Article
Governor releases $225,000 to help utilize renewable energy
Duluth News Tribune|Associated Press|March 23, 2006
MARATHON CITY, Wis. - Wisconsin businesses, local governments and homeowners would be able to apply for grants to help them implement renewable energy technology under a proposal Wednesday by Gov. Jim Doyle.
MARATHON CITY, Wis. - Wisconsin businesses, local governments and homeowners would be able to apply for grants to help them implement renewable energy technology under a proposal Wednesday by Gov. Jim Doyle.
The $225,000 program is designed to help those seeking to use wind, biomass or hydroelectric technology and is part of a broader initiative to embrace new energy technologies.
Last week, Gov. Jim Doyle signed legislation requiring 10 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable resources by 2015, update building codes to encourage energy efficiency and require state agencies to use more energy from renewable sources.
Some of the money would be used to develop a wind map of Wisconsin to identify where wind power is feasible. Another chunk would be targeted to small hydro dam feasibility studies.
Doyle's proposal Wednesday would take the money from payments the state has received from oil companies under a settlement dating …
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The $225,000 program is designed to help those seeking to use wind, biomass or hydroelectric technology and is part of a broader initiative to embrace new energy technologies.
Last week, Gov. Jim Doyle signed legislation requiring 10 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable resources by 2015, update building codes to encourage energy efficiency and require state agencies to use more energy from renewable sources.
Some of the money would be used to develop a wind map of Wisconsin to identify where wind power is feasible. Another chunk would be targeted to small hydro dam feasibility studies.
Doyle's proposal Wednesday would take the money from payments the state has received from oil companies under a settlement dating back to the 1970s over petroleum prices.
Kimberly Walker, administrator for the state Division of Energy, said the money has generally been used for renewable energy projects and the governor's initiative fits in with that mission. The settlement payments have come in sporadically and the state does not expect to receive any more, she said. The governor's proposal would use up what's left in the fund.
The proposal would have to be approved by the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee before it could go forward.
State Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, applauded the initiative.
Cowles, a member of the Joint Finance Committee, said he needed to review some details of the plan, but he did not anticipate objections from lawmakers and would push for committee approval.