The state received national recognition two weeks ago for policy initiatives to increase renewable energy and energy conservation.
A report from the national group Environment America, a federation of state environmental advocacy organizations, recognized Wisconsin and other states for their energy use and savings.,”When it comes to environmentally friendly energy policies, Wisconsin is a rising star.
A report from the national group Environment America, a federation of state environmental advocacy organizations, recognized Wisconsin and other states for their energy use and savings.
The report compared states in five key areas: renewable electricity standards, the Clean Cars program, utility energy efficiency programs, energy efficiency standards for appliances and building energy codes. Based on policies adopted by state governments on these issues, Environment America classified excelling states as gold stars, silver stars or rising stars.
Gold star states like California adopted strong policies in four of the five areas studied. Silver star states like Iowa incorporated strong policies in two of the areas and enacted meaningful policies in at least one other area, and rising star states recently acted to promote the areas.
Seven states were named gold stars, five were identified as silver stars and nine, including Illinois and Minnesota, qualified as rising stars.
Rising star status "confirms Wisconsin's leadership role and gives us a road map to improve," said Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton, who made the rising star announcement.
Environment America determined Wisconsin's status by compiling "information largely from our federation of state environment groups, including Wisconsin Environment," said Kate Johnson, a clean energy advocate for Environment America. "We have worked at the state level to pass a lot of these policies so we know what states have done."
According to Johnson, Wisconsin was recognized partly because of changes made in 2006 and 2007 that required utilities to increase their spending on energy efficiency programs, which allowed the state to invest in natural gas efficiency programs.
In 2006, Wisconsin passed Energy Act 141, legislation that includes better renewable energy portfolio standards, puts in place a mechanism that prohibits diverting money from the Conservation and Energy Efficiency Fund and increases the revenue target, said Janet Brandt, executive director of the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation.
"Now 1.2 percent of all electric and gas sales in the state go to the fund," she said. "This is about $90 million. The old legislation was for $62 million and was never available because it was diverted."
Wisconsin also stood out when it came to renewable energy.
"One of the biggest policies we looked at in ranking the states were renewable electricity standards placed on utilities to generate a certain percent of their energy from renewable sources," Johnson said.
She said Wisconsin complied but did not meet requirements regarding the Clean Cars program, a two-part federal initiative to improve emissions from the dirtiest cars and trucks and encourage wider use of advanced technology vehicles, including fuel-efficient hybrids.
To improve further, Johnson said Wisconsin and other rising stars should pass the Clean Cars program, increase their renewable electricity standards percentages and implement green building codes.
Brandt said the state is already working on policy changes to bring the state to a gold-star level. The governor's task force on global warming is finalizing a report on ways to improve carbon sequestration, nuclear power, mass transit fuel economy, building codes and appliance and equipment standards.
"Their recommendation will be a framework for action," Lawton said. "We're hoping businesses look to government for this framework for regulations, expectations and help. The state's role is to create an economic context in which businesses can succeed."
Aside from government action, Brandt said individuals can help by being vocal consumers.
"The customer's voice in all of this is increasingly important," she said. "Policymakers and businesses respond to what customers demand. Now is the time when our voice needs to be heard."
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