Wisconsin power line protest; Sheboygan County residents head to Pewaukee

PEWAUKEE, Wis. - Nearly 60 miles from home and in freezing temperatures, a dozen people who live in Sheboygan County want to be heard in Pewaukee.

What we know:

Pewaukee-based American Transmission Company (ATC) is behind a more than $30 million project. The company said it’s needed to support energy demand.

Joe Koenig is upset after learning that a proposed seven mile, 138,000 volt power line project could soon run through his property.

Local perspective:

"Come talk to us. Talk to the farmers, talk to the landowners," Koenig said. "They’re looking to take four acres of my property, and they will do eminent domain. This is four or five years in the making and we as landowners were not notified until it was too late."

Koenig and his neighbors have already spent $100,000 to fight it in court. The homeowners were denied twice and are appealing both rulings.

ATC anticipates approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin next month.

Dairy farmer Daniel Kraemer worries about the line’s impact on his livelihood.

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"If this line goes through it’s going to be 275 feet from my dairy barn. I will not subject the cows to stray voltage," he said. "They’re wrecking fish and farms – they have no concern for the farmer. That’s the biggest thing. Once the farm is gone, you’ve lost the food forever."

Kraemer and Koenig broke away from their group’s protest to try and talk with ATC leaders.

They weren’t let in.

"There was no reason that they can’t pick a better route," Kraemer said.

As they begin their journey back, these homeowners worry life on the farm may not ever be the same.

Dig deeper:

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FOX6 News reached out to ATC by email and telephone on Thursday, Jan. 23 and received the following statement:

"As a Wisconsin-based utility committed to serving our communities, we understand the impact our projects can have on landowners. ATC moves energy along the electric grid for energy consumers in parts of Wisconsin and Michigan. We work to ensure residents and businesses have access to safe, reliable and efficient power.

When local electric companies in Wisconsin require connections to the electric grid to meet increased energy demand, we are obligated to facilitate this, subject to approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The PSCW is an independent state regulatory agency whose mission is to ensure that safe, sufficient and reasonably priced utility service is provided to all Wisconsin customers.

Now that the PSCW has made a verbal decision approving the Plymouth Reliability project and has selected the preferred power line route, we are awaiting their written final order containing the project conditions. Once the PSCW issues their written final order, ATC will start its process to move forward with the project with an expected construction start in the fall of 2025."