Wisconsin lawmakers went home last week leaving a slate of energy and environmental policy bills on the table, but some advocates see signs that clean energy may be gaining traction, even among Republicans who control both chambers.
The Legislature passed just one significant energy-related bill, an expansion of a clean energy financing tool, while a handful of GOP-sponsored bills almost made it to the finish line.
Meanwhile, a package of nearly two dozen Democratic proposals aimed at curbing and adapting to climate change languished without so much as a committee hearing after Assembly Speaker Robin Vos dismissed them as “nothing more than pandering to the very liberal base.”
Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, a vocal leader on clean energy and climate policy, gave the session a grade of “incomplete.”
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“There was some discussion, but very minimal action,” she said.
But while Republican leadership stymied the Democrats’ climate bills, Neubauer sees signs that some in the party are becoming more receptive to clean energy.
“The discussion has changed significantly in the last couple of years,” she said.
Republicans introduced bills to expand access to solar energy, spur investments in electric vehicle charging stations and foster markets for farmers to sell carbon offsets.
“By my count, there were eight GOP-led bills on clean energy or electric vehicles,” said Scott Coenen, head of the Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum. “That’s eight more than last session.”
Coenen said at least some Republicans recognize the economic and social benefits of homegrown energy.
“We proved the concepts: There can be conservative, free-market-centered clean energy policy,” he said. “You can do it in Wisconsin.”
Nick Hylla, executive director of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, had a less charitable take on the majority party’s forays into clean energy.
“You can introduce, if you’re a Republican, anything you want. But you also know that it’s not going to get out of committee unless a supermajority is going to vote for it,” he said. “They just do it to look good.”
PACE program
The only significant energy bill passed was an expansion of Wisconsin’s Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, a tool for financing clean energy, energy efficiency and water conservation projects.
The bill, passed unanimously and signed into law last week by Gov. Tony Evers, will allow financing for projects including stormwater infrastructure, such as green roofs and permeable pavement, as well as electric vehicle charging stations at commercial and industrial properties.
Jim Boullion, legislative director for Renew Wisconsin, said clean energy’s technological advances and falling prices in recent years have made “a great story” — not just about reduced greenhouse gas emissions but also one of economic development, job creation and cost savings.
“We are definitely making inroads with legislators from both sides of the aisle,” Bouillon said. “Even if there are still hurdles to overcome, everyone is interested in learning more.”
Neubauer believes Republicans will have to move further in order to win over suburban voters and as traditionally red districts are increasingly affected by climate change.
“We are being pushed in the Capitol from outside,” Neubauer said. “I do think they’ll feel increasing pressure to take action on these issues.”
Below are a selection of energy-related bills that failed to pass this session:
Climate change
Late last year, Democrats introduced a package of 22 bills based on recommendations of the governor’s climate change task force that would have doubled funding for energy conservation and funneled more of that money to low-income households, reduced food waste, and provided money for climate-related research and planning, among other things.
None of the bills received a committee hearing or vote.
This isn't a serious effort and is nothing more than pandering to the very liberal base of WI Dems. And they wonder why they can't win elections outside of Madison and Milwaukee? https://t.co/ZfhrBhaBzP
— Robin Vos (@repvos) November 16, 2021
Vos said on Twitter, “This isn’t a serious effort and is nothing more than pandering to the very liberal base of WI Dems. And they wonder why they can’t win elections outside of Madison and Milwaukee?”
Hylla suggested Democrats made a “marketing” blunder by focusing on climate change rather than economic development, jobs and consumer empowerment.
“Who are you trying to win over?” Hylla said. “You already have those people.”
Neubauer said politicians need to highlight both messages.
“I think it is important that we continue to talk about climate change,” she said. “It is a crisis that’s looming.”
Electric vehicles
Legislation stipulating who can sell electric vehicles, who can provide charging services and how customers pay for the electricity stalled amid disputes over the role for local governments and the source of electricity.
One GOP bill would have allowed companies other than utilities to charge for the amount of electricity sold rather than by the minute, clearing the way for private companies to operate charging stations more fairly.
But amendments stipulated that providers could only charge for electricity from local utilities, effectively prohibiting solar-powered charging stations, and limited the role of local governments, which opponents said would lead to charging deserts in rural areas and other places that might not be profitable.
Advocates saw the final legislation as a step backward but say updates are needed to prepare for widespread adoption of electric vehicles and the influx of at least $79 million in federal funding for EV infrastructure.
“We are at a key moment when important policy decisions have to be made,” Boullion said.
Solar access
A pair of Republican-sponsored bills that would have made solar energy accessible to more people failed to get through the committee hearing process amid heavy opposition from utilities.
One was intended to address an ambiguity in state law that has allowed utilities to refuse to hook up solar panels their customers lease from independent providers, which proponents say is key to expanding solar access for local governments and nonprofit organizations as well as individuals who can’t afford the up-front costs.
The other bill would have required utilities to purchase energy from community-owned solar farms, a popular way for those who can’t put solar panels on their roofs to share in the economic and environmental benefits.
Utility competition
Despite vigorous lobbying by a state utility regulator, the Legislature did not pass a bill to limit competitive bidding on the long-distance power lines that will be needed to deliver clean energy to population centers.
The bipartisan bill would have given the state’s three transmission utilities exclusive rights to build projects approved by the Midwest grid operator, which is expected to approve at least $30 billion worth of new lines next year.
Commissioner Ellen Nowak of the Public Service Commission pushed for the bill, which had support from utilities and labor unions, as a matter of preserving reliability and state control. But a coalition of consumer, industry and free market groups argued it was simply about protecting utility profits at the expense of ratepayers.
Natural gas
Another GOP bill introduced in the final days of the session would have prohibited cities, towns and villages from banning natural gas hookups in new buildings.
Such laws hamstring local governments’ ability to fight air pollution and climate change, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
At least 21 other states have adopted similar preemption laws since 2019 when Berkeley, California, became the first U.S. city to ban gas hookups in new buildings. Dozens of other cities — most recently and notably New York — have since followed suit.
Carbon trading
Introduced in the final days of the session, the Republican bill sought to establish a voluntary market for farmers to trade carbon emission offsets and to make it easier for producers to sell renewable gas produced from manure and food waste.