(Continued from page 24)

Northern States Power, already are paying 40 to 50 cents more per month to cover line construction in Minnesota, said CapX2020 spokesman Tim Carlsgaard. They can expect to pay about $1.70 a month at the height of the entire project's construction, expected to come around 2014, with decreasing costs as work winds down, Carlsgaard said.
• Dairyland's Mirasola said the cooperative's customers could see 70 cents to a dollar more on their monthly bills once the line is completed and running, but stressed building it could save them money by

eliminating the need to build other lines. WPPI spokeswoman Anne Rodriguez said that utility doesn't anticipate any rate increases because transmission improvements will offset expenses.
• Ratepayer advocates have disputed the utilities' power demand projections for western Wisconsin, saying energy consumption has slowed during the recession. The Citizens Utility Board contends the proposal is excessive and Wisconsin customers will end up subsidizing power for other states.
• "The La Crosse area ... doesn't really need a 345-kilovolt-sized line," CUB Executive Director Charlie Higley said. "We'd like to see more people in the Midwest help pay for this project."
• Environmental advocacy group Clean Wisconsin maintained the line's environmental impact hadn't been fully studied and the utilities' mitigation proposals weren't adequate. The commission chose a route Thursday, though, that avoids most of the

(Continued on page 26)