Gov. Jim Doyle announced a $450 million investment to ""help the nation achieve energy independence"" on Monday. The new proposal is part of an effort to make Wisconsin the leading state in energy independence in the country.
""Here in Wisconsin, we're doing our part and setting an example for the nation in energy independence,"" Doyle said in a statement.
""This new state funding will encourage innovative new energy technologies across our state that will help the nation kick its addiction to oil.""
According to the statement, Doyle's program will try to make the state ""more dependent on the Midwest, and less dependent on the Mideast,"" and hopes to capture 10 percent of the nation's renewable energy sources market by 2030.
Carla Vigue, a spokesperson for Doyle, said if this goal is achieved, this initiative would bring $13.5 billion each year to Wisconsin's economy and create 17,000 new jobs in the state.
The plan will give financial incentives to companies who ""invest in and develop new technologies and renewable energy."" According to Vigue, Doyle hopes to have 25 percent of the state's electricity and 25 percent of transportation fuel from renewable energy fuels by 2025.
The investment is a mixture of private and public funding and will be included in the governor's next budget.
