RENEW urges budget panel support for energy initiatives

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

RENEW Wisconsin joined with the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, Apollo Alliance, WISPIRG, Clean Wisconsin, and the Sierra Club in expressing its support to the Joint Committee on Finance for Governor Doyle's budget proposal on renewable energy grants:

Wisconsin’s energy mix is currently very heavily weighted towards oil, coal, and nuclear power, which is not only harmful to our environment, but sends $12 billion annually out-of state and overseas to fuel our energy needs. Additionally, impacts from global warming threaten Wisconsin’s way of life. Cutting-edge, clean energy technologies will fuel the twenty-first century. We must ensure that our tax dollars go to the projects and programs that protect our natural resources, leverage our economic opportunities to the best advantage, and ensure that local communities and Wisconsin businesses and institutions benefit from our tremendous goal of making Wisconsin energy independent. To make the best use of this money the Department of Commerce should be left to decide where to fund projects based on the following considerations:

1. Encouraging the use of products in which Wisconsin has a competitive advantage,
2. Technologies that reduce global warming emissions and maintain or improve air, water, and soil quality, and
3. Some form of job quality standards ensuring we're capturing the good jobs of the future.