Renner Barsella, renner.barsella@sierraclub.org
MADISON, WI – This morning Alliant Energy and We Energies announced near-term delays in the retirement of multiple coal units in Wisconsin, while reiterating continued intentions to follow through with its climate commitments. Alliant has made clear that both near term and long term clean energy commitments remain unchanged.
In response, Sierra Club Wisconsin Volunteer Leader, Don Ferber, released the following statement:
“Any delay in retiring coal means continued pollution that harms communities and the climate. Wisconsin is already behind in bringing new clean energy online–that’s how we got here. These utilities have recognized this by affirming intentions to keep climate and new clean energy goals unchanged. It shows adaptability and acknowledgement that clean energy will make a more resilient and reliable grid, and is desperately needed now.
“A changing climate means shifting demands and increased strain on our energy and social systems. Regulators, including grid operators like MISO, have a vital role in bolstering those systems by clearing the way for sustainable infrastructure instead of over-reliance on the fossil fuels that are compounding health, economic, and environmental crises.
“The federal government, both the administration and Congress, must clear the way for utilities to act urgently. Further delay in transitioning from volatile fossil fuels only makes our energy more expensive and less secure. Getting this clean energy in place will break us from our dependency on polluting and increasingly costly fossil fuels and provide jobs building a grid that supports our well-being, increases our prosperity, and is the foundation for a clean economy.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.