Lawmakers from both the state Senate and Assembly convened Wednesday to discuss stricter Environmental Protection Agency regulations designed to lower carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
The Joint Committee on Energy and Utilities heard testimony regarding the regulations from state officials, utility industry representatives and environmental advocates. The rules, not scheduled to be finalized until summer, have already met resistance from state and national politicians.
“It is ironic that while we’re being asked to clean up our act, China is building power plants by the dozen,” state Sen. Rick Gudex, R-Fond du Lac, said. “The regulations are fruitless and a bad situation for the people of Wisconsin.”
Bart Sponseller, director for the state Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Air Management, criticized the EPA regulations as overly penalizing to Wisconsin by imposing a stringent timeline for states to submit proposals detailing how they will meet emission thresholds.
“This penalizes us in relation to other states who haven’t taken as much action as we have to curb carbon dioxide emissions,” Sponseller said in his testimony.
Public Service Commissioner Ellen Nowak echoed these concerns and emphasized potential economic ramifications, noting that the costs to upgrade infrastructure to meet the requirements could total between $3.3 and $13.4 billion.
“I’m concerned that the costs of the proposal will threaten our ability to supply affordable energy to our residents,” Nowak said. “Its absolutely good to help the environment but you have to say at what cost is it not worthwhile.”
Keith Reopelle, senior policy director at Clean Wisconsin, refuted claims that regulations were exorbitant, emphasizing the effects the rules could have on reversing climate change and establishing the U.S. as a leader in regulating carbon emissions.
“This is the most critical action on carbon ever,” Reopelle said. “If global warming goes unchecked, there will be consequences.”
