Wisconsin lawmakers pass legislation trimming efficiency program

Dive Brief:

Wisconsin senators this week approved a measure that would reduce the amount that utilities pay into the state's energy efficiency program and relax the state's sulfure dioxide emission regulations, sending the measure to Gov. Scott Walker (R)'s desk for final approval.
The bill, passed 31-1 in the Senate, according to reports from the Associated Press, had already passed the Assembly last month on a 62-33 vote.
The rule change would fund lower funding for efficiency in the state by about $7 million, by changing the funding mechanism to a 1.2% charge on a utility's retail sales, rather than tying it to operating revenues.

Dive Insight:

Changes to how Wisconsin funds its energy efficiency program could lead to a $7 million reduction of the successful initiative. And the Associated Press reports the measure would also alter requirements that utilities submit sulfur dioxide emissions plans each year, including lowering the potential for enforceable limits on polluters.

Senate Bill 654 funds efficiency programs through a 1.2% charge on a utility's retail sales, a change from the current charge on operating revenues. Assembly Bill 804 was passed in mid-February.

But the efficiency programs are saving customers money. A study last year by Cadmus last year found Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program was saving between $3 and $6 per dollar spent, depending on the level of broader economic savings included. Additionally, the program had boosted manufacturing jobs, the study found.

“This change is going to hurt customers, they’ll have less opportunity to take advantage of the programs that Focus on Energy offers, and those programs help customers lower their bills,” Mitch Brey, campaign organizer of the citizen group RePower Madison, told Midwest Energy News.