A bill created to implement recommendations of Gov. Jim Doyle's Global Warming Task Force is garnering lots of attention in the Northland this week.
Commerce Secretary Dick Leinenkugel and Public Service Commission Chairman Eric Callisto agree the plan has value for Wisconsin's economic future. The pair traveled to Superior to talk about the Clean Energy Jobs Act, currently under consideration by the Senate Special Committee on Clean Energy.
"We believe it has some real important job and economic benefits to all corners of the state," Callisto said. "There's great biomass opportunities, the kind of energy efficiency savings we saw here today in touring the school district. Great opportunities for job creation - we believe there's opportunity for creation of 15,000 jobs potentially created by this legislation, 2,000 construction jobs, 1,800 jobs in the first year."
The legislative proposal calls for 20 percent of Wisconsin's energy needs by 2020 and 25 percent by 2025 to come from renewable sources to keep more energy dollars in the state.
Callisto said the state currently requires 10 percent to come from renewable sources by 2015 and the state is on track to meet that challenge. About 5 percent of the state's energy use currently comes from renewable sources.
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"We believe that's achievable, it's economical and it's going to bring more energy security to the state of Wisconsin," Callisto said. "We currently export billions of dollars of Wisconsin rate-payer money every year for fossil fuel that's not from the state. By promoting more renewable energy here in the state, we believe we'll create jobs and keep more of those dollars here in Wisconsin."
The bill would also lift a nuclear moratorium in Wisconsin. Callisto said he doesn't foresee the need to build more nuclear facilities in Wisconsin, but it's an option that should be on the table.
Currently the state's utility consumers spend about $16 billion annually to fuel vehicles and meet other energy needs such as heat and electricity.
"We have no coal, we have no natural gas, we have no oil," Leinenkugel said. "So $16 billion is what we send out of the state. We need to recapture and reuse some of those dollars in the state of Wisconsin in terms of creating jobs and reinvesting back here in the state of Wisconsin."
He said the goal to increase the amount of energy that comes from renewable resources to spur that investment; wind energy is an example.
"Right now we have over 300 companies in the state that supply one of the 8,000 components to a wind turbine, and we can grow that," Leinenkugel said. "... We need to set those standards. We need to make those investments. We need to keep a portion of those dollars we are currently spending here in Wisconsin."
The bill also includes increasing energy conservation efforts with graduated statewide electricity savings goals, leading to a 2 percent reduction by 2015 and annual reductions thereafter.
"Increasing our renewable portfolio and investing more in energy efficiency makes sense for Wisconsin," said PSC Chairperson Callisto. "The cost of conserving energy is far less than the cost of building new power generation."
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Saturday, Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, and Rep. Gary Sherman, D-Port Wing, are hosting a listening session on the proposed legislation in Ashland. The session begins at 10 a.m. at the Great Lakes Visitor's Center.
"We have choices to make. We can remain one of the largest importers of coal or we can make investments so that we export renewable energy from sources grown here in Wisconsin," Jauch said in a prepared statement.
