From: Clean Wisconsin Founded as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade)
Your environmental voice since 1970.
Contact: Ryan Schryver, Clean Energy Advocate, 608.251.7020 ext. 25,
262.949.6436 (cell)
Legislation to Encourage Wind Energy Production and Spark Job Growth
Circulating in Capitol
Bill Would Result in Cleaner Environment and Provide Relief in Tough
Economic Times.
Madison, Wis. – Wisconsin residents struggling in these tough economic
times may soon find relief in the form of jobs building area wind
farms after State Senator Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee) and
Representative Jim Solestki (D-Green Bay) began circulating a bill
yesterday that would eliminate barriers holding up the
construction of small and medium sized wind developments. The bill saw
immediate bipartisan support with Senator Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac)
and Representative Phil Montgomery (R-Ashwaubenon) both signing on as
co-sponsors of the bill.
“This legislation will spark economic growth and put hard-working
Wisconsinites to work supplying clean, affordable energy to power our
homes, schools and businesses,” said Ryan Schryver, clean energy
advocate at Clean Wisconsin, the state’s largest environmental
advocacy organization. “This legislation is long
overdue.”
Wind developers must currently navigate a cumbersome patchwork of
county ordinances and local regulations before beginning work on new
wind farms. These regulations are often overly-restrictive, and have
stalled the construction of an estimated 600 megawatts of wind power
in our state. The bill circulating the Capitol to gain cosponsors (LRB
1048/4) would create uniform state standards that permit the
construction of safe wind farms.
“This bill is an easy way for legislators to create jobs in our state
at almost no expense to the taxpayer,” said Schryver. “Wind
development projects stand shovel-ready. Now is the time to cut the
bureaucratic red tape and break ground on a clean energy economy.”
Although still in its infancy, the wind industry is growing rapidly at
the national level. As unemployment rose and other industries
contracted last year, the wind industry grew by 70 percent in 2008,
employing 85,000 individuals nationwide. Unfortunately, Wisconsin’s
current permitting system discourages the development of small and
medium sized wind farms, placing the state at a disadvantage in this
growing industry.
In addition to creating new jobs assembling, erecting and maintaining
wind turbines and constructing the service roads necessary to access
them, the bill introduced today would both foster the growth of
businesses that manufacture the components for wind turbines and
provide a new source of revenue for Wisconsin farmers.
“Every day we allow the existing system to prevent the development of
safe wind farms, we lose family supporting jobs to neighboring
states,” Schryver said. “Rarely do environmental organizations,
business groups, farm interests, utilities and ratepayer protection
groups agree on a single issue, but we’re all in agreement that
Wisconsin cannot afford to wait to pass such simple legislation that
will so greatly benefit our state’s environment, economy and people.”
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Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects
Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by
being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding
elected officials and polluters accountable. Founded in 1970 as
Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate
polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and
educates citizens and businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members and
its coalition partners, Clean
Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin such a
wonderful place to live, work and play. Phone: 608-251-7020,
Fax: 608-251-1655, Email: [email protected], Website:
www.cleanwisconsin.org.