WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE

P. O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707-7882

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sen. Jeff Plale 608-266-7505

April 13, 2010 Sen. Mark Miller 608-266-9170
Rep. Jim Soletski 608-266-0485
Rep. Spencer Black 608-266-7521

LEGISLATORS ANNOUNCE: CLEAN ENERGY JOBS ACT

AMENDMENT WILL REDUCE COSTS AND CREATE JOBS
LEGISLATION EXPECTED TO CREATE THOUSANDS OF JOBS

MADISON – Senators Jeff Plale and Mark Miller and Representatives Jim Soletski and
Spencer Black announce an amendment to the Clean Energy Jobs Act that will reduce costs
for consumers, create thousands of jobs and continue to position Wisconsin as a leader in the
clean energy economy.

“This establishes Wisconsin as the leader in green energy manufacturing and new renewable
energy production,” said Senator Mark Miller. “As a leader, we are in the best position to save
and create jobs reduce high energy costs. We cannot afford to wait.

“Passing the Clean Energy Jobs Act is an enormous opportunity to reduce our dependence on
foreign fuels and make sure Wisconsin doesn’t lose out on this opportunity to create clean
energy jobs to countries like China,” Miller said. “The world is moving rapidly in this direction
and Wisconsin is well-positioned to capture a significant share of the growing clean energy
market.”

"The Clean Energy Jobs Act will both improve our environment and help grow our economy.
We cannot continue to send $16 billion every year to other nations and states to purchase
carbon fuels and expect to prosper as a state in the future," said Rep. Spencer Black.

Accelerating in-state job growth and helping Wisconsin manufacturers save money by
becoming more energy efficient will help Wisconsin move our economy forward, according to
the bill’s authors.

A new addition to the bill is a grant program to underwrite a portion of the cost for small scale
renewable energy installations with special emphasis on manure digesters.

“Investing in small scale renewable energy creates a demand for those products and services,”
said Rep. Soletski, also a coauthor of the bill. “This stimulates the development of small scale
renewable energy products in Wisconsin, and makes such investments more affordable.
Giving priority to manure digesters has the added benefit of reducing the risk of water
pollution.”

-more-
Since enacting enhanced renewable portfolio standards four years ago, Wisconsin has
experienced a rapid expansion in renewable energy production and real growth in clean energy
jobs.

“Wisconsin is now a leading producer of ethanol in the country. We’ve seen real development
in the solar and wind industries. And we have more than 300 companies and thousands of jobs
in the wind industry,” Miller added.

Highlights of the CEJA Amendment include:

• Increases the use of renewable resources to meet the state’s future energy needs,
requiring 25 percent of Wisconsin’s energy needs are met by renewable sources by
2025, creates new opportunities for Wisconsin.
• Establishes graduated statewide electricity savings goals that lead up to a 2 percent
reduction by 2015 and annual reductions of 2 percent thereafter, this will help reduce
energy costs to businesses and homes across the state.
• Large conservation and efficiency projects that meet workforce standards could count
toward a portion of the RPS, which accelerates savings and provides options for utilities
to create jobs.
• Supports the development of small scale renewables such as solar, wind and manure
digesters through expanded Focus on Energy grants and loans that will now total $25
million per year each year for a four year period. This will allow Wisconsin Companies
to grow their business and create more jobs.
• Modifies, but not repeal, Wisconsin’s moratorium on nuclear power plants. The
language has been tightened to remove the threat of constitutional challenge by tying
those changes to the state’s traditional regulatory authority over the need and siting of
any plant.
• Adjusts several transportation provisions, including the elimination of the California
vehicle emissions standard; the proposed low carbon fuel standard tied to decisions in
other states; and boiler efficiency standards that could cause conflict with EPA
regulations.

The legislators have also asked the Public Service Commission to update its cost analysis of
the legislation, taking into account the changes made in the substitute amendment.

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