Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton spoke about Wisconsin's role in preserving the environment and growing the renewable energy industry Friday as a keynote speaker at the UW Energy Hub Conference.
Lawton said Wisconsin has a collective set of moral principals toward the environment and a history of environmental protection, citing former Wisconsin Gov. Gaylord Nelson, who founded Earth Day, and John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club.
She said the state is taking several steps toward renewable energy, including research and new innovative practices. According to Lawton, Wisconsin is one of the United States' leading ethanol producers and leads the country in production of energy from dairy waste.
We're hoping for change, because in Wisconsin we don't wait for change, we author change,"" Lawton said. ""We aspire to lead as the clean renewable-energy state.""
The University of Wisconsin System and the state government reduced their energy consumption by 7 percent between 2005 and 2007 after urging from Gov. Jim Doyle, according to Lawton.
She said they hope to reduce consumption by 10 percent by the end of 2008.
According to Lawton, environmentalists worry the billions of dollars the government has used to bail out banks may not leave much left to be spent on renewable resources.
She said she believes President-elect Obama's plan for renewable energy is strong, but the state of the economy may hamper it.
""There is still good reason to worry about what can be accomplished in this economic climate,"" Lawton said.
