Ask candidates for Legislature about clean energy

Clean Wisconsin's Keith Reopelle emphasizes clean energy and energy efficiency policies in the upcoming elections in this article from The Cap Times:

Now is the time to make sure you know where your candidates stand on the day’s most important issues. Two important issues that will have a major impact on our state’s future are clean energy and energy efficiency.

Voters typically consider energy a national issue, but state-level politics often have as much or more impact on our energy future. In Wisconsin, state laws determine the how much of our electricity comes from renewable sources like wind and solar power. Additionally, programs like Focus on Energy, the statewide energy efficiency program, help homeowners and businesses save millions of dollars on energy bills.

Despite these laws and programs, we still send over $12 billion out of state each year to purchase dirty fossil fuels. Increasing our commitment to clean energy and energy efficiency could help Wisconsin become more energy independent, clean our air and water, and create thousands of jobs.

Unfortunately, legislators voted to significantly cut funding to Focus on Energy in the last legislative session, despite the program’s proven success; it saves homeowners and businesses $2.50 for every $1 invested in the program. Now is the time to move clean energy and energy efficiency policies forward, not backward.

A recent poll by the bipartisan research team of Public Opinion Strategies and Fairbank, Maslin, Metz and Associates found that Wisconsinites overwhelmingly support clean energy and energy efficiency. In fact, the poll found that 85 percent of Wisconsin voters support increasing the use of wind energy to meet our state’s future energy needs, and 89 percent support increasing the use of solar energy. Additionally, 84 percent said they would support policies requiring 30 percent of Wisconsin’s electricity to come from renewable sources. This is well above the current standard of 10 percent by 2015, which utilities have largely met.

By passing clean energy policies and increasing funding for money-saving programs like Focus on Energy in the next legislative session, legislators can help create Wisconsin jobs. Companies like Milwaukee’s Helios SolarWorks, a solar panel manufacturer, Manitowoc’s Orion Energy Systems, a leader in lighting efficiency, Prairie du Sac’s Tower Technologies, a renewable energy installer, and hundreds more can create more jobs if leaders work together to advance clean energy and energy efficiency policies.

In addition, such policies could attract new companies to Wisconsin and make our state a leader in the rapidly expanding clean energy economy. In April, Ibisworld.com listed solar panel manufacturing (No. 2) and green and sustainable building construction (No. 9) among the nation’s top 10 fastest-growing industries. The poll found that more than two-thirds of voters believe clean energy and energy efficiency will create jobs and investing in these industries now can help ensure Wisconsin remains economically strong for decades.

At a time when our state and nation remain deeply divided on many issues, clean energy and energy efficiency unite people of all political stripes. With less than two weeks to the election, now is the time to ask your candidates where they stand on these important issues.

Keith Reopelle is the senior policy director at Clean Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.cleanwisconsin.org. Find the original article here.

Dan York: Wisconsin slips down in energy-efficiency ranking

A letter to the editor from Dan York, with a correction to the original article "Wisconsin slips down in energy-efficiency ranking.". It's worth reading the original, and the correction is listed below:

Dear Editor: The Biz Beat article “Wisconsin slips down in energy-efficiency ranking,” published Oct. 6, reveals how Wisconsin has lost its one-time leadership position for policies and programs to achieve greater energy efficiency according to annual rankings performed by my organization, the American Council for an Energy-Efficiency Economy (ACEEE). We are pleased to see this issue raised in Wisconsin.

The article contains one statement, however, that is incorrect. A spokeswoman for the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Kristin Ruesch, states that our group (ACEEE) did not look at “achievements” but “spending alone.” Our State Scorecard, in fact, assesses and includes scores both for program spending and savings (achievements). We agree with the PSC that cost-effectiveness and savings impacts are important attributes of programs like Focus on Energy. It is precisely because of the demonstrated cost-effectiveness of Focus on Energy ($2.30 in economic benefits for every program dollar spent) that we believe higher levels of investments in this clean, low-cost energy resource are justified. The PSC reached the same conclusion in its 2010 review of the program, which led to its recommendation to greatly increase funding and associated energy savings goals for Focus on Energy.

Our neighboring states rank higher than Wisconsin because they continue to push for higher energy savings through increased investments in energy efficiency. Wisconsin, by contrast, is standing still and by doing so, is getting left behind. Energy efficiency saves customers money, protects the environment and creates jobs here in Wisconsin. We encourage Wisconsin’s policymakers to take actions to put Wisconsin back in a leadership position for creating a green energy economy for the 21st century.

Dan York, Ph.D., Utilities Program director, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Area businesses get energy efficiency and renewable energy grants from USDA

A story on WXOW, La Crosse:

Five area businesses are splitting more than $65,000 for renewable energy grants.

The money will help them install renewable energy systems or flex fuel pumps, and make energy efficiency improvements. The funds come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Energy for America Program.

USDA Rural Development State Director Colleen Landkamer says the funding helps reduce America's dependence of foreign energy and boosts the rural economy.

Here are the local recipients:

-Robert Lambert, Fountain City, $9,075 for energy efficiency

-Harriet Behar, Gays Mills, $15,121 for solar

-JDI Enterprises, Inc., Hillsboro, $3,019 for solar

-Golden Acres Grain Farms, LLC, West Salem, $17,315 for energy efficiency

-Corr Investments, LLC, Viroqua, $19,099 for solar

Small businesses hit hard by cuts and changes in Focus on Energy

From an article by Judy Newman in the Wisconsin State Journal:

Focus on Energy, a statewide program that promotes energy efficiency, is in the midst of big changes: new management by an out-of-state corporation, suspension of a popular rebate program, and sharp funding cuts in the pending state budget.

Nearly 20 people already have lost their jobs, mostly in Madison, as a result of the management change.

Meanwhile, dozens of small Wisconsin businesses that specialize in setting up solar panels and wind turbines fear for their futures because of the slashed allocation and rebate removal.

“It’s a lot of economic activity and jobs in Wisconsin. It’s a lot of energy efficiency, as well,” said Keith Reopelle, policy director for Clean Wisconsin.

Focus on Energy was created in 2001 to provide education, resources and cash incentives to Wisconsin residents and businesses to increase the use of energy-efficient products and systems, from furnaces to solar panels to vending machines.

In the past 10 years, more than 91,000 businesses and more than 1.7 million residents used the program and saved $2.20 for every dollar spent, according to Focus data. . . .

Since taking over Focus on Energy on May 9, one of Shaw’s first decisions, with PSC support, was to suspend payments to businesses that install renewable-energy systems, as of June 30.

Contractors like Seventh Generation Energy Systems were stunned.“It’s pretty devastating,” said James Yockey, chief executive officer. “It probably took out six to 10 projects that we were looking to close ... for work in the fall and the coming spring.”

Several of the projects were wind turbines for farmers. “I think the incentives are decisive in people saying yes,” Yockey said . . . .

Program supporters have appealed to Gov. Scott Walker to veto the Focus budget cut, including a letter signed by 124 Wisconsin businesses. As of Friday, there was no word on his response. Walker is scheduled to sign the budget today.

“Cutting Focus on Energy will result in higher electricity bills and fewer jobs,” Randy Johnson, president of U.S. Lamp, a Green Bay energy-efficient lighting design company, said in the letter.

Seventh Generation’s Yockey said he hopes to avoid laying off any of his 16 employees by aiming his business at other states, and that could mean moving the company. “We prefer to be located in Madison but the bottom line is: we’ll see where the business takes us,” he said.

120 businesses urge funding support for job creation through energy efficiency and renewable energy

From an article by Charles Davis in the Green Bay Press Gazette:

Thousands of future jobs are at stake if Gov. Scott Walker doesn't veto a provision in the state budget that limits funding for the Focus on Energy program, local business leaders said Wednesday.

"I see it being a real detriment to our business and our customers going forward if we don't have these funding increases," said Jeff Klonowski, regional manager of Kaukauna-based Energy Federation Inc., which supplies lighting fixtures, foam and weather-stripping materials to area contractors.

But supporters of the provision object to the amount of the funding increase, not the program.

"The Focus on Energy program certainly had a lot of benefits, but the huge increase in assessments that were put in place at the end of last year, we think, were too much, too soon," said Scott Manley, director of environmental and energy policy for Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's largest business lobby.

Walker received a letter Wednesday signed by more than 120 businesses asking that he veto that provision in the state budget bill. His office responded with a one-line statement: "We'll evaluate that provision and make any veto-related announcements once the decisions have been finalized."

The program
The statewide Focus on Energy program is funded by tax assessments on utility bills and provides grants to help homeowners and businesses pay for energy-efficient upgrades. It also helps pay for consultants to advise property owners on which type of upgrades would be practical and cost-effective. Each year, utility companies contribute 1.2 percent of revenue — about $100 million total — to the program.

The state Public Service Commission proposed in December raising the utility bill assessments from $94 million in 2010 to $256 million by 2014.

The proposal calls for utilities to increase their contributions to $120 million this year. That amount is fixed even if Walker does not veto the provision. However, assessments would drop to around $100 million in 2012, instead of the initial proposed increase of $160 million for that year.

Image by Clean Wisconsin

More energy efficiency could create 9,000 jobs in Wisconsin

From an article by Larry Bivins in the Wausau Daily Herald:

WASHINGTON — In the absence of a national policy that puts a cap on carbon emissions, some environmental activists see an opportunity to place more emphasis on efficiency as part of the solution to climate change.

Advocates say the potential benefits to the environment, the economy and individual pocketbooks cannot be ignored.

One 2007 study estimates the U.S. could reap $1.2 trillion in electricity savings by investing $520 billion in energy efficiency measures by 2020.
In Wisconsin, a 2009 report by the Energy Center of Wisconsin said the state could create 7,000 to 9,000 jobs by 2012 and generate $900 million in savings by tripling its investment in energy efficiency.

President Barack Obama's administration set aside $16.8 billion in economic recovery act money for research and development, building retrofits, renewable energy projects and weatherization, among other things.

Wisconsin was awarded a $20 million grant in April for its Wisconsin Energy Efficiency (WE2) program to retrofit commerical, industrial and residential buildings.

"Wisconsin has made big steps forward in recent years through energy conservation, energy efficiency and by investing in a clean energy economy," Gov. Jim Doyle said in a statement declaring October to be Energy Awareness Month. "Through greater awareness we can continue to increase our energy independence, save money for families and businesses and create thousands of new clean-energy jobs in Wisconsin."

What If You Knew How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient?

From a news release:

It's Easier than You May Think with Focus on Energy

When it comes to energy efficiency, knowledge is power. This is why Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, wants homeowners to know about the program's educational resources, technical assistance, and financial incentives available to help them improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Through Focus on Energy's Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Program, homeowners learn how to take control of their energy use—resulting in lower energy bills and safer, more comfortable homes.

"Fall is the perfect time to develop an energy-efficiency plan for your home; before temperatures drop and energy bills rise," said Carter Dedolph, program manager for Focus on Energy. "And a homeowner's first step against high energy bills is much easier than they may imagine, with the help of Focus on Energy."

Step One - Getting the Answers You Need

Pinpointing poorly performing components of a home such as air leaks and insufficient insulation is key to lowering high energy bills. This is where the technical assistance and expertise of Focus on Energy comes in. With the help of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and the program's partnering consultants and qualified contractors, identifying these problems and their solutions is easier than expected.

The expert consultant will start by inspecting all systems in your home including testing the ventilation, heating and cooling equipment, air infiltration, and insulation levels. Once the evaluation is complete you will receive a comprehensive home evaluation report that identifies any problems, along with recommended solutions. And finding a contractor to complete the projects couldn't be more convenient—your consultant can recommend trusted service providers in your area or you can choose your own contractor who partners with Focus.

"These are real solutions that will save energy and money, in addition to making your home more comfortable, safe, and durable," explained Dedolph.

Step Two - Making the Improvements

Once recommendations have been made, the program's qualified contractors can then implement the energy-efficiency improvements. By working with a program partner you're guaranteed the work will be done to Home Performance with ENERGY STAR standards. In fact, at the end of the project, the consultant will return to re-evaluate the home and verify that the improvements are complete and effective. In addition, you may be eligible to receive Cash-Back Rewards offered through the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program.

To be eligible, Wisconsin residents must meet two criteria: their electric and/or natural gas utility or cooperative must participate in the program; and the resident's dwelling must be a detached single-unit dwelling, mobile home, duplex, or three-unit building.

As part of a Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Program evaluation, a trained technician will conduct a blower door test, which helps identify and quantify the air leakage of a home. Finding and sealing air leaks can reduce heating costs and increase comfort.

Don't fall for the myths about CFLs; now is the time to start saving

From a news release issued by Focus on Energy:

When you install ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) there are financial and energy savings to be realized; however, there are a few misconceptions about CFLs that have kept some homeowners on the fence. Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, is tackling those myths in an effort to educate Wisconsin residents and help them switch to CFLs. Starting Oct. 1, 2010, and for a limited time, Focus on Energy is offering CFLs for a discounted price at participating retail locations throughout the state.

"We are thrilled with the number of residents throughout Wisconsin who have reduced their energy use and utility bills by installing ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs, but there are still many who have not made the switch," said Linda Mae Schmitt, program manager for Focus on Energy. "It's my hope that by exposing common misconceptions about CFLs, we can encourage more people to take advantage of the many benefits of energy-efficient lighting. And now is the perfect time get on board. Why wouldn't you want to save money while also helping Wisconsin's environment?"

The release goes on to present the facts about the following myths:
Myth #1: CFLs are expensive.
Myth #2: CFLs won't fit in my fixtures.
Myth #3: CFLs are hazardous.
Myth #4: CFLs are hard to find.

New equipment reduces hospital’s energy use

From an article by Steve Rundio in The Tomah Journal:

Hospitals are complex energy users.

They operate 24 hours, seven days a week.

They have stringent requirements for temperature control and air exchange.

They use sophisticated equipment that can malfunction if a room is too hot, too cold or too humid.

Officials at Tomah Memorial Hospital have found an answer to their complex energy needs: a dedicated heat recovery chiller. The hospital received a $35,000 grant Thursday to help finance the $900,000 project that makes the hospital more energy efficient.

“The hospital is reducing its carbon footprint,” said Eric Prise, the hospital’s marketing director.

It’s also saving money. The new chiller has reduced the hospital’s natural gas bill by 47 percent since it was installed last March.

The chiller unit captures heat that is normally wasted in the building’s cooling process. Heat from the chiller is distributed into the hot-water system, which is used to heat sections of the building. Even during the winter months, air conditioning is used to maintain precise temperature control.

“In the interior of this building, it’s always August,” said Nick Roush of Masters Building Solutions based in La Crosse. “There are always things that add heat.”

The recovery chiller addresses the problem.

“We can handle heating and cooling with one piece of equipment,” Roush said. “It has no waste products associated with it. It’s most efficient when you have simultaneous heating and cooling.”

The Oil Spill and You

From a commentary by Michael Vickerman:

Commentary
by Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin
July 12, 2010

About 100 people gathered in downtown Madison in early July to take part in “Hands Across the Sands,” an internationally organized protest against continued oil drilling in and along the world’s coastal waters. Against the backdrop of the weed-choked waters of Lake Monona, they joined hands for 15 minutes to express their fervent desire to see a cleaner, less destructive energy future emerge from the liquid melanoma spreading across the Gulf of Mexico.

No doubt the protestors would like to do more, much more, than simply engage in ritualized protest in front of a few camera crews. But we live in a society that is organized around the expectation of a limitless supply of nonrenewable hydrocarbons feeding concentrated energy into our economic bloodstream. Most of us have not bothered to comprehend the yawning gulf that lies between our best intentions and our abject dependence on the wealth-producing properties of petroleum. Nor how this addiction fills us with delusions of godlike mastery over our environment while blinding us to the reality that we humans have grossly overshot our planet’s carrying capacity.

For those who read and still remember the science fiction classic Dune, the “spice” on Arrakis remains the quintessential literary analogy to the reality of Earth’s oil. Like our oil, the spice held a special place in that world as the ultimate prize worth waging wars and plundering hostile environments for. . . .

Need I mention that once you begin to appreciate the finitude of the Earth’s endowment of petroleum, there’s nothing to stop you from taking immediate steps to curb your personal consumption of this irreplaceable fuel. Whatever you do to lessen your dependence on petroleum will turn out to be a much more satisfying and meaningful response to our energy predicament than any canned protest promoted through Facebook.

As for myself, I made two resolutions since the Macondo well erupted. The first is to go through this summer without activating the household air-conditioner. So far, so good, I can report. (Luckily, we were spared the triple-digit temperature swelterfest that gripped the East Coast last week). It wasn’t that long ago that life without air-conditioning was the norm rather than the exception. If we all resolved not to turn on air-conditioners, we could force the retirement of two to three coal-fired plants in this state.

The other change was to ratchet up my reliance on my bicycle and make it the default vehicle for all my local travels, irrespective of weather conditions. I have been a fair-weather bicycle commuter for many years, but after watching everyone on TV blame someone else for the catastrophe, I felt the need to push myself a little harder. My objective here is to regard my car as a luxury that one day I might do without.

Though the extra perspiration and the occasional dodging of raindrops may take some getting used to, you are going to sleep better at night. Trust me on this.

If the oil spill has prompted a similar response from you, feel free to describe them and send them to the moderator of our Peak Oil blog or post them in a response.

Area communities among those reaching energy independence

From a news release issued by Governor Jim Doyle on the success of the ten communities in Energy Independent (EI) Pilot -- Brown County; Chequamegon Bay (including the cities of Ashland, Bayfield and Washburn, the towns of Bayfield and La Pointe, the counties of Ashland and Bayfield, the Red Cliff tribe and the Bay Area Regional Transit authority); Columbus; Evansville; Fairfield; Marshfield; Oconomowoc; Osceola, including the school district; Platteville and Lancaster; Spring Green, including the school district:

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today announced ten Energy Independent (EI) Pilot Communities are well on their way toward achieving “25 x 25” – getting 25 percent of their electricity and 25 percent of their transportation fuels from renewable sources by 2025.

“Through the EI Pilot program communities have found ways to reduce their overall 2025 fossil fuel-based energy consumption by 30 percent,” said Governor Doyle. “This is significant considering we spend $16 billion on fossil fuel energy every year in Wisconsin, and all those dollars go outside of our state. We are finding ways to reduce our dependence
and generate jobs in Wisconsin.”

Two independent reports released by the Office of Energy Independence revealed how the ten EI Pilot Communities were able to accomplish 98 percent of their collective 25 x 25 goal.

The communities reduced their overall 2025 fossil fuel-based energy consumption by 30 percent and reduced their 2025 carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent.

The information gathered by the EI Pilot Communities will assist Wisconsin local units of government including the 140 EI Communities to decide which strategies will work best with their unique assets and capitalize on the diversity of their resources.

The reports were conducted by two non-partisan research and policy organizations: the Local Government Institute and the Energy Center of Wisconsin.

Homes waste watts of power, study finds

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

TVs, computers, others leach energy and money

In one of the first studies of its kind, energy researchers in Madison have uncovered a simple way that most consumers can save on their electric bills: pull the plug.

The researchers set up more than 700 in-home metering devices in about 50 homes to monitor the proliferation of electronic devices in our homes, and how they affect our energy use.

Thirty years ago, federal data shows, a typical home had about three plugged-in devices. The new study shows our wall sockets are jammed, with each home hosting 30 or more devices. All told, computers, printers, televisions and other devices account for 15% to 30% of a home's total electricity use - about 20% on average, the study found.

The Energy Center of Wisconsin study was able to quantify the impact of having so many devices plugged in and ready to go - sometimes on, sometimes off, and sometimes in standby mode.

Case in point: Home computers that are left on around the clock in some cases suck power even when they're sitting idle.

"Most computers are set up to turn the monitor off after about 20 minutes," said researcher Scott Pigg. "So we turn it on and use it and walk away and come back into the room and see the monitor's off. We think: 'Well, my computer is managing its power and it's shut down.'

"What they don't realize is that two-thirds of the electricity draw is the thing that's sitting on the floor - not the thing that's sitting on the desk," he added. "And the only visual indication that you have that computer's on is a little fan noise and a little green light somewhere."

A step as simple as changing the power management settings on a home PC will take less time than running to the store and buying another energy-saving light bulb, Pigg said.

Tips to manage costs, stay cool, and enjoy summer

From a news release issued by the Public Service Commission:

MADISON - – Utility bills can soar with rising temperatures. To stay cool this summer while conserving energy and keeping costs down, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) offers these easy, low-cost steps:

 Use cold water for doing laundry and air dry your clothes on clotheslines.
 Wash dishes with cold water and air dry.
 Turn off lights when leaving a room.
 Check the weather-stripping and caulking for leaks around doors and windows.
 Use a microwave oven or cook outside instead of using the stove or oven.
 Minimize the amount of time your refrigerator and freezer doors are open.
 Use natural lighting and compact fluorescent light bulbs. Ninety percent of the energy used by an incandescent bulb makes heat.

Workshops, keynoters, and all the other details set for Enrgy Fair, June 18-20

Each year the MREA Energy Fair transforms rural Central Wisconsin into the global hot spot for renewable energy education. The Energy Fair brings over 20,000 people from nearly every state in the U.S. and several countries around the world to learn, connect with others and ready them for action at home. The Energy Fair is the nation's longest running energy education event of its kind.

The Energy Fair features:

•Over 275 exhibitors - sustainable living and energy products
•Over 200 workshops - from introductory level to advanced hands-on education
•Clean Energy Car Show - demonstration vehicles and workshops
•Green Home Pavilion - focused on building and remodeling in a sustainable way
•Green Building Demso - see sustainable building techniques in action
•Sustainable Tables - workshops, chef demos, and a farmers' market bringing sustainability to your dinner table
•Inspirational keynotes, lively entertainment, great food, and local beer.
The Energy Fair is held in Custer, WI just seven miles east of Stevens Point. Join us for the 21st Annual Energy Fair June 18-20, 2010. For more information about the Fair, contact the Midwest Renewable Energy Association at 715-592-6595.

Weatherization program will help to save homeowners money

From an story by on WXOW-TV, La Crosse:

Onalaska, Wisconsin (WXOW)- How would you like to save three hundred dollars on your home energy bill?

That's how much one Onalaska man is saving after having his home weatherized for free, thanks to Couleecap.

The private, nonprofit agency will be spending between 6500 dollars and 8500 dollars to weatherize homes that meet eligibility requirements.

With the assistance, the Burkhardt's were able to re-insulate their home, replace their water heater, and put in a new furnace for free.

In turn, he is able to save money on his energy bills.

In total, Burkhardt is now saving about three hundred dollars.

Burkhardt isn't the only that stands to see savings.

More than a thousand other homes will also be weatherized like Burkhardt's was under the Couleecap program.

Executive Director Grace Jones says, "It's part of the overall energy conservation movement trying to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and non-renewable.

Which also means less dependence on foreign fuel.

Although the program is free for the recipients, the money is coming from somewhere.

Couleecap has a little more than 8.3 million dollars in its budget for the weatherization program thanks to state and federal dollars, including about 3.6 million dollars coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act or stimulus package. . . .

If you think you might be eligible for the weatherization program, go to Couleecap.org.

Or call, Couleecap their in La Crosse in 608-782-4877 or 1-866-717-9490.

A Cruel Month for Renewable Energy

A commentary
by Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin
May 4, 2010

Renewable energy businesses and activists entered the month of April with high hopes of seeing the State Legislature pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA), a comprehensive bill designed to propel Wisconsin toward energy independence, along the way creating thousands of new jobs and strengthening the sustainable energy marketplace. This comprehensive bill would have raised the renewable energy content of electricity sold in Wisconsin, while stepping up ratepayer support for smaller-scale renewable energy installations throughout the state.

Unfortunately, on April 22, the State Senate adjourned for the year without taking action on the Clean Energy Jobs Act bill, effectively killing the measure and leaving hundreds of businesses and individuals who campaigned for the bill empty-handed.

If life imitates poetry, then the line that opens T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land—“April is the cruelest month”—aptly encapsulates the evolution of a campaign that overcame many obstacles in the final weeks only to be undermined by the unwillingness of Senate leaders to schedule a vote on the bill. The sense of anticipation that began the month was swept away by a combination of personal feuds, extreme partisanship, and increasingly polarized public attitudes toward climate change. That the bill’s demise coincided with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day was seen by supporters as an especially cruel twist of fate.

It certainly didn’t help matters that the some of the state’s most politically entrenched constituencies banded together to fight CEJA at every stage of the process. Among the hard-core opponents were Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the Paper Council and the Farm Bureau. Their vociferous opposition scuttled bipartisanship, eliminating the possibility that a Republican legislator would vote for the bill.

Working hand-in-glove with vitriolic right-wing radio talk show hosts, the opposition supplied their grassroots faithful with a smorgasbord of exaggerated claims, hyperbole, outright fantasy, and pseudoscience. Though the analysis purporting to document the opposition’s assertions set a new low in academic rigor, it succeeded in its aim, which was to plant the seeds of fear among certain legislators about the ultimate cost of this legislation before the bill was even introduced.

Working just as vigorously for the Clean Energy Jobs Act, a broad spectrum of interests answered the requests for help. Whether they were one-person solar installation businesses or Fortune 500 corporations like Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls, CEJA supporters wrote letters, made phone calls, and corralled their legislators at the Capitol on several days during March and April.

In dozens of face-to-face meetings with their representatives, CEJA supporters made the case for this bill by bringing out their own experiences as business owners, farmers, educators, builders, and skilled tradesmen. They presented a local and highly personal angle to the clean energy policy debate that many legislators had not appreciated before. Their passion and energy were instrumental in giving this bill a fighting chance for passage at the end of the session. Unfortunately, the campaign could not overcome the pique of the Senate Democrats.

One legislator who kept pushing this ambitious bill up the legislative hill until the very last day was Assembly representative Spencer Black, who was one of the four principal authors of the measure. CEJA supporters are indebted to Rep. Black for his vigorous leadership and his determined efforts to round up support among his compatriots for passing this bill.

Two rays of sunlight did manage to pierce through the heavy clouds at the close of April, prompted by the dedication of the two largest wind turbines owned by Wisconsin schools. In each case, the school erected a 100-kilowatt Northwind turbine manufactured by Vermont-based Northern Power Systems. One serves Wausau East High School while the other feeds power to the Madison Area Technical College’s Fort Atkinson branch. The turbines will offset a significant fraction of the electricity consumed at each school.

Located well within the city limits of Wausau and Fort Atkinson, these 155-foot-tall wind generators eloquently testify to the breadth and depth of public support for renewable energy across Wisconsin. Next January, the Legislature will witness the return of clean energy supporters with similar legislation for strengthening Wisconsin’s renewable energy marketplace. In the meantime, we will be working hard to achieve a very different outcome.

END

Michael Vickerman is the executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a sustainable energy advocacy organization headquartered in Madison. For more information on Wisconsin renewable energy policy, visit RENEW’s web site at: www.renewwisconsin.org.

Failure to pass a clean energy bill doesn’t deter energy efficiency supporters

From a story by Chuck Quirmbach on Wisconsin Public Radio:

Energy efficiency advocates are trying to keep the energy savings momentum going in Wisconsin, despite the legislature's failure to pass a major clean energy bill.

The Clean Energy Jobs Act (CEJA) would have counted some energy efficiency moves toward a mandate to make more use of renewable energy. But leaders of the state Senate killed the measure. Five years ago, lawmakers did pass a bill that transferred oversight of the rate-payer funded Focus On Energy program to the Public Service Commission. The PSC's Jolene Shield says her agency is continuing a planning process to revise goals and priorities for energy efficiency. Shield says phase two of the process means digging into the details.

Shield says PSC commissioners will be deciding how much energy savings should come from households and how much from businesses, and try to judge the impact energy prices will have. Then the PSC will look at whether to go to the legislature's Joint Finance Committee for additional money to spur access to efficient technology.

Wisconsin Democrats say no to Clean Energy on Earth Day

A news release issued by Clean Wisconsin:

MADISON -- Hours ago, the democratically controlled state Legislature failed the people of Wisconsin when it adjourned before taking up the Clean Energy Jobs Act.

"It's ironic that on Earth Day, our Democrat-led state Legislature effectively killed a vital piece of clean energy legislation," says Keith Reopelle, senior policy director, Clean Wisconsin. "Senate Democratic leaders Jeff Plale and Russ Decker's refusal to schedule the bill for a vote guaranteed the bill's demise."

The Clean Energy Jobs Act would have created more than 15,000Â jobs for Wisconsinites. Just yesterday, Wave Wind, a wind energy service provider in Sun Prairie, sent an open letter to the state Legislature noting that the delayed passage of the bill forced the company to lay off 12 employees. Had the bill passed, Wave Wind would have created 100 new high-quality jobs.

"The world is transitioning to a clean energy economy, and Wisconsin is getting left behind," says Reopelle. "Wisconsin has now lost the manufacturing and design jobs that would have been created by the bill  to China, California and Illinois."

The bill also would have lowered energy bills for homeowners and businesses with its renewable energy and energy efficiency provisions, allowing Wisconsin to make incremental but critically important steps toward reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and increasing our energy independence.

"It is a travesty that Wisconsin's Legislature missed the opportunity to take action on such an important bill for the health of our state's economy and environment," says Reopelle. "While today's inaction is definitely a setback, thanks to the hard work of our allies in the Legislature and coalition partners, we have laid the foundation for future clean energy legislation and remain hopeful that Wisconsin will soon return to its forward-thinking roots."

###

Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin's clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and polluters accountable.

Rep. Steve Hilgenberg: Clean Energy Act good for farmers

A letter to the editor of The Capital Times by State Rep. Steve Hilgenberg (Dodgeville):

The reaction to the Clean Energy Jobs Act by some agriculture groups is shortsighted and misinformed. I’ve reviewed the act with farmers, bioenergy leaders and economic development experts. It’s a win for farming and rural Wisconsin.

It has provisions to give direct support to farmers interested in supplying biomass markets. It expands the Focus on Energy program. Wind turbines will be built in rural areas where jobs will be created. Landowners will receive lease payments, and local tax bases will increase.

Addressing the energy crisis in rural areas will diversify farm landscapes and stabilize energy costs with energy independence. More of the $16 billion we send out of state every year will remain in ratepayer pockets and create green jobs here.

According to an analysis by the Public Service Commission, the Clean Energy Jobs Act will save Wisconsin citizens $1.4 billion over the next 15 years.

Maintaining our dependence on cheap (for now) fossil fuels puts Wisconsin on a path to nowhere. Check your facts and help make the Clean Energy Jobs Act law.

Let's pass the Clean Energy Jobs Act to celebrate Earth Day!

Tomorrow the Assembly will be voting on the Clean Energy Jobs Act.

RENEW Wisconsin and dozens of other organizations have been working hard to pass the job-creating legislation.

Clean Wisconsin set up a Web site where you can easily send an email to your legislators to urge them to vote "yes" for the bill.

Contact them now, before the Assembly votes.

Let's make this happen!