This summer, the Public Service Commission (PSC, the agency that regulates electric and water utilities), held public input opportunities about two proposed methane gas plants, which are sometimes called "natural gas plants" by industry who want to make gas sound safer and cleaner than it is.
The proposed gas plants are both for data centers in Wisconsin. They are being proposed and built by an independent power producer called Invenergy, and We Energies, the largest electric and gas utility in the state, have already filed to purchase the plants in order to power data centers in its territory.
In both cases, the majority of public comments were opposed to the construction of these facilities.
Foundry Ridge Gas Plant:
This 324 Megawatt (MW) facility is proposed in Darien, Wisconsin (Walworth County).
Public engagement on this plant was so significant that Commissioner Marcus Hawkins attended the hearing to hear the speakers. The room was packed, with over 100 attendees. Of the almost 60 speakers, more than 82% opposed the gas plant.
The majority of the 1,615 written comments also opposed the facility. Commentors ranged from local residents, health professionals, environmental advocates, children, and elected officials.
Key concerns:
- Water: These comments included concerns about water quality, the local water supply, impacts on drought, and other water issues. Over a quarter of the comments explicitly mentioned concerns about water.
- Health: A quarter of the comments also mentioned health concerns, which was the next most common concern. Many were concerned about the impacts of increased air pollution and what that would mean for health in the region and of the neighbors.
- Hundreds of comments also mentioned the following topics: Concerns about adding fossil fuel plants for data centers, climate change, the impacts on electricity bills, concerns about the local community, problems with the "merchant" plant process that was used, and that clean energy would be a better alternative to gas.
- The comments in support of the project focused on the 150 construction jobs during peak construction that would be created. Alternatives, like clean energy, could create many jobs, without the downsides.
Red Oak Ridge:
This HUGE 1,186 MW gas plant is proposed near the Town of Paris in Kenosha County.
Again, the engagement on this proposal was significant. Commissioners Marcus Hawkins and Kristy Nieto attended the public hearing, which was again packed with more than 100 people. Just under 60 members of the public spoke, with 88% of the speakers opposing the plant.
Of the 1,699 written comments, the majority opposed the project.
Key Concerns:
- Opposition to the plant ranged from those who live or work near the proposed sites to health advocates and environmentalists.
- The Paris Town Board President also submitted comments that said that the majority of the town opposed the project, citing its massive size: "Based on public participation, petitions and comments at public meetings, the majority of Town residents are not in support of the approval of this project at either location."
- Air pollution and health concerns were the most mentioned worry in the comments. Over ⅓ of the comments mentioned health concerns.
- The location of the sites raised a lot of concerns as well: The proximity to a large Amazon facility would expose many workers, many of whom are People of Color, to air pollution from the gas plant. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation also expressed concerns with the gas plant, saying that the steam could create safety issues and cause icing on a major corridor of the I94 highway.
- Other key concerns included climate change (28% of comments), the process for approval (25% of comments), and water concerns. Several comments supported a clean energy alternative over fossil fuels.
- Again, the comments in support of the project uplifted the construction jobs.
Comments on both projects were often extremely personal, like the following comment from a Kenosha Resident on Red Oak Ridge:
"I was given advice while writing these comments to leave some things out, to make them less emotional, because emotional comments are sometimes easier to dismiss. But the truth is, there is nothing about this that is unemotional. This is our home. Our land. Our farms. Our businesses. Our water. Our investments. Our children's future. There is no version of this conversation where the people living here are unaffected enough to write about it as if it were simply another policy decision."
What's next: The Public Service Commission will meet to discuss the full docket for each of these construction proposals. They will approve, deny, or modify the ways in which the proposals can or cannot move forward. After the Commissioners discuss at an open meeting, they will issue a written order that reflects their discussion.
If approved, Invenergy will also need some permits from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and then once those are granted, the company can begin to build the facility.
We Energies has filed a proposal to buy both of these facilities with the Public Service Commission, so the monetary decisions about these gas plants will go through a PSC process similar to the process that just happened for the construction proposals. This is a key opportunity to make sure that if these facilities are built, data centers are paying for 100% of them!
And finally, thank you! 244 of Sierra Club - Wisconsin members and supporters submitted comments on this matter. 137 of those people submitted custom messages written in their own words in addition to the non-customized message.