Will the combination of a deep economic slowdown, coupled with improvements in energy efficiency, preclude the need for a new $250 million high-voltage electric transmission line across Dane County?
It’s a question some are asking as more factories close at the same time President Obama is calling for a greening of the nation’s century-old electric system.
Last week, the Madison City Council approved hiring a consultant to study the economics of a new 345-kilovolt transmission line and to determine whether it is warranted. The city previously hired a consultant to study putting the line underground or somewhere other than along the Beltline highway as proposed.