WISPIRG's Jennifer Giegerich (Jan Pelton)

After two-and-a-half years, I am very proud and excited to tell you that Wisconsin has moved toward a clean energy future by passing SB 459, the renewable energy and energy efficiency bill.

Our biggest thanks go to Sen. Cowles, Rep. Montgomery and their staff for working to craft a bill that would bring the goal of clean energy to a tangible reality. Gov. Doyle deserves credit for putting the process in motion by creating the task force to draw up the ambitious plan.

You—our loyal membership—deserve credit for contacting the governor’s office and your legislators on this bill. You let them know how important this was to you and for our state.

All of this hard work demonstrates that, once again, Wisconsin is a place where folks can roll up their selves and get things done.

I’m sorry the same thing can’t be said of our leaders in Washington, D.C. President Bush was in Milwaukee one day before the Republican-controlled state Senate voted in favor of our clean energy bill.

He was speaking about weaning America off our addiction to foreign oil.

Too little. Way too late. His speech arrives after five years of cutting budgets for clean energy investments and killing a national renewable energy goal in last year’s energy bill.

Rhetoric out of Washington and action out of Madison. While Wisconsin has shown that we want to protect our environment from soot, smog and mercury and our pocketbooks from the fluctuations of high energy prices, our federal government has not committed to any action.

So while it’s great to celebrate our victory for clean energy here in Wisconsin, maybe its time to take our energy campaign on the road.