DNR buys Chippewa shoreline, site of once-planned nuclear plant, for $2M
MADISON The state Natural Resources Board has approved buying nearly 1,000 acres along the Chippewa River once targeted for a nuclear power plant for $2 million.
The property is northeast of Durand in Dunn County in the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area. Located between Caryville and Meridean, it includes part of the Chippewa River State Trail and 18,000 feet of shoreline on the rivers south bank. Northern States Power Co., now known as Xcel Energy, has owned the land since the early 1970s.
The board, which sets policy for the Department of Natural Resources, approved the purchase during a meeting Wednesday in Ashland. The sale is still subject to approval from the Legislatures Joint Finance Committee and Gov. Scott Walker. DNR officials say the sale should close in September.
NSP once had plans to build a $1.3 billion nuclear power plant at the site then later a coal-fired plant. The Tyrone nuclear power plant plan led to protests at the site and legislative hearings at the state Capitol. Opponents fought it on environmental grounds, and supporters touted construction jobs and claims of lower electricity costs, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Read more: http://www.leadertelegram.com/News/Local/Briefs/2016/08/04/The-state-Department-of-Natural-Resources-board-has-approved-buying-nearly-1-000-acres-along-the-Chippewa-River-for-2-million.html