County attorney briefs committee on ATC transmission-line case; written testimony due July 17

Attorney Jacob (Jake) Curtis joined the Washington County Executive Committee remotely and briefed members on the ATC transmission-line matter connected to a proposed Port Washington data center.

Curtis said Washington County intervened in the Public Service Commission proceeding to advocate for corridor placement and noted the county’s interest centers on transmission-line corridors and protecting sensitive environmental areas — in particular mitigated wetlands the county owns. "Washington County was accepted as an intervener," Curtis said, adding that several municipalities and many private parties are also participating.

Curtis outlined the procedural timeline: the county submitted discovery responses on June 1, written testimony from interveners is due July 17, and a public hearing is tentatively scheduled in mid-September. He also recommended preparing written testimony and identified that the PSC is focusing on corridor-selection questions (whether ATC can use existing corridors or must add new lines).

Committee members and counsel discussed that the county’s resolutions set out a position focused on route selection rather than taking a position on the data center itself, and emphasized coordination with towns such as Trenton and Sockville. Counsel said discovery will likely continue and that additional legal work could include written testimony preparation and appearances at hearings.

Legal counsel noted the county has incurred about $2,000 in outside fees so far for initial filings and discovery responses and asked for authority to seek strategic-priority funding to cover ongoing needs. The committee indicated consensus to request such funding and to return with specific requests if needed.

Next steps: staff and counsel will continue discovery and prepare potential written testimony to meet the July 17 deadline; the committee asked counsel to return with funding requests and strategy as appropriate.