Friends of Responsible Energy filed a lawsuit Thursday against those involved with the state Public Service Commission's decision to build a cogeneration power plant on the UW-Madison campus, claiming the Department of Administration and UW failed to address the environmental impact of the proposed plant, as required under Wisconsin's Environmental Policy Act.
\We are alleging that the DOA, acting in concert with the UW, violated Wisconsin's most important environmental law by failing to perform an environmental impact statement. ... Our state agencies dropped the ball"" said FORE attorney Glenn Stoddard in a press release.
FORE member Chamond Liu said in a press release, UW-Madison could have considered a more thermally balanced cogeneration plant, one less expensive for taxpayers and more beneficial to campus. He added that such a plant owned and operated by the state instead of Madison Gas & Electric would be cheaper and provide more backup power.
""I'd be absolutely outraged if I was a student right now. I think the air quality is going to deteriorate and your tuition is going to go up because of this,"" FORE member Scott Meskin said. ""And I'm not sure anybody's going to be able to do anything about this.""