Wisconsin has a contentious history of increasing renewable energy generation through legislation. After Republicans took over the legislature in 2011, there has been a decrease in pro-climate legislation introduced in the legislature. Our analysis of 2,388 lobbying records shows electric utilities to be deeply influential in both Republican and Democrat-led legislatures. Significant legislative issues include streamlining the Public Service Commission approval for generation and transmission projects as well as net metering. A new democratic majority on the Public Service Commission has enabled benefits for utility-scale renewable energy generation, but the legislature continues to support natural gas infrastructure construction.
Figure 2: Coalitions on net metering and community power
Figure 3: Change in average position on introduced climate and energy bills during Republican trifecta.