The alternative to transmission expansion is to implement measures that will encourage and support energy efficiency, energy storage, demand response, distributed generation, and local renewables.  Implementing the above will reduce energy waste, foster local control, provide significant savings to households and businesses, create many local jobs, cut CO2 emissions, and increase local service reliability.

The opposite approach of continuing to rely on huge and expensive high-voltage transmission lines will increase waste, meet the needs of utility companies rather than those of electricity consumers, burden consumers with billions of dollars of debt, create few lasting jobs, substantially increase CO2 emissions, and continue the legacy of inaction.

The projected numbers for these two divergent paths are very telling.  The path of transmission expansion and increased energy use will result in approximately $300/month electric bills and substantial carbon emissions by 2045.  While the path of energy efficiency will lead to approximately $60/month electric bills and no carbon emissions by 2045. http://www.soulwisconsin.org/