WISPIRG’s Bruce Speight at a press conference in Green Bay to promote wind power for Wisconsin. He was joined by Brown County Board Member Jack Kruger and Bill Richardson of Door County Wind and Solar Systems.

WISPIRG Supports Wind Project In Fond Du Lac

On July 8, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission approved a 200-megawatt wind farm near Brownsville that would generate enough clean electricity to power 72,000 homes. WISPIRG submitted comments in favor of the wind farm with minor changes to protect bird populations that visit the Horicon Marsh. This wind farm is the largest farm currently proposed in Wisconsin and demonstrates that wind power is a viable option for meeting our energy needs.

WISPIRG is encouraged by the ruling of the Public Service Commission and hopes it will build momentum for a 10-percent renewable energy goal being considered by the Legislature this fall.

WISPIRG Hosts Consumer Conference

On September 22, WISPIRG joined the Consumer Federation of America and the Consumer Law Litigation Clinic to hold a conference in Madison on stopping predatory lending. Wisconsin is one of only two states in the nation that does not put a cap on the amount of interest a financial institution can charge for short-term loans. Wisconsin consumers can pay up to 525 percent interest.

WISPIRG brought together consumer advocates, community leaders, citizens and decisionmakers to educate them about the issues that Wisconsin consumer face and devise an action plan for getting Wisconsin to adopt more favorable consumer protections in the next legislative session.

Feingold Opposes Nuke Subsidies

Thanks in part to comments from WISPIRG members, Sen. Feingold was a leader in defeating the McCain-Lieberman energy bill amendment, which included subsidies for nuclear power. The amendment was voted down 38-60.

Sens. McCain and Lieberman‘s global warming amendment to the energy bill included more than $5 billion in subsidies for the nuclear power industry to build the first new nuclear reactor in the U.S. in 30 years.

WISPIRG opposes nuclear power because it puts surrounding communities at risk for radiation exposure in the event of a terrorist attack or accident, and the plants produce highly radioactive waste that remains dangerous for hundreds of thousands of years.

WISPIRG Builds Support For Campaign Finance Reform

In June, Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager and Secretary of State Doug La Follette signed onto a WISPIRG-supported amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on campaign spending limits. Recently, a lower circuit ruled that spending limits may be constitutional in some cases. This presents a new take on the Supreme Court’s 1976 Buckley v. Valeo decision that creates a circuit split on this point of law.

Given this split, it’s hard to tell whether spending limits are permissible in Wisconsin, or across the country. WISPIRG supports limiting campaign contributions to prevent big money from having undue influence over our political process, to make political races more competitive by reducing the fundraising advantage of incumbents, and to make office-holders more accountable to voters.