The Assembly Clean Energy Jobs Committee is holding its last public hearing today on Assembly Bill 649, the 174-page bill encompassing numerous policy recommendations from the Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming. (The Senate companion bill is SB 450.)

The Senate finished its hearings last week. The biggest news from the Senate hearings last week were statements made by Democrat Senators Jeff Plale (South Milwaukee) and Bob Jauch (Superior) noting their concerns with portions of the bill, in particular the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) provision. An LCFS would essentially restrict the use of oil derived from Canada’s oil sands. Wisconsin currently receives roughly 50 percent of its oil from Canada. An LCFS would also punish ethanol.

Once the hearings conclude, it is expected that legislators may begin paring back controversial provisions to make the bill more likely to pass. What, if anything, is removed remains to be seen.

Hamilton Consulting Regulatory Watch will continue to provide timely updates as the legislation moves forward.