission project’s primary purpose of serving a single large customer. However, if the Commission does approve the project, Restoring Lands strongly prefers a route that avoids its protected properties, including those affected by the South Proposed, South Proposed-Contingent, and South Alternative routes. If one of these routes must be chosen, Restoring Lands supports the South Alternative Route because it would:

Have significantly less impact on lands that we have worked for decades to conserve and restore.
Avoids more environmentally sensitive lands, minimizes new disturbance to private homes.

We also believe it is essential to examine whether the transmission line is needed, as proposed, and to rigorously evaluate the environmental and natural resource impacts of any final route. As intervenors, we will present scientific, technical, and legal evidence to support that review.

Our Role Moving Forward

As the PSC process continues, Restoring Lands will:

Provide expert testimony on ecological and conservation impacts, informed by on-site assessments
Work collaboratively with municipalities, landowners, and community partners
Advocate for routing options that are environmentally responsible and consistent with decades of conservation planning

Our mission—to protect, connect, and restore southeastern Wisconsin’s lands and waters for the benefit of all—guides our participation in this process. We are committed to ensuring that the PSC’s decision reflects Wisconsin’s long-term environmental values and respects the public and private investments that created and maintain these conserved lands.

Estimated Timeline

Late Winter 2026

The Administrative Law Judge that oversees the docket has provided the official timeline of proceedings at the pre-trial conference.

Spring-Summer 2026

Multiple rounds of written testimony are due, followed by a technical hearing and public hearings.

Late Summer-Early Fall 2026

The PSC will hold public hearings and a technical hearing. Parties will submit briefs after the hearings. The Commission will create a “decision matrix,” and provide parties with the opportunity to comment on it.

Fall 2026

The Commission will make a decision at an open meeting. The Final Decision will need to be made in writing after that meeting but before a 12/10/2026 deadline.

Our Commitment to Long-Term Conservation

For more than 30 years, people have trusted Restoring Lands to permanently protect and restore thousands of acres of natural lands throughout the Milwaukee River and Lake Michigan basins. Today, some of these treasured landscapes face new threats. We are committed—and obligated—to defend the conservation values and public benefits of the preserves entrusted to us.