Hi John,

A quick update on a victory in Brown County.

Last week the Brown county Board passed a clean energy resolution and ensured that its language supports renewable energy.

In April 2020, Wisconsin Conservation Voters led a campaign to help Brown County become the next local government committed to 100 percent clean energy in northeast Wisconsin. That effort hit a roadblock when the Planning, Development, and Transportation Committee inserted language into the resolution that would have discouraged using wind energy and defined natural gas as clean, despite its greenhouse gas emissions.

That language was removed and a compromise was reached after nearly 200 county residents contacted the county board urging the removal of those statements. Despite challenges we met and faced along the way, we’re really proud of where Brown County is headed.

Local governments are truly the drivers of climate action at the moment. Going forward, state legislators will be taking cues from local officials as leaders in this movement. The resolution commits Brown County to achieving 100 percent clean energy and creates a subcommittee that will be made of local experts, residents, and supervisors to develop a plan to reach that goal. We’ll be continuing to work with the county to hold them true to their commitment and aid them throughout their journey.

Thank you for your support and your actions. And I thank the Brown County Board for its forward-thinking mindset on clean energy and its efforts to combat climate change.