, ,

Evers Pushes For Energy Goal, Speaks Against Trade Disputes

Governor Calls Carbon-Neutral Plan 'Doable'

By
Tony Evers
Gov. Tony Evers addresses a joint session of the Legislature in the Assembly chambers during the Governor’s State of the State speech at the state Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019, in Madison, Wis. Andy Manis/AP Photo

Gov. Tony Evers says it’s “doable” for Wisconsin to move to 100 percent carbon-neutral electricity by 2050.

Evers signed an executive order last week, setting the goal and creating a new office in the Department of Administration to move toward carbon-neutral energy.

Speaking Tuesday on WPR’s “Central Time,” the governor said many Wisconsin utilities have already set similar targets.

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“A. the marketplace is driving it. B. the technology is such that solar and wind energy are now cheaper than non-renewable sources.”

He didn’t offer specifics on how the state would reach the goal, but said it was important first to set the goal to “make sure that that goal is out there so people don’t forget about it.”

The order also calls for the state to follow carbon reduction goals set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

In addition to renewable energy, Evers spoke on a range of topics, including his letter last week to President Donald Trump urging a quick end to U.S. trade disputes with other countries.

The governor said he wasn’t convinced there would be a long-term benefit for farmers, who he said were already facing a “triple whammy” of trade uncertainty, low commodity prices and bad weather.

“The argument that somehow it’s going to be fixed in the future, that doesn’t take care of today,” he said. “And frankly, it’s questionable whether it’ll happen in the future also.”

Asked about his call for expanding background checks on gun sales in Wisconsin, Evers said “it has been shown that it would save lives” and stressed to critics of the plan that “there’s nothing about taking guns away. It’s about making sure that we have legal purchases.”

The governor also said the main purpose of his recent meeting with Foxconn officials was “to establish good working relationships with new leadership.”

That new leadership includes Young Liu, who took over as the electronics giant’s chair this summer after former chairman Terry Gou stepped down.

Evers has suggested the state and Foxconn may decide to re-open the multi-billion dollar incentives package for its manufacturing campus in Racine County, now that plans for that site are different than the original proposal.

“Whether that means that we’re going to specifically change some things in the deal, that remains to be seen. We have to sit down and talk about that,” he said. “They’ve expressed an interest in the past, and we have an interest in at least examining what is in the deal and what we may need to change.”