Press Release: Gov. Evers, Public Service Commission, Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy Recognize National Clean Energy Week

STATE OF WISCONSIN

DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION

Tony Evers, Governor

Kathy Blumenfeld, Secretary

Gov. Evers, Public Service Commission, Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy Recognize National Clean Energy Week

Governor proclaims September 25-29 as National Clean Energy Week in Wisconsin

Madison, Wis. – Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) and the Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, today recognized September 25-29, 2023, as National Clean Energy Week (NCEW) in Wisconsin and highlighted the Evers Administration’s ongoing efforts to address climate change, build a strong, clean energy economy, and meet the goals of the state’s Clean Energy Plan. Gov. Evers joins dozens of governors from across the nation in recognizing NCEW, which was founded in 2017 as a bipartisan forum to recognize the numerous advantages that clean energy production provides to local communities, from economic growth and job creation to lower emissions and a healthier environment. 

“We shouldn’t have to choose between mitigating climate change and protecting our environment and investing in good-paying jobs and economic development—we can and must do both,” said Gov. Evers. “My administration has been committed to building a clean energy workforce and economy that supports our 21st-century needs. From our carbon-free electricity goals and launching our state’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan to our recent efforts to establish the Green Ribbon Commission on Clean Energy and Environmental Innovation, we are making important progress on our work to build the clean energy future we want for our state.”

“Climate change poses an existential threat to our people and our economy,” said DOA Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld. “That’s why promoting clean energy production is an urgent responsibility for us all. Governor Evers’ landmark Clean Energy Plan charts a path to a clean, affordable energy future for all Wisconsinites that creates jobs, lowers energy prices, and ensures healthier communities for Wisconsin.”

“Governor Evers has championed the clean energy transition since day one because of the economic, environmental, and public health benefits it has for our state. I am proud of our work at the PSC to support the governor’s mission and ensure the transition is achieved in a reliable, affordable, and equitable way,” said PSC Chairperson Rebecca Cameron Valcq.

In 2019, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #38, which established the state goal of ensuring all electricity consumed within the state is 100 percent carbon-free by 2050. In signing Executive Order #38, Gov. Evers also created the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, charged with developing the Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan.

The Clean Energy Plan outlines dozens of pathways to lower energy bills for families, reduce reliance on out-of-state energy sources, invest in job and apprenticeship training, and create more than 40,000 jobs by 2030. Earlier this year, the governor released the Clean Energy Plan Progress Report, which shows advancement toward workforce development recommendations to ensure that Wisconsin has a Clean Energy workforce to meet these needs. The Clean Energy Plan Progress Report provides a summary of actions that reduce the disproportionate impacts of energy generation and use on low-income communities and communities of color and the retention of energy investment dollars in Wisconsin.

Earlier this year, Gov. Evers also created the Green Ribbon Commission on Clean Energy and Environmental Innovation to advise on creating the state’s first-ever Green Innovation Fund, which will leverage public and private financing to invest in projects that provide environmental and clean energy solutions to businesses, reduce pollution, lower energy costs for families, and expand access to clean, affordable energy options.

Additionally, Gov. Evers joined the U.S. Climate Alliance in 2019, a bipartisan group of governors committed to implementing the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement at the state level in an effort to combat climate change. Executive Order #38 also charged the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy with ensuring the state is fulfilling the carbon reduction goals of the Paris Agreement.

Building on this work and the efforts of the Evers Administration over the last four years to advance innovative clean energy and sustainability solutions, Gov. Evers’ 2023-25 biennial budget proposal called for substantial clean energy investments in alignment with the goals of the Clean Energy Plan to help the state achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity consumption by 2050. The governor proposed expanding access and use of electric vehicle infrastructure, promoting the conservation, clean energy, energy efficiency, and environmental job sectors, and increasing funding for the state’s Focus on Energy program, among other initiatives.

The proclamation is available at this link.