Statement Of Opposition To Ab 596

Underneath is RENEW's bill of lading on AB 596, a act to butter the fabrication of renewable energy credits that utilities can use to submit with Wisconsin's Renewable Electricity Routine. The act would sign over utilities to assistance renewable energy credits from authorized generators toward their renewable electricity requests, irrespective of what the generator was positioned in repair. The avant-garde PSC principle on renewable energy credits permits utilities to assistance renewable energy credits twisted by qualifying generators barely if they were positioned in repair in 2010 or while. Make public OF Renew WISCONSIN IN Protestation TO AB596ASSEMBLY Committee ON Faculty AND UTILITIESJANUARY 9, 2014Renew Wisconsin leads and represents businesses, organizations, and relatives who seek further clean renewable energy in Wisconsin. Renew Wisconsin has been advancing a sustainable energy selected for Wisconsin in the same way as 1991. Of our 300+ members, further than 60 are companies headquartered in Wisconsin. Wisconsin's renewable electricity common (RES), which requires electricity providers to pump up their renewable energy provisions by six slice points, has been the head of state jump for expanding renewable energy's segment of the state's electric energy resource mix. I say "has been" like the utilities are now powerfully in filled adaptableness with the law's 2015 target, according to the Persons Relieve Casing. Deteriorating a distort in the 10% target, We Energies' 50 MW biomass generation plant at Rothschild, which was positioned in repair in postponed 2013, shapes up to be the last utility-owned renewable power plant leveraged by the RES. As of this small, none of the electric providers chastisement to Wisconsin's RES has publicly announced plans to butter their renewable generation portfolio.The aim of AB 596 is to sign over renewable energy credits twisted by qualifying renewable facilities large than 2010 to be concrete to Wisconsin's RES. Given that these facilities are beforehand producing renewable electricity now, the adoption of this act would not add new kilowatt-hours to the state's renewable energy provisions. As well, as noted above, Wisconsin's electricity providers are beforehand in adaptableness with the state's Renewable Electricity Routine. From now, they relay no need for the renewable energy credits (REC's) that would be twisted floor the adoption of AB 596.Renew does not base in point to policy changes that sign over electricity providers to acquire RECs twisted by large generators for the focus of pure their renewable energy requests, provided that put on is a need for this supplementary supply of RECs. But that need would be twisted by raising our 10% common, which AB 596 does not do. Out cold any authentication to pump up the RES above its avant-garde levels, this legislation would relay no of use effect on utility resource decisions if adopted.This legislation begs the question: what is the signification downcast creating new REC's in need creating a basis for electric utilities to use them?We would supporting the authentication planned here if it were high and dry in legislation to butter the avant-garde RES. Mournfully, no soar in the RES is contemplated in this act, which is why we oppose it. Why is an extended RES off the table?Positively it can't be the touch of resident states. Wisconsin's electricity tax are at the grand end involving Pompous Midwest states, yet it has beneath installed wind power per capita than its resident states. In 1999, Wisconsin was the primary Midwest state to adopt a Renewable Electricity Routine. In 2006 the Meeting strengthened the common, from 2.2% by 2011 to 10% by 2015. Surrounded by that sparkle and now, it has been a notably constant jump for creating jobs, spurring requirement for locally affected machinery, and on the rise the coop of tax revenues and supplemental finances at home recyclable landowners and businesses. All the economic and lush objectives that can be achieved with a 10% common relay been achieved. But the avant-garde RES has no capacity departed to buy new provisions of renewable electricity, and the barely way to hang about reaping the benefits of a cleaner, top and beneath economically destructive energy mix is to butter and spread-out this policy tool. Such a worry would not be brassy or radical; sincerely, Wisconsin has carry out it prematurely. Supplementary states are not assembly torpid. By the end of 2014, renewable energy is scheduled to record for further than 30% of Iowa's electricity. By 2020, Minnesota life-force dinner suit the restricted powerhouse for solar. By all economic esteem, fill with two states are outpacing Wisconsin, and their cleaner, lower-cost energy mix is a critical aspect in their ability to fascinate and sustain new investments. If Wisconsin is on account about conflicting with Iowa and Minnesota for new jobs and business opportunities, it requirements to put itself espousal on a soar track for renewables, and a a cut above RES is the pinnacle vehicle for accomplishing that. The avant-garde policy arrive on energy is not goodbye to get the job carry out.Warmly submitted, Don WichertRENEW Wisconsin Corporation occurrence