This bill establishes a grant program to help Wisconsin municipalities and community organizations earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications for their buildings. The program would provide funding to support these entities in obtaining green building certifications from the Green Building Certification Institute. The legislation includes an appropriation of $1 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year to administer the grant program. This bill would create new statutory sections to define the program and authorize the funding.
This bill addresses three main areas of electric utility regulation. First, it prevents electric companies from charging customers for the profits they made on power plants that have already been retired. Second, it creates a public online dashboard to track the status of applications for permits needed to build large electric generating facilities. Third, it adds requirements for new large power facilities to show they will use at least 70% of their electricity for manufacturing or mining at the same location, and to agree to pay for connecting to the public power grid. These changes directly affect electric utilities, customers who pay utility rates, and developers seeking to build new power generation projects.
This bill would establish a state funding program to help local governments acquire or create public utilities such as water, power, heat, or light systems. It allows municipalities to apply for grants covering up to 50 percent of the costs associated with building new utility infrastructure, purchasing existing utilities, or acquiring utility property. The program requires municipalities to obtain approval from the state commission before receiving funds and to submit detailed information as part of their application. The bill also creates a specific appropriation in the state budget to finance these grants.
This bill creates a grant program to help Wisconsin municipalities and community organizations earn Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications for their buildings. The Department of Administration would administer the program, awarding grants specifically for LEED certification costs. The legislation appropriates $1 million for the 2025-26 fiscal year to fund these grants. The bill also establishes the legal framework for the program within state statutes.
This bill establishes priority rules for locating specific types of high-voltage electric transmission infrastructure, including mega transmission systems, consolidated utility corridors, and high-voltage direct current systems. It directs that these facilities be sited within existing high-voltage transmission line rights-of-way or along the corridors of interstate highways, U.S. numbered highways, state trunk highways, or railroad rights-of-way. The legislation defines a mega transmission system as a high-voltage line designed to operate at more than 400 kilovolts and renumbers an existing statute section to accommodate this new provision.
This bill would limit how much electric utility rates can increase for retail customers, capping annual rate hikes at 5 percent. It directly affects Wisconsin retail electric service providers and their customers by establishing a statutory ceiling on rate increases. The legislation creates a new provision in state statutes that would prevent the public service commission from approving rate increases exceeding this threshold. The bill would take effect on January 1, 2029, after repealing an existing provision that is scheduled to be removed on that date.
This bill would allow Wisconsin school districts to increase their revenue limits when they spend money on energy efficiency projects. If a school board chooses to participate, the district's spending on energy-saving measures, including debt payments for bonds or loans used to finance those projects, would count toward raising the revenue cap for that school year. To qualify, projects must reduce energy or operational costs, follow a performance contract, and have financing terms of 20 years or less. The legislation also defines eligible projects as facility upgrades, training programs, or services that lower energy use, conserve water, or improve metering accuracy.
This bill establishes the Wisconsin Climate Corps program, a state initiative designed to create jobs in environmental restoration, home weatherization, and climate resilience projects while providing employment training for underserved communities. The program would be managed by a nonprofit organization under the oversight of a new board that includes state officials, legislators, and representatives from conservation and youth training groups. Key provisions require that at least 50% of workers come from underserved populations, pay workers a minimum of $15 per hour, provide health insurance equivalent to a gold-level plan, and offer weekly housing stipends or accommodations. Projects would focus on activities such as planting trees, restoring natural lands, building community gardens, and improving energy efficiency in homes across both urban and rural areas.
This bill would allow Wisconsin school districts to increase their revenue limits when they spend money on energy efficiency projects. The adjustment applies to districts that adopt a resolution authorizing the increase and meet specific requirements, including using performance contracts for the project and financing it with bonds or loans of 20 years or less. Eligible projects must reduce energy or operational costs, conserve water, or improve metering accuracy, and the revenue limit increase would last for each school year the district pays debt service on the financing. The bill updates existing statutes to clarify how these adjustments are calculated and applies to resolutions adopted on the effective date of the law.
This bill makes three main changes to how electric power facilities are regulated and financed. First, it prevents electric utilities from charging customers higher rates to recover profits from power plants that have already been retired. Second, it requires anyone building a large new power facility to agree to pay for all costs of connecting it to the public power grid. Third, it mandates that the state commission create an online dashboard showing the status of permit applications for new power projects, including any other required approvals from federal, state, or local agencies. These rules directly affect electric utilities, power plant developers, and customers who pay electricity bills.
