ATC News

John Procario, a former Cinergy executive, has been selected as our new president and chief executive officer. He succeeds José M. Delgado, who a year ago announced his intention to transition into retirement. Procario spent 32 years with Cincinnati-based Cinergy, now part of Duke Energy. Delgado, who has served as president and CEO since our formation in 2001, will become executive chairman of the board when Procario assumes his new role on April 1.

Project Updates

Despite the bitter cold, construction work continues on transmission line projects in northern Wisconsin.  We are rebuilding and upgrading 73 miles of lines between Conover, Wis., and Quinnessec, Mich. Portions of these lines are more than 80 years old, and are some of the most constrained on our system. The improvements will allow us to move power across the system more freely and reduce the need to run more expensive generating units to compensate for transmission limitations.

We literally stopped traffic on the Gardner Park-Central Wisconsin project in mid-January. Our crews worked with the Department of Transportation and State Patrol while stringing conductors across Business 51 and Interstate 39 in the Wausau area in mid-January. Our thanks to the agencies and our apologies to local motorists for the inconvenience.

The first of two phases of the Fitchburg-Verona project is underway with construction of the Oak Ridge Substation in Fitchburg and a short distance of transmission line to the north. The substation is scheduled to go into service in June; the transmission line to Verona is scheduled to be complete in June 2010.

Public and technical hearings for the Rockdale-West Middleton project have been scheduled by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Public hearings will be at 1 and 6 pm March 24 and 25 at the PSC office; technical hearings will occur March 31 through Apr. 3.

Did you know?
Icy roads can be a good thing.

Using wooden construction mats is only one way we protect the ground and soils in winter. In the Elvoy Bog, the cold conditions this winter allowed Conover-Plains work crews to create an “ice road” for heavy equipment to traverse the expansive and sensitive bog. Ice roads are constructed by removing the top, or insulating layer, of snow, and then running equipment back and forth to effectively drive down the frost through compaction. Transitioning from smaller to larger equipment drives the frost deeper, creating a more stable road. Ice roads are an efficient and effective alternative to construction mats in wetland areas where organic material produces its own heat, thus negating cold temperatures that would usually freeze the soil.

Progressively heavier equipment is used to force frost deeper into the ground when creating an ice road. Our environmental contractor, NRC, is monitoring frost levels at three different locations in the Elvoy Bog to document the effectiveness of ice roads.

Dewatering in winter requires modifications as well.  When the ground is thawed, crews can dewater through a silt bag to an upland location, allowing water to reinfiltrate and drop sediment before entering a wetland or waterway. Frozen conditions do not allow reinfiltration of the water. Crews on our Gardner Park-Central Wisconsin/Morgan-Werner West projects have made retention ponds out of snow on the right-of-way to contain the water. If an on-site method isn’t practical, water is trucked off-site for disposal.

On the other hand, there is an upside to winter construction. In areas with invasive species, the snow cover this winter is deep enough to act as a barrier. That means equipment doesn’t have to undergo daily brushing, nor do we need to install protective barriers – geo-textile fabric and mats – to avoid spreading the non-native plants.

ATC in the community

ATC is a sponsor of the Badger State Winter Games in various locations in Wisconsin. Sporting events are diverse and include indoor and outdoor activities: snowshoe and snowmobile racing; Nordic and Alpine skiing; archery; curling; hockey; basketball; badminton; billiards; bowling; figure and speed skating; ski jumping; indoor soccer; and clay target sports.

ATC is partnering with the UW Athletic Department to promote the “Quarters for Kids” event at the UW women's basketball game against Michigan State Sunday, Feb. 22 at 1:30 p.m.  For each fan in attendance, American Transmission Co. will donate 25 cents to the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County.

Invite an ATC representative to speak to your group

Let us tell you and your service group or professional organization more about ATC. Simply email us at localrelations@atcllc.com and indicate a topic area you're interested in such as new projects, environmental commitment, vegetation management, or electric transmission.  We'll work with you to schedule a speaker for an upcoming meeting.