Dairyland Power is pushing forward with plans for a fossil gas plant in northern Wisconsin, despite what scientists tell us is clear: to mitigate the worst effects of climate change, we need to transition to 100% clean energy, not invest in more fossil fuels.
What's more, they're doing this despite the calls from local leaders to cancel the project. Superior Mayor Jim Paine and four City Council members are calling out the proposed Nemadji Trail Energy Center as a threat to the city. Their concerns range from exacerbating climate change and building a massive fossil fuel plant next to an Indigenous burial ground to the proposed plant's strain on local utilities, air quality, and road damage.
The United Nations' Global Methane Assessment tells us that methane emissions lead to thousands more deaths per year from air pollution than previously thought, and are also contributing to increased global average temperatures. Methane is a significantly more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, and if we are committed to combating climate change and its negative impacts, avoiding emissions and new fossil fuel infrastructure is not optional.
In Governor Evers' Task Force on Climate Change Report, recommendation #47 suggests avoiding all new fossil fuel infrastructure, specifically including NTEC. If we want to meet the goal of moving Wisconsin to 100% clean energy, this is something we must follow through on. Dairyland has also announced that they are exploring adding small-scale nuclear to their generation mix. This is not the answer we need. It's already clear that a clean energy portfolio -- a mix of solar, wind, storage and more -- can replace fossil fuel capacity at a lower price. This is even more true with the opportunities provided by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Join us in telling Dairyland to cancel plans for NTEC.
