(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin Senate bill would require local governments to approve a solar or wind project before it can be approved by the state’s Public Service Commission.
Senate Bill 3 will first receive a Senate committee vote before going in front of the full Senate. The bill did not reach the Assembly before it ended its session.
Bill authors say it is about local control while those opposing the bill say that it adds an additional step to make creating new renewable energy more difficult.
“This bill would simply provide our municipalities, our townships with the ability to stop any wind or solar projects that are objectionable to the citizens who live there,” said Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green.
Marklein said that wind and solar projects are different than data centers in that there is no local control on the projects.
“Wisconsin’s energy future depends on scaling up affordable clean energy options quickly and responsibly, but SB3 risks delaying or blocking these projects before the Public Service Commission can act,” the Clean Economy Coalition of Wisconsin said in a statement. “At a time when Wisconsinites across the state are concerned about rising utility bills, lawmakers should be finding ways to expand affordable, reliable, clean energy. Legislation like Senate Bill 3 would inject uncertainty into the approval process and send the wrong signal to companies looking to build new projects in Wisconsin.”
Rep. Travis Tranel, R-Cuba City, said that the utilities have done a great job ensuring that Wisconsin has reliable power but that he feels it is the Legislature’s job to ensure that power is affordable and that residents are happy with how the power is generated.
Tranel said that he wants to ensure that Wisconsin’s rural communities are not covered with wind and solar in places where the community doesn’t want that to occur.
“I would challenge you to come to southwest Wisconsin or any part of Wisconsin where they are proposing these 1,000-acre solar farms or these wind turbines that are going to be 600 feet tall or taller, start knocking on doors and asking people if they support them or not,” Tranel said. “I would submit that the only people that you will find that support them are the people that are going to directly benefit monetarily from them by hosting them on their property.”
