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WISCONSIN ON EARTH DAY: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNEXPECTED  
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Amy Barrilleaux
April 22, 2024
Wisconsin Examiner
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_ We know our health depends on the health of our planet. Clean
Wisconsin, the state’s oldest environmental organization, was
founded on the first Earth Day in 1970. But for all of us, every day
is Earth Day. _

A child rests among signs at Milwaukee climate march, (photo by Isiah
Holmes).

 

We like to say that Earth Day was born in Wisconsin. After all, the
idea to rally in support of environmental protection came from
Wisconsin’s Junior Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. He may have been
viewing oil spill devastation in California when the idea came to him,
but we know it’s ours all the same—Wisconsin’s gift to the
world.

But what have we done for the world lately? It can feel like political
battle lines run so deep in Wisconsin they are impossible to cross —
still,  environmental victories are happening. 

Last month Wisconsin passed a new electric vehicle charging law with
bipartisan support — one that opens the door for our state to
receive $78 million from the Biden administration to build a charging
network. During a presidential election year, in a closely-watched
purple state with a fiercely divided state government, we found common
ground. Now convenience stores get to offer charging, and more
charging will encourage more rapid adoption of clean, electric
vehicles. Positive change brings more positive change.

We’ve also seen continued investments and expansions from state
lawmakers in several farm conservation programs, broad bipartisan
interest and action on managed grazing legislation, and newly enacted
legislation and investment in pre-disaster flood resilience to help
communities deal with extreme storms worsened by climate change. 

And Wisconsin is seeing a rooftop solar boom thanks to Wisconsinites
doing their part, with help from federal Inflation Reduction Act
incentives making solar more affordable for businesses, non-profits
and homeowners. Add to that recent Public Service Commission (PSC)
approval of three new solar farms in Fond du Lac, Winnebago, Columbia
and St. Croix counties, and suddenly clean energy in Wisconsin feels,
well, energized.

Still, on this 55th Earth Day, we know protecting our environment is a
never-ending battle, and the urgent issues facing Wisconsin right now
matter more than ever. The state’s largest power company, WEC Energy
Group, is currently seeking approval from the PSC to spend more than
$1 billion on a major buildout of natural gas infrastructure, locking
Wisconsin into 30 more years of fossil fuels at a time when we
absolutely must transition to clean energy. The move comes as the
company, which counts We Energies and WPS among its subsidiaries,
continues to fight measures that would help its customers reduce
demand and cut energy costs, like community solar and third party
solar. In 2016, WEC also successfully lobbied to cut $7 million in
funding from Wisconsin’s statewide efficiency program, Focus on
Energy.

Canadian pipeline company Enbridge is waging a court battle to ensure
it can continue to pump nearly 23 million gallons of crude oil and
liquid natural gas every day from Superior, Wis. to refineries in
Ontario across tribal land of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa. Lake Superior is one of the most valuable natural resources
in the world, but it is put at risk every single day Enbridge’s
aging Line 5 oil pipeline remains in operation. Proposed construction
of a new Line 5 pipeline that avoids tribal land also crosses some of
Wisconsin’s most sensitive waterways and once again prolongs our
dependence on fossil fuels at a time when the window for making
meaningful progress against climate change is closing. 

It’s becoming an unfortunate theme: complacency in the face of
urgency.

It can be hard to keep up hope for a safe, healthy future in the face
of powerful interests focused on keeping things the way they are. It
helps to find inspiration in the unexpected victories. Last fall, a
rare nest of endangered Rusty Patched bumblebee queens was discovered
at a wooded park in Milwaukee County. Wisconsin’s native Rusty
Patched bumblebee was the first bee listed as a federally endangered
species in 2017. 

For years, Rusty Patched worker bees were seldom seen in Wisconsin.
The queens? Forget about it. Until people started paying attention —
planting and protecting habitat, photographing, counting, seeking to
understand how to protect the smallest creatures nobody had really
bothered to protect before. Unexpected glimpses of progress show us
what can be achieved by simply caring and acting. 

We know our health depends on the health of our planet: on the air we
breathe, the water we drink, the soil where we grow our food, the
ecosystems that allow all living things to thrive. Clean Wisconsin,
the state’s oldest environmental organization, founded on the first
Earth Day in 1970. But for all of us, every day is Earth Day.

_Amy Barrilleaux is Communication Director for Clean Wisconsin, where
she works to engage the public and build a broad community of
advocates by highlighting the connection between a clean environment
and a safe, healthy future._

_The Wisconsin Examiner is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news site offering
a fresh perspective on politics and policy in our state. As the
largest news bureau covering state government in Madison, the Examiner
offers investigative reporting and daily coverage dedicated to the
public interest. We take our inspiration from the motto emblazoned on
a ceiling in our state Capitol: “The Will of the People Is the Law
of the Land.”  The Examiner is part of States Newsroom
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nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations
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independence._

* Earth Day
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* environmental movement
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* Climate Change
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* Wisconsin
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