Feds Plan To Accelerate CapX2020 Permit Process

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Federal officials are promising an accelerated permit review for a proposed Wisconsin-Minnesota power line.

Obama administration officials say the $493 million CapX2020 project and six others around the country could create more than 10,000 jobs, so the projects' reviews will be fast tracked.

Several utilities, including Xcel Energy, are proposing a 345,000-volt line that would cross the Mississippi River near La Crosse and extend to Rochester, Minn. The White House Council on Environmental Quality estimates the Minnesota-Wisconsin line would create 1,650 jobs during peak construction.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is the lead agency coordinating federal reviews. An environment impact statement is expected to be released next month.

The Journal Sentinel says CapX2020 developers hope they'll have all approvals by next year so construction can begin in 2013.

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