The Wisconsin Assembly voted unanimously in favor of SB 459, a bill that would require utilities to get 10% of their energy from renewable energy by 2015, make the state a leader by purchasing 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2011, and protect the Public Benefits Fund which provides funding for energy efficiency and conservation. The bill is now headed to Governor Doyle’s desk where he is expected to sign it.
Currently, Wisconsin generates seventy percent of its electricity from coal, twenty percent from nuclear power and less than one percent from renewable sources.
? Smog pollution from coal-fired power plants in our state triggers 9,340 asthma attacks.
? The Department of Natural Resources has issued fish advisory warnings for all instate waters due to mercury contamination. Coal power plants are the leading source of mercury contamination.
? Scientists predict that if global warming trends continue, we could see as much as an eight foot drop in Lake Michigan. Carbon dioxide, one of the main components of global warming, is a byproduct of burning coal.
Over 2,000 new highly skilled renewable energy jobs would be created in Wisconsin by the bill, according to a study released today by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The study, Increasing Wisconsin’s Renewable Electricity Standard: Benefits to Consumers, Workers and Rural Communities, found that increasing the current standard from about 2.2 percent by 2011 to 10 percent by 2015 would provide a significant source of new income for rural areas, help stabilize energy bills, and provide more revenues for school districts.
UCS analyzed the longer-term goals of raising the renewable standard to 10 percent by 2015 and found that it would boost the state’s economy with benefits such as:
* 2,160 new jobs-including 960 more jobs than generating electricity from fossil fuels
* $1.3 billion in new capital investment
* $31 million in new tax revenues for local communities and school districts
* $21.5 million in lease payments to farmers and rural landowners from wind power
The study found that the standard would result, at most, in a very modest increase in electricity bills of about 18 cents per month for a typical household by 2011, with net savings after 2017. If federal incentives for renewable energy are extended or policies are enacted to limit global warming pollution from power plants, the 10 percent standard could save consumers more than $100 million per year by 2020 or 80 cents per month for a typical household.
Loading...