President’s Energy Plan Could Affect Wisconsin Coal Power

The climate change plan President Obama is due to announce today could bring changes for Wisconsin energy producers – especially for coal-fired plants.

The president is expected to call for a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions from big coal-fired plants. Wisconsin’s largest electric utility, WE Energies, says while it waits to hear details from the president, the company has been reducing air pollution at some of its power plants and is planning on doing more. WE Energies spokesman Brian Manthey says any rule should be based on commercially available, cost effective technologies:

Manthey: “… [technologies] that may be out there or may be developed. Another point to bring up that should also perhaps give credit for early actions. Remember, we have re-powered the Port Washington power plant, that had been coal, we have re-powered that. That’s now [running on] natural gas.”

Manthey also says WE Energies has added more renewable energy. Megan Severson, of the environmental group Wisconsin Environment, says in addition to cleaning up carbon pollution from power plants, she wants the president’s plan to advance energy efficiency measures and expand renewable energy.