Legalectric

Here are two articles from the St.PPP that needed to be placed closer together, because it seems folks are slow about seeing the connections between the rise of American Transmission Company (ATC), all these PSC decisions unreasonably favorable to utilities, and utility donations to Wisconsin Governor Doyle, who appointed the Commissioners who approved the Arrowhead line. And remember, it was the Democratic leader Chuck Chvala who was nailed for twenty-some counts of campaign donation violations! Do a little research on the utilities role in that!!!

Here’s ATC, simple and short, the “news” is that “Transmission line company hopes to expand.”. Yeah, we’ve known that a while.

The company, jointly owned by five Wisconsin utilities, now has a 10-year plan to spend $3.3 billion. When the company was formed, some in the industry asked officials to provide “cheap transmission.”

“I said, no, what you’ve got now is cheap transmission and it doesn’t work,” Delgado said.

“We’re going to give you adequate transmission and that is going to save money on energy.”

Uh-huh, right… now is that before or after the cost of the Arrowhead transmission line shot up to half a billion ratepayer bucks?

All these transmission and power plant decisions are made by Wisconsin’s Public Service Commission, that, like our PUC, has Commissioners appointed by the Governor.

Investigators seek info from group on donations to Doyle

Wisconsin Gov. James Doyle

McCabe said FBI agents first approached him a year ago asking general questions about corruption in the Capitol but were not focusing on Doyle at the time. He said Department of Justice and the FBI began asking more specific questions about Doyle’s donations in early fall, and the organization complied with requests for information in November.

McCabe said DOJ specifically asked about donations from the Wisconsin Public Service Corp. The group turned that information over to investigators and also used it as part of a report it put out publicly last month detailing the $41,550 that executives of WPS and Alliant Energy Corp. gave to Doyle in the six months after the state Public Service Commission rejected their sale of the Kewaunee nuclear plant to a Virginia company.

The three-member commission, which included two Doyle appointees, reversed its decision on March 17 and allowed the sale to go through.

Can you say Chuck Chvala? Can you remember what Wisconsin’s Senate leader was doing? If not, go here and type in Charles Chvala
2002CF002451 in Dane County – he’s the one born 12/5/54 (careful, there are two) His guilty plea went through last month.

Former WI state Senator, now felon, starting nine months in jail, then 2 years probation

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal:

Chvala, 51, pleaded guilty in October to two felony counts for using state workers and resources on at least one political campaign in 1998, and illegally running a third-party group that directed contributions to the re-election campaign of Sen. Mark Meyer (D-La Crosse) in 2000. Seventeen other felony charges, including extortion, were dismissed under the terms of a plea deal.