(The Center Square) – Democrats at the Wisconsin Capitol are pushing ahead with their latest climate plan.
Several lawmakers recently introduced what they are calling the Forward on Climate package. It contains more than a dozen plans to do everything from plant more trees, to encourage more sustainable farming, to green energy.
“Wisconsinites are already facing fluctuations in regular weather patterns, including heat waves, worsening floods, and changes in the annual snowfall. We must work to combat the threats of climate change now while also preparing our state for the future,” Rep. Jill Billings, D-Madison, said.
All of the plans came from Gov. Tony Evers’ Task Force on Climate Change. It’s unlikely any of the plans will get a hearing as long as Republicans control the state legislature.
Top Assembly Democrat Greta Neubauer said the package is necessary.
“Our lives, and every generation from here on out, will be affected by climate change. That’s why we need to take action now to secure our shared future and build a resilient economy and state,” she said in a statement. “Our planet is changing. Human activity is affecting weather patterns, growing seasons, and our economy. We’re already feeling it in Wisconsin, from stronger storms to rising costs for weatherization, and it’s time for us to act.”
There are specific pieces of legislation to allow the Public Service Commission to create a program where utilities could “finance” home improvements for customers. Things like HVAC upgrades, solar panel installation, or other energy upgrades could be added to a customer’s bill, which they would then pay off over time.
There are also proposals to spend $1.8 million on new county conservation corps positions and create a new Wisconsin Climate Corps program, and would require the Department of Natural Resources to report the potential environmental impact of any project that needs a DNR approval.
Critics of the plan, however, say nothing in the package will impact global temperatures or pollution, but they say the package will make things in Wisconsin much more expensive.
