Landowner Guide

THIS IS GENERAL INFORMATION, NOT LEGAL ADVICE. Every property and situation is different. Consult a qualified Wisconsin attorney about your specific circumstances, especially before signing any document.

A study segment on a map is not a final route, and it is not an approved taking. MGS has said no final routes have been selected. Being near or on a current study segment does not necessarily mean your property will ultimately be affected.

GENERAL PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR LANDOWNERS

• Keep every letter, map, survey request, business card, email, and other communication you receive from MGS, its contractors, or its land agents.

• Document current property conditions (photos/video of fields, drainage, structures, wells, fences, and access) before any survey or construction activity occurs.

• If someone requests access to your property, ask what access is being requested, for what purpose, under what legal authority, and for how long.

• Do not sign an easement, option, or right-of-entry agreement without fully understanding the permanent rights it would grant. Consider having qualified counsel review any document before you sign it.

• Track Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) filings and public comment or intervention deadlines once a formal docket is opened for BECI.

• Coordinate factual information with neighboring landowners so that drainage systems, farm operations, residences, wells, and conservation features are not overlooked in MGS's review.

ABOUT EMINENT DOMAIN

ANALYSIS: Transmission developers may, in qualifying circumstances and after specific regulatory approvals, ultimately obtain condemnation authority for right-of-way that is not voluntarily granted. That process is regulated by Wisconsin law and PSC procedure - it is not the same as an unlimited right to take property, and eminent domain authority (if it were ever to apply to an approved BECI route) would follow, not precede, PSC review. We do not claim that "eminent domain means MGS can take whatever it wants," and residents should not treat a study segment as an inevitability.

THE PROCESS, IN PLAIN ENGLISH

MGS routing and study segments -> MGS files a formal application with the Wisconsin PSC -> Public participation and intervention period -> Evidentiary/contested case process before the PSC -> Commission decision on whether, and along what route, the project may be built.

We will update this page with BECI's actual status in that process as it becomes public. See "News & Updates."