by Elizabeth Ward, Chapter Director
Last week I joined leaders from across Wisconsin in Washington DC at the White House for Communities in Action: Building a Better Wisconsin. I left the meeting so optimistic and energized about our ability to take on some of the big challenges in Wisconsin, including cleaning up our water, action on climate change, and protecting our ecosystems from the biodiversity crisis.
We listened to a briefing from members of the Biden-Harris Administration, including Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack, John Podesta, Senior Adviser to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. It’s clear that Wisconsin is a top priority for the Administration. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act/Clean Energy Plan are already making a difference in Wisconsin. This includes funding for clean energy projects, lead pipe removal, and energy efficiency.
Here are some of the impacts of the Biden-Harris initiatives that we’re excited about this year:
- Reducing energy costs and stabilizing rates: tax credits and rebates will mean more clean energy installations and energy efficiency investments. Households can use the rebates for appliances, heat pumps, and more to reduce energy bills. We will be working to spread the word about these programs in the Milwaukee-area to reduce some of the energy burden disparities.
- Get more clean energy online: the Clean Energy Plan will get more clean energy online and require that workers be paid a prevailing wage, so it’s a win-win-win for our climate, workers and energy users. This will directly support a transition off of fossil fuels to clean energy. For example, we’re supporting Alliant Energy’s proposal to add battery storage facilities to solar farms around Wisconsin and they have committed to using union workers. There are also a number of programs specifically for energy co-ops, like Dairyland Cooperative, that will help them get more clean energy online.
- Investing in clean transportation: The Clean Energy Plan and the Infrastructure law include the largest investment in public transit in history. Wisconsin will receive over $599 million over five years.
- Cleaning up our water: Wisconsin is one of four states that are participating in a program to fast-track lead pipe removal. The program will focus on lead pipe removal in Milwaukee, Madison, Edgerton, Kenosha, Sheboygan, and Wausau. The Biden-Harris Administration said the goal is to replace all lead pipes nationwide in the next decade.
Hearing about all of the significant projects that these laws are already creating, and the potential for even more, I was filled with so much hope and optimism that I wanted to share it with you. Your actions in the past few years helped us garner the political will we needed for legislation like the Clean Energy plan to pass. The Clean Energy plan alone is expected to enable emission reductions by 40 percent by the end of the decade. This is the huge momentum shift we’ve been waiting for. This will make the United States a climate leader while helping our most marginalized communities.
No matter which way big polluters and their friends in the Legislature work to fight progress, local communities in Wisconsin have the tools and resources to begin creating the healthy and thriving WIsconsin we’re working towards.