Green Wisconsin takes another step back

Wisconsin is open for business, unless that business has something to do with being Earth-friendly, that is.  A new legislative proposal, Assembly Bill 146, would prevent the expiration of ""energy credits" that encourage Wisconsin utilities to develop their own renewable energy.  Instead of focusing efforts on increasing production of renewable energy in Wisconsin, the Senate okayed last week importing electricity from a Canadian dam and counting it toward meeting our state green energy goals. 

Sen. Gaylord Nelson

This, coupled with continued hostility from Republicans towards wind turbines has, as Sen Mark Miller (D-Monona) says, "driven the development of wind energy out of this state..." In response to the state's lack of commitment to green energies, WE Energies has already canceled solar energy programs and there is concern that this bill could make a Madison-area wind farm currently under construction "the last renewable energy project in Wisconsin for years to come." (Thomas Conent of the Journal Sentinel).  Large-scale wind-farms have already been dropped earlier this year and here in the proud home state of environmental visionaries Sen. Gaylord Nelson and Aldo Leopold, land preservation, water pollution standards, and recycling programs have been seriously diminished or destroyed by Walker and his minions.

And, incredibly, it just keeps getting worse--which isn't good for our state, and certainly isn't good for our planet.

Photo of Gaylord Nelson from wilderness.net

Happy Earth Day, Gov. Walker

Gaylord Nelson was a champion for conservation in Wisconsin.  As one of Wisconsin's US Senators he started Earth Day (April, 22, 1970),and he made numerous contributions to protecting our environment, including legislation that bought about the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.  He was instrumental in overseeing the preservation of thousands upon thousands of acres for Wisconsin parkland, including the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore of Lake Superior.   And he always believed that Wisconsin's greatest resources were its people and its natural resources.  It is a rich legacy for which the late, great statesman will always be known.

Scott Walker, unfortunately, has carved his own legacy.  Walker has promoted business at the expense of Wisconsin's environment.  Some of his proposals have included relaxing standards for water pollution (reducing weed-stemming phosphorous restrictions and run-off contamination), essentially eliminating farmland preservation, increasing road-building instead of promoting public transit (making cuts that will reduce public buses and halting the Madison-Milwaukee high speed rail), diverting money to transportation from a fund to clean up leaking underground gas tanks, and reducing incentives for putting land into conservation. Walker also requested changes in some wetlands protection (coincidentally on a parcel to be built upon by a major donor) and the elimination of subsidies for community recycling programs (while maintaining tipping fees charged for landfill use, which had been used to help fund those same recycling programs).

And that's just in his first four months.

Senator Nelson wouldn't recognize Wisconsin on this Earth Day.

Sadly, neither do I.