It seems like everywhere we turn, we hear about increasing
energy costs and our continuing struggle to get Wisconsin’s economy
back on track. Whether it’s the cost of filling up your gas tank or
dreading the arrival of your monthly utility bill, we cannot ignore
our growing energy needs. 

Since Wisconsin doesn’t have coal, oil, or natural gas
resources, we pay out more than $16 billion each year to meet our
energy demands. That’s right, $16 billion. Wouldn’t it be more
efficient for Wisconsin to utilize energy resources, like wind,
sunshine, or agriculture, which we actually have in
Wisconsin?  

Earlier this month, the Clean Energy Jobs Act (Assembly Bill
649) was introduced by multiple business leaders, legislators,
labor and environmental organizations, with the hopes of creating
stable, good-paying jobs in Wisconsin by investing in the clean
energy industry. An initial economic assessment of the Clean Energy
Jobs Act found that the package could directly create at least
15,000 green jobs in Wisconsin by 2025, with more than 1,800 jobs
created in the first year alone.

Some of the provisions of the bill include the establishment of
a statewide goal known as the “25 by 25.” This means that by 2025,
25 percent of Wisconsin’s energy should come from renewable
resources like wind, solar and bio-fuels. Another provision
requires utilities to step up their commitment to offering a
premium buy-back rate for energy produced by their customers using
renewable methods such as solar panels or wind turbines. A third
aspect of the bill creates production incentives for farmers
producing biomass crops that can be used to generate energy —
either heat energy (displacing coal, fuel oil or natural gas), or
as feedstock for producing liquid fuel.

As you can imagine, a bill of this magnitude does not come
without controversy. In response to the debate surrounding Assembly
Bill 649, the Special Committee on Clean Energy Jobs was created
with the intention of completing a thorough, in-depth review and
evaluation of this legislation. Composed of both Republicans and
Democrats from the State Assembly and the Senate, this committee
will hold public hearings and gather information regarding the
various provisions of the bill. 

I was asked to be a member of this committee to represent
northern Wisconsin, and I look forward to hearing from constituents
and various stakeholders about their thoughts on the Clean Energy
Jobs Act. If we are going to move forward with such a significant
piece of legislation it is important that we weigh the costs and
the benefits to ensure our investments will be worthwhile.   

As always, please feel free to contact my office regarding this
or any other state legislative matter, I can be reached toll-free
at 1-888-529-0028 or by email at Rep.Hraychuck@legis.wisconsin.gov.