Methane gas is a potent fossil fuel. Utilities in Wisconsin are proposing to build out more gas plants, but advocates for public health and the climate are working hard to stop these new polluting facilities.
A Victory for Cleaner Air
Last week, Dairyland Power Cooperative, the primary utility for much of western Wisconsin, announced its decision to withdraw the air permit previously granted for the construction of the NTEC gas plant. This facility was slated for development along the shores of Lake Superior where it would affect local air quality, increase carbon pollution, and disturb nearby Indigenous burial grounds. The withdrawal was in part in response to Sierra Club’s challenge to their air permits which flagged these very serious concerns. You can read our response to the decision here.
Sign the petition about NTEC here.
The Dirty Truth about We Energies
The Sierra Club released the fourth annual The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledges report. The nationwide report analyzes the plans of 75 utilities in the U.S. owned by 50 parent companies and assigns scores and grades to the utilities based on three criteria: plans to retire polluting coal plants by 2030, whether they plan to build new gas power plants through 2035, and the scale of their plans to develop clean energy through 2035. Along with the report, there is an interactive website that goes in depth about different utilities.
After We Energies and their parent company, WEC Energy Group, announced plans to delay some coal retirements and invest in 3,000 mw of gas, their score dropped from a 24% score in 2023 to a 12% score in this year’s report. They now rank in the bottom 15% of all the biggest utilities.
The call for climate action and environmental justice spans generations.
Over the past month, there have been six public hearings about WEC Energy Group (the parent company of We Energies and WPS, the utilities that represent most of the Eastern half of the state) and the company's proposals to raise customer electric rates; continue to operate the dirty, expensive and inefficient Weston coal plant; increase utility profit margins; and move forward with plans to build out some more gas infrastructure.
Students with Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE), WEC customers, and climate and public health advocates joined together across generational lines to speak out against the utilities' poor plans.
Learn more about Power Wisconsin Forward.
Upcoming opportunities to stand up against gas investments
Utilities that made poor investments in coal technology are about to repeat these poor investments with methane gas (which they call "'natural' gas"). We Energies, WPS, Alliant Energy and Dairyland Power have all shown interest in new gas infrastructure.
Together, we can stop these utilities from getting the permits they need from the Public Service Commission. There will be many public input opportunities over the next several months.
Want to help us engage the public on stopping all of this gas? Consider joining our Beyond Coal and Gas to Clean Energy Team!
Review: What is Methane Gas?
Methane gas (often called "'natural' gas" by the fossil fuel industry) is a fossil fuel used to generate electricity. Methane is as much as 80 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, making its use a significant contributing factor to climate change. Utilities claim that gas is necessary to create grid reliability, but wind, solar and battery storage has demonstrated its reliability in many other countries and U.S. states. Replacing one fossil fuel with another will not curb carbon emissions and clean up our air at the pace we need.