Wisconsin slips five notches in energy efficiency ranking

Wisconsin’s move to roll back funding increases for programs that help homeowners and businesses save on energy bills was criticized in a report Thursday by a national energy efficiency advocacy group.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy released a scorecard rating states’ efforts in the area of energy efficiency.

Wisconsin was in the top 10 several years ago but ranks 16th in this year’s scorecard. Massachusetts was the top state overall, and Michigan and Illinois were cited as among the most improved states.

“Clearly, 2011 has not been kind to our economy, but energy efficiency remains a growth sector that attracts investment and creates jobs,” said Michael Sciortino, ACEEE senior policy analyst and the report’s lead author.

“With even higher energy savings possible, we expect leading states to continue pushing the envelope next year and inspire those at the bottom of the rankings to embrace energy efficiency as a core strategy to gain a competitive advantage by generating cost-savings, promoting technological innovation, and stimulating growth,” he said.

Wisconsin has lost some ground while other states have made significant pushes to set up initiatives that provide incentives to consumers and businesses to conduct energy-saving retrofits. Improvements by Michigan and Illinois pushed those states to rankings just behind Wisconsin.

The report saluted efforts in Arkansas, Rhode Island and Arizona, which “worked with utilities and adopted significant energy efficiency regulations,” the report says.

“Despite significant progress, some states have slowed or stepped backward in the race to save energy. New Jersey and Wisconsin have both diminished investments in utility-sector energy efficiency and Arizona is considering a law that will reduce transportation efficiency in the state.”

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Attacks on clean energy cost Wisconsin jobs

From a commentary in The Capital Times by Mark Redsten, executive director of Clean Wisconsin:

Gov. Scott Walker was elected on the promise of creating 250,000 new jobs in Wisconsin. If he is serious about creating this many jobs, he and legislative leaders must stop the attacks on clean energy and instead embrace this industry’s potential to create thousands of jobs.

Clean energy is one of the strongest and fastest-growing industries in the nation. It represents a significant bright spot in these otherwise troubled economic times, dominating the list of fastest-growing industries in the United States, according to a report recently released by IBISworld.

The report, “10 Fastest Growing Industries,” lists the fastest-growing sectors in the nation by percentage of revenue and includes wind power (No. 3), environmental consulting (No. 7) and solar power (No. 10). The fast growth of these industries sharply contrasts with the otherwise sluggish economy and will likely continue well into the future. The solar industry can expect to grow another 7.9 percent by 2016, and wind can expect to grow 11.2 percent, according to the report.

This continued growth promises to spur the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country in the coming years. With an abundance of natural resources, motivated workers and existing infrastructure for manufacturing, Wisconsin is well-positioned to become a leader in this booming industry.

Unfortunately, Walker and legislative leaders seem to be moving Wisconsin in the wrong direction and killing jobs by passing policies that create a business environment hostile toward clean energy.

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