In Spite of Delays, Wisconsin is on Track to Be Coal-Free by 2030

     If you haven't figured it out by now or simply haven't read my work before, I hate coal. It is the single dirtiest form of energy that America uses on a large scale. Even Mitt Romney, nearly two decades ago, was proud to shut down a coal plant and point out the truth, that these plants kill people. The Supreme Court tried as hard as possible to derail climate action in West Virginia v. EPA, but that decision was not enough even to save coal. I don't know if West Virginians understand this, but they are alone in relying entirely upon coal as their source of energy. Across the country, nearly three in four coal plants have retired or announced plans to retire in the past 15 years alone, laying the groundwork for a historic clean energy transition. In spite of initial delays, it appears Joe Manchin is ready to vote for legislation that will cut America's carbon emissions 40 percent beneath 2005 levels by 2030, a historic drop that will cut energy costs, save thousands of lives, and position America to be ready to fight climate change.

     If anything, the Supreme Court decision has spurred climate activists ranging from nobodies like myself all the way to President Biden to work more aggressively to combat climate change. My opening line in mind, it became perfectly clear to me that the first best step to take would be phasing out coal by 2035, starting in my home state. It hasn't been easy working to combat climate change: inflation, combined with Putin's war in Ukraine, has forced the United States to rapidly increase natural gas production to ensure the energy security of our own nation as well as Europe. However, the fact that-- even in the face of unprecedented odds-- we are still making progress should give people hope. It certainly gives me the strength to fight. 

     We're already seeing progress. WE Energies and Alliant Energies, the twin titans in Wisconsin, have announced plans to cut their carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2030 by rapidly closing down their coal plants and replacing them with wind and solar energy. In 2021, the Genoa Generating Station in Genoa, Wisconsin, closed down. Meanwhile, four more coal plants are scheduled to close: the Elm Road Generating Station in Oak Creek by May 2024, the Edgewater Generating Station in Sheboygan by June 2025, the Oak Creek Power Plant in Oak Creek by late 2025, and the Columbia Energy Center in Portage, Wisconsin, by mid-2026. If all four of these plants are closed by mid-2026, it will leave just two coal plants in Wisconsin.

     The John P. Madgett Generating Station in Alma, Wisconsin, is the state's smallest. Built in 1979, it produces just 390 MW of power. This is an easy plant to close down before 2030, as is the Weston Generating Station in Rothschild, Wisconsin. Built in 1981 and renovated in 2008, this plant can also run on natural gas. While no fossil fuel is good, natural gas is cheaper and generally the lesser of two evils: if there is to be a clean energy future, transitioning this plant to natural gas as a bridge is a step that should be taken ASAP. I've already iterated the importance of the Great Lakes in a prior writing on the work to close down coal plants in Michigan. With Canada on track to be coal-free by 2030 and New York already having achieved that in 2020, I am working on a two-phase plan to completely rid the Great Lakes of coal, starting in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Illinois before moving to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.

     My nieces and nephews and my future children deserve to live long, healthy lives; they deserve to breathe clean air; they deserve to enjoy the environment the way I have. That's why I work every day to make this a reality.