MEA - Missed Opportunities Overshadow Water Quality Task Force Recommendations

This just in from the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters:

PROTECT A PAST PRIORITY--SEND COMMENTS BY WEDNESDAY AT 5 PM!

Dear Steve,

As you probably remember, Gov. Doyle signed the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill (Act 141)
in March 2006.  Citizens had been contacting their legislators for well
over a year about this bill, and for good reason--it set a renewable
energy standard of 10% by 2015, and put Wisconsin on the path to clean,
renewable energy sources and jobs of the future.  It was an important,
forward-thinking step in the face of a changing economy and the looming
global warming crisis.   

One year later, in April 2007, Gov. Doyle signed Executive Order 191, which created the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming. 
The Task Force was charged with developing policy recommendations to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  This, too, was an important step
because scientists have said we must begin to address global warming
immediately.

Meanwhile, legislators also responded by introducing the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act (SB 81 and AB 157),
which required Wisconsin to develop a step-by-step plan to reduce
Wisconsin's global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.  But, as
many of you know, legislators never took up the bill, and many claimed
that they were waiting for recommendations from the Governor's Task
Force on Global Warming.

The Task Force recommendations
were released last week, which included not just the items that all
Task Force members agreed upon, but even those where consensus was not
reached.  Unfortunately, the draft recommendations fall short of what Wisconsin needs to do to solve global warming.  Even
worse, some of the recommendations actually GUT a past Conservation
Priority--the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill (Act 141).

In
the face of rising fossil fuel prices, a changing & uncertain
economy, and the looming global warming crisis, Wisconsin can not
afford to move backwards. 

Please send your comments to the Global Warming Task Force immediately to prevent conservation rollbacks!  They are accepting comments until 5:00 P.M. THIS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18th.  Comments can be emailed to [email protected]. 

Please ask the Task Force to:

1.
Oppose the gutting of a past Conservation Priority, the Renewable
Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill (Act 141).  Specifically, the Task
Force should:

• Leave the definition of
  renewable energy alone!  The recommendations attempt to change the
  definition to non-renewable forms of power, like large-scale hydro and
  derivatives of fossil-fuels.
• Keep green-pricing
  programs honest!  Right now, citizens can enroll in special programs
  where they choose to purchase clean, green energy at a higher rate. 
  Every time they do so, it is green energy IN ADDITION TO the 10%
  renewable energy standard required by law.  The Task Force
  recommendations propose to change that and count the green energy
  citizens are paying for TOWARDS the utilities' required 10% renewable
  energy goal.  
• Prevent double-counting of renewable
  energy!  Act 141 required a 10% renewable energy standard by 2015, and
  provides an incentive for companies that move quickly towards that goal
  to sell their renewable energy credits to other companies who are
  unable to move as quickly, with those credits being good for a maximum
  of 4 years.  The Task Force recommends that the expiration date on the
  energy credits be removed, meaning that renewable energy credits could
  be counted indefinitely and replace actual renewable energy. 

2.  Support
strong, science-based emission reduction targets by including a
specific pollution reduction timeline and amounts for those
reductions:  Stabilize emissions by 2010; reach 2005 levels by 2012;
25% reduction from 1990 levels by 2020; and 80% reduction from 1990
levels by 2050.

3.  Support Wisconsin's current
nuclear moratorium, which requires that any proposed nuclear facilities
must demonstrate that they have a plan for nuclear waste storage.  The recommendations would remove this waste storage requirement.  

4.  Encourage action now, not later, by creating incentives for small, immediate cuts in global warming gases.  The recommendations include no such incentives which could mean that Wisconsinites see no reductions any time soon.     

Citizens
like you worked tirelessly to move Wisconsin forward with the Renewable
Energy and Energy Efficiency bill (Act 141).  Please send your comments
TODAY to stop conservation rollbacks!  Comments can be emailed to [email protected].

Please let us know if you send comments so we can keep track of how many they receive.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Giegerich, Capitol Liaison
Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters
133 S. Butler St, Ste 320, Madison, WI  53703
608-661-0845
www.conservationvoters.org