Energy

Lower energy costs by appointing PSC commissioners who will stand up for consumers, not act as rubber stamps for utility companies, and who will prioritize conservation/efficiency and wind and solar generation, which are cheaper than fossil fuels

Expand the PSC’s staff so that they have the capacity to actually vet and challenge rate hikes and certificates, while improving regulatory functions for stakeholders

Increase the budget of the Citizens Utility Board so that ratepayers have a meaningful advocate

Encourage and prioritize the development of renewable energy production, by making it easier and faster to build solar, wind, and geothermal energy – enabling us to bring coal fired power plants offline more quickly

Expand access to renewable power and solar energy for renters, low-income households, farmers, and homeowners who cannot install rooftop solar because of cost, shading, roof condition, or property restrictions.

Increase energy independence and reduce strain on transmission systems by diversifying power generation, encouraging local generation closer to where power is needed, and reducing reliance on imported fuels or out-of-state power purchases

Make Wisconsin a conservation leader – expand the efficiency program Focus on Energy, and create a commercial and industrial counterpart to make reducing energy consumption easy and affordable for businesses, factories, farmers, and other non-residential users

Conservation, efficiency, and managing demand are key to keeping utility rates down. I’ll increase investment in Wisconsin’s successful Focus on Energy program and other conservation/energy reduction measures, and create a commercial and industrial counterpart – because the cheapest kilowatt is the one we never use. Wisconsin has fallen far behind on efficiency upgrades that save money and energy, and all of us are paying higher energy costs as a result.

Hyperscale data centers are creating significant demand for energy, and Wisconsin must act immediately to put strong protections in place for workers, our environment – especially our water, local control and transparency, and protections for ratepayers. I’ve sponsored legislation to create meaningful guardrails so that local communities are not left to fend for themselves against the richest, most powerful companies in the history of the world. Wisconsinites shouldn’t be subsidizing data centers – they need to pay their own way, and to pay enhanced rates for the infrastructure and energy they use.

Furthermore, we should require a significant upfront payment for data center development with two purposes. First, to ensure that any potential future damage can be remediated and to make sure Wisconsinites aren’t holding the bag if these developments go belly up. Second, we can use those payments to capitalize a public infrastructure bank, which will then provide no-interest financing for clean energy upgrades to public buildings.

Every school, every public building should get energy efficiency upgrades – to be heated and cooled by geothermal or heat pumps, and powered by solar panels on the roof – but to do that, they need upfront capital that has been out of reach given the state’s paltry funding for schools and municipalities. They can pay back the loans over time with the energy savings, helping Wisconsin get cleaner energy while saving taxpayer dollars now and into the future.

Wisconsin has an opportunity to create good-paying union jobs and build the clean energy economy of the future. But we cannot hand over our water, our communities, or our energy grid to Big Tech without strong protections.

The transition to clean energy is not just a challenge but an opportunity for Wisconsin. We can leverage our expertise and strengths as a state to make Wisconsin a leader in this high growth sector. Good paying jobs, capital investment, and tax revenue can follow from Wisconsin’s role in researching, designing, and manufacturing components of clean tech, from solar glass to turbine components to nuclear fusion.

Increase renewable energy targets for utilities so we can target Wisconsin being 100% powered by clean energy by 2050, and encourage pricing that supports rather than punishes clean energy

Invest in Wisconsin’s burgeoning clean tech sectors, including the design and development of advanced battery technology, fusion energy, sensors and controls, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing

Create incentives and partnerships to make Wisconsin the technological center of clean energy and research

Require strong protections for workers and consumers on energy projects, making sure that well-trained and fairly compensated workers are building and maintaining our energy infrastructure, and ensuring that developers meet strong safety standards

Clean energy is a win for workers, families, and our planet. Wisconsin can lead the fight against climate change while creating good-paying union jobs and building an economy that works for everyone.