Senate Democrats Urge Republicans to Schedule Right of First Refusal Bill for a Vote
Failure to Pass AB 470/SB 481 could cost WI Ratepayers over $1 billion
MADISON – Today, Senator Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick) and Senator Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) urged their Republican colleagues to stop playing politics with First Right of Refusal legislation and schedule it for a vote for the Senate. Assembly Bill 470 (AB 470) and Senate Bill 481 (SB 481) allows incumbent transmission facility owner the right to construct, own, and maintain certain transmission facilities and Public Service Commission procedures if the transmission facility is a regionally cost-shared transmission line.
MISO’s Monday announcement of their initial draft proposal for a set of Tranche 2 transmission solutions and the potential number of projects in Wisconsin makes it even more important for the Wisconsin to pass AB 470/SB 481 and protect Wisconsin’s ratepayers. The MISO estimate for the Tranche 2 portfolio is around $23 billion. If a merchant developer is selected to build the Tranche 2 projects in Wisconsin, and our existing ratepayer costs cannot be shifted, it could cost Wisconsin ratepayers more than $1 billion over the life of the project according to numerous economic development associations and chambers of commerce across Wisconsin.
Similar legislation has been adopted in almost all our neighboring states and the majority of states in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) region. AB 470/SB 481 passed the Assembly and Senate utility committees with bipartisan support and passed the State Assembly last month.
“Last year, Senate Republicans needed Democrats to accomplish big things for Wisconsin – we can do it again one last time before the session ends,” said Senator Jeff Smith. “Transmission line ownership, construction and operation decisions should be done with accountability and should be made by Wisconsin regulators who work to see that Wisconsin’s public interest is met. It’s time to put Wisconsinites first, instead of protecting out-of-state interests.”
“We have spent the last twenty years making public policy changes to ensure that Wisconsin has transmission infrastructure that is safe, reliable, economically efficient and focused on the State’s best interests,” Senator Brad Pfaff. “We can continue to be a leader on this all while ensuring Wisconsin residents are working on these vital projects throughout our state. The Legislature needs to get serious about energy costs and protecting Wisconsin ratepayers by sending this legislation to the Governor.”