High-voltage power line through Mississippi River refuge approved by federal appeals court

A national appeals tribunal has cleared the mode for utilities to decorativeness gathering a high-voltage powerfulness enactment crossed a Mississippi River refuge

MADISON, Wis. -- A national appeals tribunal has cleared the mode for utilities to decorativeness gathering a high-voltage powerfulness enactment crossed a Mississippi River refuge.

American Transmission Company, ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative are successful the last stages of constructing a 102-mile (164-kilometer) transmission enactment linking Iowa’s Dubuque County and Wisconsin’s Dane County. About a mile of the enactment (1.6 kilometers) would transverse the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge adjacent Cassville, Wisconsin.

A conjugation of conservation groups filed a national suit successful March successful hopes of stopping the crossing. The groups allege the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved the crossing successful February without capable nationalist comment. They besides support that the bureau and the utilities improperly reached a woody calling for the utilities to transportation onshore to the refuge successful speech for onshore wrong the refuge for the powerfulness line.

U.S. District Judge William Conley issued a preliminary injunction blocking the onshore swap portion helium weighs the merits of the case. A three-judge sheet from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the injunction connected Thursday. The sheet ruled that Conley didn't find that the conservationists were apt to triumph the case, a mandatory determination to triumph a preliminary injunction.

Online tribunal records amusement Conley has acceptable a briefing docket connected the merits of the lawsuit that extends done precocious July, with a proceeding acceptable for Aug. 8.

It's unclear erstwhile the utilities mightiness adjacent the onshore woody and statesman construction. The Associated Press sent emails seeking remark from the food and wildlife service, Dairyland Power and ITC Midwest connected Tuesday.