By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
As was previously stated in the Whitewater Banner, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission [PSC] held a public hearing at the Community Engagement Center on July 9 regarding Whitewater Solar’s proposed project. The 6 p.m. hearing was somewhat better attended than the 2 p.m. hearing, with a total of approximately 100 people. It appeared that nearly all of the audience was composed of rural residents. A large portion could be considered to be senior adults; one of the commenters said that he was afraid that many of them would have to be looking at this project for the rest of their lives.
The hearing was conducted by PSC Administrative Law Judge Michael Newmark, who indicated that a person couldn’t be a party (an “intervenor”) and make a public comment. The hearing for those individuals, of which there were an unusually high 45, was the previous week, and Newmark stated that two-day hearing lasted 21 hours. Though a Spanish language translator was present on July 9, that service was not needed. The applicant is Whitewater Solar LLC, and Ranger Power owns that entity.
Newmark mentioned that the PSC has three commissioners who are appointed by the governor and approved by the Senate. The commissioners will review all of the comments that are made in the public hearings as well as all of the written comments that were submitted beginning May 14 and through Friday, July 11. The commissioners may only use the record for the decision. They can approve the application, approve it with conditions, or deny it. One of the public commenters claimed that if this application is denied, it would be the first such occurrence. Anyone wishing to make a comment, for or against the project, has until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 11 to do so. The link is provided here.
Each of the public hearings lasted approximately an hour. Twenty-seven individuals testified. Some came with well-crafted, rather lengthy statements, whereas a few indicated that they hadn’t planned to testify until the last minute. There was not a single commenter who spoke in favor of the project. A number of the individuals stated that they support the implementation of solar power generally, but no one had anything positive to say about the Whitewater Solar project.
Many of the comments touched on concerns that were mentioned in the previous Banner article. Here we will provide just a sampling of the concerns that were raised. Apologies to those individuals whose names are misspelled. We will be glad to make a correction if you write to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com.
Whitewater Fire Department Assistant Chief Ryan Dion indicated that should there be battery storage included in the project, his department does not have provisions to fight hazardous chemical fires. There are other agencies in the area who would provide mutual aid, but it would take a while for them to arrive.
Jerry Callwelter expressed concern regarding stray voltage, indicating that with the water table being only 3-4′ underground in many cases, the water can conduct electricity. He stated that in the late 70’s he accidentally hit a wire in his building, and every time his neighbors took a drink of water, they got a shock. There have been three hailstorms recently. What happens if such a storm hits all the solar panels? What happens to the soil?
Jeff Simes asked what happens if the money runs out. [Afterwards someone stated that under the recent “big, beautiful bill,” subsidies will be discontinued for any project that is not started by 2026.] Who’s going to pay if the construction damages the rural roads?
Holly Neault loves to hike and bike on the trail system. Thousands of people travel here related to races on the Ice Age Trails. The second oldest ultra marathon in the country is held here, but Holly feels it will not continue if the project is built. The area is also a hub of road biking activity – one of the best in the country. “We see deer, fox, pileated woodpeckers two feet tall, egrets, river otters, bald eagles, bobcats, badgers, bears, and mountain lions. What will happen to them when all this area is fenced in? It will be a hazard to cars. We’ll need an animal lane instead of a bike lane.”
Newmark asked Cheryl Wagner if her husband is an intervenor. She confirmed that he is, but stated she’s been married 43 years but “not today.” She wished to make her own statement. She spoke of the terrible stress that she and her husband have been under from a head-on collision three years ago. Her stress level is now through the roof. “No one from the project visited me,” she said, a comment that others made. She also anticipated that her pets would be severely affected by the construction noise, and that neighbors’ horses would be spooked.
Michael P. Pope stated that the money offered for solar is high, yet many of the people who’ve signed on never farmed the land; for example, they married into ownership and the spouse died. Now it’s all about the money.
Andy Ascher was concerned about the potential impacts of chemicals to the drinking water. 980 acres of solar panels will also result in increased heat, he said.
Dawn Rocha stated that she received the postcard announcing the project not one week before the first meeting. Bluff Road residents have been in turmoil since last August. “We’ve been in the dark for years. Why were we not made aware when leases started being offered in 2021 or earlier? Why do we have to obtain permits, but a utility can take their proposal to the state level without going to the town or county?”
Pam Collins lives in the Darien area, where a huge “solar farm” was recently constructed. It is not producing enough electricity and now they’re putting in a natural gas plant.
Molly Hinderer is expecting her first child and is overcome with anxiety and fear. At the minimum, she felt they should require an environmental impact statement or at least provide an extension for public comment. There were significant changes to the project proposal in June and people haven’t had a chance to review it.
Joe Vultaggio lives on SR 89 and will be completely surrounded by the project. “Is the power going to Milwaukee, not even benefitting our area?”
Lorie Hoyt spoke of national security concerns. “The panels are made in China; is there a possibility that they could shut the system down? At the intervenors’ hearing, five community members, who are heroes, were up against five lawyers.”
John Stuckowski is concerned about real estate values. “Ranger Power commissioned a study, but just because properties didn’t sell, it said there was no effect on property values.”
Rebecca Fredricks said there’s a time and a place for solar, but not here. The applicants have been negligent, or even dishonest at worst. The Southeast Planning Commission’s priority is maintaining farmland. She’s an RN and has seen plenty of suffering. She’s seen people here suffering due to what’s going to happen to their lifestyle. They’re not sure they can have confidence in the PSC. There’s a way to minimize the harm by moving to the alternative locations. [After the meeting this reader was told by Yvette Loiselle that one of the alternate locations would impact only two homes rather than 25.]
Peter Gilregal helped to install the solar farm in Jefferson. “It was the worst working conditions of my life,” he stated.
Editor’s note: The Whitewater Banner does not have a position on this project; however, we encourage all area residents who have comments for/against the project, to submit their comments on the PSC website by Friday evening. One of the comments that was made in the meeting was that many of the online comments have been made by people who live in Milwaukee and other areas of the state.
