State Criticizes Obama’s Carbon Emissions Plan In Comments Submitted To EPA

Late on Monday, Gov. Scott Walker submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency critical of the Obama administration’s climate change plan.

The comments signal that Wisconsin is on the same page with big electric utilities: They both oppose President Barack Obama’s plan to have power plants eventually make a 30 percent cut in emissions linked to climate change.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and state Public Service Commission also weighed in against the proposal on the last day of public comments on the topic. DNR Air Program Director Bart Sponseller said one of his agency’s biggest concerns is that Wisconsin wouldn’t get credit for reducing carbon dioxide emissions over the last decade or so through efforts such as greater energy efficiency.

“We have our Focus on Energy program and our renewable portfolio standards as seen implemented over the past several years,” said Sponseller.

Sponseller added that states that have made some reductions in carbon dioxide emissions are being asked to do even more than states that have done very little.

Keith Reopelle of the environmental group Clean Wisconsin said the state’s reaction is understandable. But Reopelle said states that are well-positioned to make further cuts in emissions should nevertheless do so.

“Take advantage of the infrastructure that we have already created, like the large natural gas-fired plants that have half the emissions of a coal plant,” he said.

One of the Wisconsin power plants partway through the conversion from coal to natural gas is the Valley Power Plant near downtown Milwaukee, which is owned by We Energies. Pollution coming out of the plant’s two smokestacks has long made the site a target for community groups that wanted less soot to fall on nearby neighborhoods. But attorney Dennis Grzezinski, who represents the Cleaner Milwaukee Coalition, said the fuel changeover at the plant will also reduce contributions to global warming.

“One of those smokestacks is now going to have far fewer emisssions of carbon dioxoide — and in a year or so, both stacks (will),” he said.

Grzezinski said he’d like to see power companies get behind Obama’s climate change proposal. We Energies spokeswoman Cathy Schulze, however, said her company has also just filed comments criticizing the president’s plan. Besides sharing the state’s concern about the lack of credit for earlier reductions in carbon dioxide, Schulze said the EPA may not be right about how often natural gas plants can run.

“In 2012, when gas prices were unusually low, our Port Washington (Generating Station) units … only ran at 50 percent. So increasing that to 70 percent? We’re not sure if that’s a realistic target,” said Schulze.

Schulze said We Energies has also invested in wind energy and other cleaner sources of fuel.

Many homeowners and businesses, however, have also put up small wind turbines or solar panels — and at least some of them support reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

At the Milwaukee Brewing Company, solar panels have been installed on the roof to help heat water to make beer. Company founder Jim McCabe said using less carbon-based fuel is the right thing to do.

“With our lifestyle, we’re poisoning our planet,” said McCabe. “Carbon emissions from vehicles is on the downswing. And every business has a responsibility to use the technology that’s out there.”

McCabe isn’t happy that the state Public Service Commission has been approving rate cases this fall that he says will make things more difficult for solar energy users. The two Scott Walker appointees on the PSC have joined the criticism of Obama’s clean power plan.