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Defendertheclean water • clean air • clean energy

Fall 2011

join

us

To Defend and Protectour environmental integrity

Our Top Legislative Issues This FallBy Amber Meyer Smith, Clean Wisconsin’s Director of Programs & Government Relations

InsideWater Update pg 3EPA Delays pg 4Under the Lens pg 8

It is no secret that we are in the midst of one of the most challenging political times in memory, and hard-fought environmental protections and victories seem to be prime fodder for the chopping block. Earlier this year, the governor and legislative leadership moved Wisconsin backward on a slew of environmental issues. The state’s wind siting law was suspended, making it harder to build clean, renewable wind farms in the state; this move ultimately forced three wind developers to pull their projects, which would have created hundreds of jobs and infused millions of dollars into the local economy. Funding for the popular and cost-effective Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency program, was cut in the state budget. The recycling fund was raided, cutting funding for Wisconsin’s successful recycling program by 40 percent; your actions and support were critical to keep recycling from being completely defunded.

Your actions give Clean Wisconsin’s voice volume and strength. Whether it’s contacting your legislators through our Action Network, staying informed via Facebook and Twitter, volunteer-ing your time or giving to Clean Wisconsin, your support has been and continues to be abso-lutely critical as we push for, defend and protect Wisconsin’s environmental integrity.

Following the summer legislative recess and the recall elections, Clean Wisconsin is back to work in the Capitol, working to hold onto the progress we’ve made over the last 40 years. In the coming weeks, we will be pushing for a stronger commitment to renewable energy produced in Wisconsin, including policies that provide incentives for more manure digesters. We will de-fend Wisconsin’s mining law, which out-of-state mining interests are attempting to weaken, and be watching other bills, like a package of wetland reform bills, to weigh their potential impact on mining. We’ll continue to fight for more recycling of products that contain mercury and work to prevent further clean energy rollbacks.

In this issue of The Defender, you’ll find information on issues that Clean Wisconsin is focus-ing on this fall. Armed with this knowledge, we encourage you to be an active participant in our work and take action whenever possible. Wisconsin’s environmental integrity is at stake, and we hope you’ll join us to protect and defend the programs, policies and places that make our state such a wonderful place to live, work and play.

See pages 6 & 7 for more information on our priority issues

Wetlands

Renewables

Focus on Energy

Northwoods Mine

2 Fall 2011

Executive Director Mark Redsten

Development Director Becky Bains

Accounting Manager Mary Coughlan

Staff Scientist Tyson Cook

Membership Coordinator Jenny Lynes

Water Program Director Melissa Malott

Grants Manager Tracy Marks-Geib

Director of Programs & Government Relations Amber Meyer Smith

Water Resources Specialist Ezra Meyer

General Counsel Katie Nekola

Senior Policy Director Keith Reopelle

Midwest Clean Energy Coordinator Sarah Shanahan

Chief Financial Officer Roger Sneath

Clean Energy Specialist Katy Walter

Creative Director Amanda Wegner

Communications Director Sam Weis

Staff Attorney Elizabeth Wheeler

Office Administrator David Vitse

Chair Carl Sinderbrand (Madison)Vice Chair Margi Kindig (Madison)Treasurer Gof Thomson (New Glarus)Secretary Gary Goyke (Madison)

Belle Bergner (Milwaukee)Phyllis Dube (McFarland)Sue Durst (Verona)Shari Eggleson (Washburn)Scott Froehlke (Montello)Paul Linzmeyer (Green Bay)Chuck McGinnis (Middleton)Lucia Petrie (Milwaukee)David Wandel (Madison)

Board Emeritus Kate Gordon (Washington, D.C.)

The Defender is owned and published quarterly by Clean Wisconsin, 634 W. Main St., #300, Madison, WI 53703,608-251-7020.A one-year subscription membership is $35. Please direct correspondence to the address above.Volume 41, No. 4 Issue date: October 2011©2011 Clean Wisconsin. All rights reserved.ISSN # 1549-8107

Clean Wisconsin has led efforts to push for restoration of funding for Focus on Energy. Focus on En-ergy is the state energy-efficiency program that saves homeowners and businesses $2.50 in energy costs for every $1 invested, and is a proven, cost-effective means of job creation and reducing our reliance on out-of-state, dirty energy. See “Focus on Energy funding” on page 7 for three easy actions you can take on this important issue.

Since last spring, all eyes have been on the Capitol for signs of the next mining proposal, including ours here at Clean Wisconsin. Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald recently announced a new special committee on mining to review existing laws. Weakening current mining laws could threaten our environment, the health of our residents, and the quality of our water. See “Northwoods Min-ing” on page 6 for three easy actions you can take on this important issue.

We have heard from legislators time and again that they value the input they receive from our action alert emails. The high number of messages we’ve help send to legislators has created the sup-port needed to bolster environmental protections and change provisions that would have resulted in environmental rollbacks.

We want to continue this momentum, and add your voice! The quickest, most affordable way for us to contact you when we need your help is via email. When you join our Action Network, you’ll get one email a week with simple and quick actions you can take on the issues you care about most. Head to our website or email jlynes@cleanwisconsin.org to join our Action Network and be a part of our winning team!

We need you to help secure our shared vision for the future of Wisconsin! Your contribution to Clean Wisconsin’s Legacy Fund has never been so important. The Madison Community Foundation has issued a challenge to the environmental community by generously offering $100,000 to be used as matching funds to gifts made to our endowment fund. In honor of our 40th anniversary last year, Clean Wisconsin founder and Secretary of State Doug La Follette donated $100,000 to the fund. Please help us raise an additional $200,000 to reach our goal and receive the generous matching gift from the Madison Community Foundation. Your contributions can be sent to the office (address at top right); please be sure to include your name, address, and that the funds are for the endow-ment. Contact Becky Bains, Development Director, at 608-251-7020 ext. 17 with questions about the Legacy Fund.

Thanks to your financial generosity, we are able to work to protect Wisconsin’s special places and advocate for our clean water and clean air. You can help us reduce paper and staff costs by joining our monthly donor program. This way, you can support our work with small, monthly contri-butions of any amount that recur automatically.

If you want to support our campaigns year-round, become a monthly donor by visiting www.cleanwisconsin.org, clicking “Donate Now” and selecting, “I want to make a recurring donation.” Or, call or mail in your preferred monthly amount, Visa or Mastercard information, and full name and address; we can take care of the rest here in the office.

Help Reduce Energy Bills for Wisconsinites

Help Maintain Strong Mining Laws

Clean Wisconsin protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officals and polluters accountable.

Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses.

On behalf of its 10,000 members, supporters and co-alition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin a wonderful place to live, work and play.

Endowment Fund Challenge Continues

Printed with soy ink on unbleached, recycled paper.

634 W. Main St., #300 • Madison WI 53703Phone: 608-251-7020www.cleanwisconsin.org

Actions you can take for clean water, clean air and clean energy

TAKING ACTIONTaking Charge&

STAFF

BOARD

Be a Part of a Winning Team: Join Our Action Network

Help Clean Wisconsin Year-round

Visit our blog at blog.cleanwisconsin.org, your one-stop shop for news, analysis and commentary

on Wisconsin’s environment.

www.cleanwisconsin.org 3

from theExecutive Director

It has been a busy year at Clean Wisconsin, filled with offense and defense: Fighting to protect many of our past victories and working to advance commonsense environmental policy in Wisconsin.

Amid the political turmoil in the Capitol, we have not lost sight of what we stand for — fighting to protect the clean air, clean water and the special places that make Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play.

2011 has been a year of both victories and setbacks. This spring, Governor Walker’s budget proposal included a provision that would have eliminated the mandate that counties and municipalities provide residents with access to recycling programs, and another that would have delayed the phosphorus rule Clean Wisconsin fought so hard to pass.

With your help, we were able to send thousands of letters supporting recycling; we ultimately succeeded in convincing legislators to save recycling and restore much of the funding dedicated to the program. Similar pressure helped convince lawmakers not to delay the phosphorus rule, vital legislation that will help keep Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers and streams clean and healthy.

Successfully defeating attacks on Wisconsin’s environment would not have been possible during the spring legislative session without the support of you, our members. Your letters helped show lawmakers how much Wisconsin residents value the environment, and your donations helped keep our staff working hard in the Capitol, serving as your voice for the environment.

As the fall legislative session continues, we will be advocating for legislators to fully restore funds to the recycling program, working with communities across the state to implement the phosphorus rules we fought so hard to protect, fighting to maintain the strength of Wisconsin’s wetlands and mining laws, and working to increase funding to Focus on Energy, the statewide energy-efficiency program that was cut this spring.

Being successful this fall and next year will require your continued support. I invite you to read more about our efforts in the coming pages, and I ask that you stay tuned to Clean Wisconsin; our work in the Capitol, together with your voice through emails and phone calls, will be critically important to protect more environmental laws that are under attack and to push forward sensible environmental policy in Wisconsin.

Mark RedstenExecutive Director

Help shape the future of your community by joining Milwaukee’s leaders and residents as nationally recognized energy expert

Dr. Henry S. Cole, president of Henry S. Cole & Associates, Inc. and publisher of the popular blog Ekos2, presents his talk,

“Painting the Cream City Green.” Cole will launch a conversation on how green jobs are vital to our environment as well as our safety,

health and Milwaukee’s economy.

When: Thursday, Oct. 20, 6-8 pm.Where: Helios USA, 1207 W. Canal St., MilwaukeeRefreshments and conversation to follow lecture.

This event is free and open to the public; more at cleanwisconsin.org/speakers.

Environmental Speakers Program

Join Clean Wisconsin for the second

installment of the

Watching WaukeshaEarlier this summer, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Re-

sources began the formal process to consider the City of Wauke-sha’s application to divert water from Lake Michigan. Waukesha lies completely outside the Great Lakes Basin, and this first-of-its-kind proposal will set a precedent for the Great Lakes Compact’s implementation.

At its core, the Com-pact protects the quantity of water in our Great Lakes so it can be managed sus-tainably for the benefit of all generations. Waukesha’s

application must meet require-ments in Wisconsin law and the Great Lakes Compact, which was agreed to by all eight Great Lakes Basin states and approved by the federal government in 2008. The DNR began considering Waukesha’s application this summer; the process is slated to last through year’s end. If Wisconsin approves the application, the remaining states are required to consider it; all must approve it before a diversion is allowed. If any one state rejects the application, it is denied.

Clean Wisconsin is evaluating Waukesha’s application in detail to make sure it meets Wisconsin law and the requirements of the Great Lakes Com-pact, with an eye to the proposal’s big picture impact. We will let you know when there are opportunities for you to comment on the application, as we did this July when the DNR held its first round of hearings. DNR officials plan to hold another set of public hearings early next year. —Ezra Meyer, Water Resources Specialist

Sweet Water Launches “The Real Waterpark”

Would you go to a water park if you knew its water slides, wave pools and lazy rivers all contained polluted water? Unfortunately, the rivers and lakes we love — Wisconsin’s “real waterpark” — are polluted, in large part because of our actions.

That’s what “The Real Waterpark,” a marketing campaign launched in August by the Southeastern Wisconsin Watershed Trust (Sweet Water) wants to highlight.

A survey conducted in October 2010 found that 84 percent of residents in Southeastern Wisconsin believe their actions do not impact water qual-ity. Most residents mistakenly identified sewer overflows and industrial waste as the major sources of pollution, despite the fact that 90 percent of water pollution is from nonpoint sources like city streets and farm fields.

Clean Wisconsin worked with Sweet Water partners and Staples Mar-keting to craft “The Real Waterpark” campaign to raise awareness about how individual actions affect water quality and highlight actions we all can take to help improve water quality. For more information and to sign a pledge to reduce water pollution around your house and neighborhood, check out realwaterpark.com! —Sam Weis, Communications Director

Keeping Carp OutClean Wisconsin is active in

the fight to keep Asian carp out of our waters.

Asian carp have not made a home in our Great Lakes, but they have been found in tribu-taries of the Mississippi River. We believe we must permanent-ly separate the Great Lakes and Mississippi River waterways to prevent Asian carp and other invasive species from entering our waters; Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen recently joined the Attorneys General of 16 other states in a letter to the U.S. Congress urging the same. To date, we’ve asked you to contact Congress to ask them to speed up the Army Corps of En-gineers’ timeline. We’ve also asked you to contact Gov. Scott Walker, who recently asked New York’s governor to weaken ballast water rules, which would result in more invasive species entering the Great Lakes and be a massive step backward.

We will keep you updated on Asian carp as they head toward our pre-cious waters. Your clicks and calls are critical to preserving Lake Michigan and Wisconsin’s inland waters. —Amanda Wegner, Creative Director

Wa

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Up

da

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Photo: Michigan Sea Grant/Flickr

Our Great Lakes

4 Fall 2011

Our environmental priorities, at work in the CapitolBy Amber Meyer Smith, Director of Programs and Government Relations

LEgISLATIvE UPDATECLEAN WiSCONSiN’S

• Watch live and recorded legislative floor sessions, committee hearings and interviews at wisconsineye.org

• Sign up to receive notifications about action on bills you care about at http://notify.legis.state.wi.us

• Learn more about your legislators by entering your address or using the interactive map at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx

• Most importantly, join our Action Network! Find it online at www.cleanwisconsin.org.• Bookmark the Clean Wisconsin blog at blog.cleanwisconsin.org.

Stay informed on what’s

happening in our state

government

Clean Wisconsin is working on several issues this legislative session. In addition to our four priority issues outlined on pages 6 and 7, we are working to introduce a mercury products recycling bill. We are also pleased to share a legal victory with you as

well, which supports our ongoing legislative work for strong groundwater protections.

RECyCLiNG LiGhtBuLBS AND thERMOStAtS thAt CONtAiN MERCuRy

Clean Wisconsin has been fighting for decades to prevent and remove mercury from our environment. Since we helped pass strong rules for the mercury emitted from coal-fired power plants in 2004 to the law we worked on in 2009 to ban the sale of products that contain mercury from store shelves, Clean Wisconsin remains committed to keeping attention on this important risk to our environment and our health.

Despite those advancements, mercury-containing products still remain in homes today, and the next phase of our efforts must be to make sure those products are properly recycled. Old thermostats contain large amounts of mercury. As more and more people replace outdated models with energy-efficient programmable thermostats, these old mercury thermostats are ending up in landfills, which pollutes the environment. While there is no doubt that compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) are a smart invest-ment for the environment and for your wallet, CFLs do contain small amounts of mercury as well. Current recycling options are limited in many areas of Wisconsin for both CFLs and mercury thermostats.

Clean Wisconsin, in conjunction with the national Mercury Policy Project, is currently working on legislation that would make it more convenient to recycle old thermostats and CFLs. Modeled on Wisconsin’s successful electronic waste recycling law, this legislation would encourage shared responsibility and ensure that the industry and retailers that sell or manufacture these prod-ucts are part of the solution.

COuRt ViCtORy FOR GROuNDWAtER PROtECtiONS

Clean Wisconsin has focused much effort on trying to improve Wisconsin’s groundwater laws over recent years. With rivers drying up, it is clear that we need additional protections from the effects of high-capacity wells for our precious natural resources.

In July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court decided a case that upholds the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ author-ity to protect all waters in the state, including groundwater. This unanimous decision was a major step forward in protecting our lakes, rivers and streams from the environmental impacts of pumping large quantities of groundwater. The case was argued by Clean Wisconsin’s Board Chair Carl Sinderbrand.

High-capacity wells pump hundreds of thousands of gallons of water every day. If improperly located or managed, these wells can draw down groundwater levels, causing water levels to fall in nearby streams or lakes. In extreme circumstances, excessive pumping can cause streams and lakes to dry up, as has happened to the Little Plover River near Stevens Point and several central Wisconsin lakes.

In September, the President released a statement instructing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw its draft revision of Ozone Air Quality Standards. Then, EPA announced the delay of draft guidelines for greenhouse gas regulation from power plants and refineries.

The White House’s press release on the ozone delay cited “importance of reducing regulatory burden and regulatory uncertainty, particularly as our economy continues to recover” as a reason for putting these regulations on hold. However, the revision was in response to a court order, which declared the existing Bush-era standard is not protective of public health. Continued delay of ozone standards endangers our public health and safety.

Guidelines for greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants and refineries were expected to be released in September. Due to the most recent delay, it is not clear how long it will take EPA to propose standards for power plants, the nation’s largest source of carbon pollution.

Many point to the power of industry lobbyists as a reason for these delays. But the fact is that the Supreme Court has twice ruled that it is EPA’s responsibility under the Clean Air Act to regulate these pollutants. Further, the Congressional Research Service issued a report in August explaining that the claims of industry lobbyists about the burdens of Clean Air Act compliance are overblown. To the contrary, since the Clean Air Act was passed in 1970, our economy has experienced steady growth while seeing significant improvement in air quality. Cleaning up power plants is an oppor-tunity to protect our children and our planet, while creating thousands of jobs.

September had its setbacks, but there are positives. Clean Wisconsin is working with businesses and utilities on greenhouse gas rules; many businesses see the importance of these standards and want certainty in the marketplace. EPA is also working on mercury and toxics air standards, which are intended to be finalized in November, and recently finalized a more stringent regulation of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides pollution from power plants.

In short, taking a little more time to get it done right is one thing, but punting on EPA’s duty to protect our children and our planet is utterly unacceptable.

DelayedThe Environmental Protection Agency suffers two big setbacks

in September. By Sarah Ann Shanahan

Midwest Clean Energy Coordinator

www.cleanwisconsin.org 5

Mining Committee AnnouncedAn update on Northern

Wisconsin’s proposed iron mine & legislation

By Sam Weis, Communications Director

In late September, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald announced the formation of a Senate Select Committee for reviewing min-ing legislation, four months after a draft iron mining bill was scrapped due to public outcry regarding the secretive nature of the process.

This committee is reviewing Wisconsin’s mining laws as Gogebic Taconite, a subsidiary of a West Virginia-based mining corporation called the Cline Group, proposes to build a massive open-pit iron mine near Ashland. The corporation has leased the mineral rights to 22,000 acres in the Penokee Range, at the headwaters of the pristine Bad River and claims it will not move forward on the proposal until Wisconsin’s mining laws are rewritten.

The draft bill released this spring was written by attorneys and lobbyists for the mining indus-try and included language that would have fast-tracked mining proposals, limited public input, and provided for an unprecedented elimination of environmental protections.

The Bad River Watershed is a region known for Class 1 trout streams, high-quality wetlands, pristine parks and national forests. Building a massive open-pit iron mine in this area would forever scar Northern Wisconsin’s landscape, use massive quantities of water, and threaten to pollute the area’s pris-tine lakes, rivers and streams.

Luckily, grassroots outcry helped en-courage legislators to pull back. The cre-ation of this special Senate mining com-mittee represents a slowed-down process where we expect full public input and that facts will be heavily weighed.

One day before the announcement that a Senate committee on mining was being formed, members of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, who live downstream from the proposed project, re-leased 10 principles that any new mining legis-lation should include. The first principle pro-poses that the definition of iron mining should exclude any project proposal that has the poten-tial to cause acid mine drainage.

These principles are common-sense propos-als that are firmly based in science and law. Clean Wisconsin will be working with the Bad River Tribe and other groups in the coming months to ensure that Wisconsin’s mining laws remain strong and that any new legislation con-tains these 10 principles.

The special legislative mining committee said the panel will start meeting in October, with the goal of completing its review by the end of the year so the Legislature can begin full debate at the start of the 2012 spring ses-sion. Make sure to stay tuned to our blog and Action Network for up-to-date information on the campaign to protect Wisconsin from dan-gerous mining!

Legislators need to hear from you that Wisconsin residents support strong mining laws.

For information on the Senate Select Committee, visithttp://bit.ly/SenateSelect

Through the website, you can contact committee members to tell them to maintain strong mining laws that protect the

Northwoods and Wisconsinites.

Photos, clockwise from top: Bad River, Joshua Mayer/Flickr; Common Loons, Alan Root/Flickr; Penokee Range, the Nature Conservancy (tNC); Piping Plover, uSFWS/Flickr; tyler Forks River, tNC.

The creation of this special mining committee represents a slowed-down process where we expect the facts will be heavily weighed and there will be many opportunities for public input.

6 Fall 2011

Facts on Four

1. Voice your concern. A Senate committee was recently formed to review mining legislation (see page 5). Contact committee members to say you want strong protections for the environment, public health and local communities.

2. Sign the Bad River’s Petition at badriverwatershed.force.com/MiningLawPetition.3. Come to Mining Lobby Day on Wednesday, Oct. 19, where you’ll have a chance

to share your concerns face-to-face with legislators and other citizens. 12:30-4:30 p.m. RSVP to info@cleanwisconsin.org.

What you can doThis legislation is being considered

as part of a “special” legislative session, a process that can move very quickly and has more relaxed

rules for public input.

Legislation is being drafted in the Capitol to change wetland protections in Wis-consin. This bill could have sweeping impacts to this precious natural resource and could even impact the way mines are permitted. This legislation will require careful consideration to make sure that the “natural sponge functions” that wetlands pro-vide are not being compromised.

We must ensure there are no rollbacks to current wetland regulations. We are never opposed to better ways of doing things, but they must be as equally protective of this important natural resource as current law. Too often “reform” means “loosening en-vironmental protections.”

•Wetlands reduce flooding: Called “nature’s sponges,” wetlands store rain that runs off the land. Without wetlands, rain floods basements, roads and other low-lying areas.

•Wetlands improve water quality: Wetlands slow down and filter runoff from storms and snowmelt, sediment and other pollutants before it reaches our waterways.

•Wetlands enhance the recreation economy: 75% of Wisconsin’s wildlife species de-pend on wetlands. Healthy wetlands are a key factor to the $3.8 billion in annual re-tail sales and 72,000 jobs associated with Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation economy.

Wetland protectionsIssue

Goal

Impacts

1. Contact your legislator today and tell them that you will be watching their actions on wetlands closely, and that any bill that undoes wetland protections should be rejected.

2. Watch your email for action alerts. Since this legislation may move fast, we’ll need to move fast. One of the best ways for you to stay updated is through our Action Network; to sign up, visit cleanwisconsin.org and fill out the “Join our Action Network” box on the homepage. It’s that simple!

Mining interests want to rewrite Wisconsin’s existing mining laws to fast-track a 22,000-acre taconite mine in Northern Wisconsin’s Penokee Range, near Ashland and the headwaters of the Bad River, at the expense of public input and environmen-tal protections. Wisconsin’s existing mining law provides some of the most compre-hensive public and environmental protections in the nation; rewriting this law could have detrimental impacts to local communities and the natural environment.

Clean Wisconsin is dedicated to defending Wisconsin’s current mining laws, which provide protections for the environment and allow and consider public input. We will also be monitoring all other legislation for its potential impact on mining applications.

•One of the world’s largest undeveloped freshwater estuaries, the Bad River empties into Chequamegon Bay through 16,000 acres of wetlands, woodlands and sand dune ecosystems. Original draft legislation would have allowed mining companies to dump toxic mine waste in floodplains and near rivers, lakes and neighboring properties.

•Past iron mines have damaged land and ecosystems, acidified local lakes, rivers and streams, and leeched toxic chemicals into drinking water supplies.

Northwoods MiningIssue

Goal

Impacts

Our four legislative priorities this session

What you can doLast spring, your action was critical

in delaying the original draft legislation, and your help will

continue to be important in the months ahead.

www.cleanwisconsin.org 7

Arming you with knowledge to defend and protect Wisconsin’s environmental integrity

Focus on Energy, the statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy program, helps businesses and homeowners lower their energy bills by using less energy. This spring, legislative leaders included a provision in the state budget that slashed fund-ing to Focus on Energy and severely limited any future investments in the program. This was done even though Focus on Energy is funded by utilities, not the state, and the business community strongly voiced its opposition to the cuts.

Because energy efficiency and renewable energy create jobs, Clean Wisconsin be-lieves this issue should be a priority for legislators. We are working with affected businesses and decisionmakers to find a compromise to restore Focus on Energy funding.

•In its first 10 years, Focus on Energy saved $2 billion on energy bills, created thou-sands of jobs, and helped us avoid the need to build infrastructure like transmis-sion lines and new power plants.

•The funding cut from the program would have created 7,000 to 9,000 additional jobs and saved hundreds of millions of dollars on energy bills.

•Investing in Focus on Energy helps reduce our dependence on out-of-state fossil fuels and cuts pollution.

1. Tell us your story. Have you used Focus on Energy? Your experiences help us better share the program’s success with decisionmakers. Send your stories to Katy Walter at kwalter@cleanwisconsin.org.

2. Write a letter to the editor. Share your Focus on Energy experience or support with a wider audience by publishing a letter in the important and influential opin-ion section of your local newspaper. Email kwalter@cleanwisconsin.org for help.

3. Email the governor. Visit the Take Action section of our website to email the Governor Walker and turn the heat up on this important issue!

Focus on Energy fundingIssue

Goal

Impacts

We have seen unprecedented rollbacks to clean energy laws this year: new restric-tions on wind power, cuts to energy-efficiency funding, and allowing Canadian hydroelectricity to count toward our renewable energy standard. Now is the time to focus on practical solutions to move renewable energy forward. In particular, manure digesters would enhance our agricultural economy while generating renew-able energy and should be considered a priority as the legislature moves forward.

Clean Wisconsin is committed to helping Wisconsin realize its potential to cre-ate and use more Wisconsin-based renewable energy. We are working to find ways to provide incentives for more renewable energy generation in agriculture.

•By harnessing the potential of our largest industry, we strengthen Wisconsin’s rural economy and slow the flow of the $18 billion sent out of state to import fossil fuels and electricity annually.

•Manure digesters, for example, can help farmers turn waste into energy, saving money on energy bills. Germany has 4,000 digesters, while Wisconsin only has 26. Surely a place with as many farms as Wisconsin can do better.

Wisconsin-Based RenewablesIssue

Goal

Impacts

1. Call your legislator. Ask your legislator to stop the attacks on clean energy and instead work to strengthen our rural economy by finding ways to incentivize agricultural energy.

2. Stay up-to-date on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to being part of our email Action Network, we’ll have plenty more actions you can take that will help us with as the campaign progresses, which we’ll post to Facebook and Twitter. Find us at www.facebook.com/cleanwisconsin and www.twitter.com/cleanwisconsin.

What you can doYour experiences with Focus on

Energy help us inform decisionmakers of the program’s

success and importance.

What you can doIn the coming months, your voice is needed to convince legislators

to move forward, not backward on clean energy policies.

8 Fall 2011

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By Amber Meyer Smith, Director of Programs & Government Relations

6th Assembly District, Bonduel

office phone: 608-266-3097Rep.Tauchen@legis.wisconsin.gov

Representat ive Gary Tauchen (R-Bonduel) has served in the State Assem-bly since 2007. Rep. Tauchen is a dairy farmer with a keen interest in how in-

vestments in renewable energy can help grow Wisconsin’s agricultural sector.

Tauchen took a trip to Germany in the fall of 2010 to tour and see how that country uses solar, wind, biodiesel and manure for energy. “I find that traveling is a great way to learn by in-corporating these experiences that other govern-ments and industries have had with policies and industry improvements, and bring that knowl-edge back to Wisconsin,” Tauchen said of the trip.

Tauchen believes that the environment and energy are some of the biggest issues facing Wisconsin agriculture and knows cooperative

efforts like manure digesters can help the en-vironmental and farming communities create solutions that address those challenges.

While Wisconsin and Germany have simil-iar agricultural resources, Germany has 4,000 digesters, and Wisconsin only has 26. Mean-while, German farmer-generated electricity can be a significant portion of their income, pro-viding insulation from fluctuating food and milk prices. The incentives the German gov-ernment provides have helped to create around 300,000 jobs in solar, biomass, biogas and wind.

“I would like to see Wisconsin take a com-prehensive approach to developing a statewide energy policy.” He adds, “We have the poten-tial right here in our own backyard to promote renewable energy and create jobs for the rural economy.”

Clean Wisconsin looks forward to working with Rep. Tauchen on policies that promote the use of Wisconsin-based renewables in this legis-lative session.

RepresentativeGary Tauchen

You can see the algae blooms firsthand by visitingwww.cleanwisconsin.org and watching the Tainter-Menomin

video series at cleanwisconsin.org/tmvideos

Return to Tainter Menomin

“Disgusting. Acrid. It smells like you’re walking into a pig barn.”That’s how Melissa Malott, water program director at Clean Wisconsin,

described the smell of an algae-filled bay on a recent tour of Northwest-ern Wisconsin’s Tainter Lake with Dick Lamers, President of the Tainter Menomin Lake Improvement Association.

After visiting this spring to discuss the effects of recurring blue-green algae blooms in lakes Tainter and Menomin and capture video, Malott and Clean Wisconsin communications director Sam Weis returned to Menomonie in August to see the algae blooms firsthand.

What they found was shocking, despite having heard dozens of accounts from locals before.

A thick layer of paint-like green algae bubbled atop the water, sending off noxious, gag-inducing odors in the back bays of Lake Tainter and the Red Cedar River. Piers, boats and backyards remained empty and unused on this beautiful summer day.

Being on the water is not only unpleasant but also can be dangerous. The thick mat of green and blue-swirled algae is cyanobacteria, a toxic occurrence better known as blue-green algae. The toxic algae blooms that occur each year on these lakes results from excess phosphorus pollution and can cause cause rashes, vomiting, diarrhea, severe respiratory illness, and nerve and liver damage.

Reducing the frequency of toxic blue-green algae blooms in lakes like Tainter and Menomin and preventing them in other waters across the state, is why Clean Wisconsin works so hard to curb phosphorus pollution in our waterways.

Touring Lake Tainter was a terrific reminder of just how important that work is.

Rep. Tauchen (right) discusses biogas facility efficiency while touring Haus Düsse, a German educational facility.

All About Degree DaysAh, fall. Memories of summer-time heat slowly fade, leaves begin to change,

and cool northern air brings the first frost of the season. As days grow short-er and nights grow longer, all but a hardy few start to pack away the swimsuits and pull out the sweaters.

With the cooler weather, many people will also begin to notice a shift in their utility bills: electric bills go down and gas bills go up, as furnaces take the place of fans and air conditioners in keeping us comfortable. While we can’t say just when and how quickly the shift will occur, those of you curious about weather-related energy use will be interested to know that there is a tool we can use to look at the patterns.

It’s a measurement called “degree days” and comes in two forms: heating degree days (HDD) and cooling degree days (CDD). Both types of degree days help estimate how much energy will be needed to keep a space comfortable, based on the outside temperature. They do this by comparing the average daily temperature to 65°F, the average temperature at which it is assumed that neither heating nor cooling will be required. If the average temperature for a day is above 65°F, subtract 65 from that average to get CDDs. HDDs are the opposite, calculated by sub-tracting the aver-age daily tempera-ture from 65°F.

While far from perfect, these num- bers can then help us look at the overall weather trends and give a sense of what to expect. Gener-ally, we see that in Wisconsin, cool-ing demands are mostly gone and heating demands are just starting to rise in September and early October. By the time November comes, the heating season will be in full swing. That means now is a perfect time to take advantage of the lingering warmth to work on all those weatherization projects that help maximize our energy usage, such as fixing drafts, sealing ducts, installing storm windows, and adding insulation, tasks that may have taken a back seat to more exciting pursuits for the past few months.

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www.cleanwisconsin.org 9

Hannah GroomsScience

Marty SchroederLegal

Erika PadgettLegal

Dan MostazaCommunications

Ella SchwierskeCommunications

Karen ThimkeLegal

good-Bye andgood Luck to

our InternsEach summer, Clean Wisconsin sponsors several law students, and this year we’ve expanded our

internship program, hosting students in our science, communications and development departments as

well. Interning with Clean Wisconsin provides practical, hands-on experience to set up these young environmentalists for future success. In

August and September, we bid good-bye to six interns who did great work for our organization.

Over the summer, Hannah Grooms worked on a variety of proejcts; in particular, her re-search and analysis on utility-owned solar power and proposed new national air pollution standards helped shape Clean Wisconsin’s positions on these issues. Hannah was also instru-mental in the initial implementation of a new internal information hub.

This summer, Clean Wisconsin’s legal department had three law student interns, Erika Padgett, Marty Schroeder and Karen Thimke. From University of Wisconsin Law School, Erika, Marty and Karen worked on a variety of projects, including legal analysis of proposed coal plant regulations, existing coal plant permits, and submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. All three did a fantastic job.

With Clean Wisconsin for over a year, Ella Schwierske tracked the organization’s mentions in the press, helped with articles, press releases, blog posts and letters to the editor, and kept our media database up-to-date. Ella could always be counted on to go beyond her communi-cations duties to help other staffers and volunteer at events.

Dan Mostaza spent six months with Clean Wisconsin. A video pro, he turned out several videos for the organization, including the Tainter-Menomin series. He also helped us with social media, an increasingly important part of our organization.

Mark Lydon is just one of the hundreds of business owners Clean Wisconsin worked with in our campaign for a clean energy future. In the last few months, we’ve seen a number of rollbacks to Wiscon-sin’s clean energy laws, including a provision in the budget that raised energy bills by cutting funding for the Focus on Energy program. Mark stepped up and got his chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) to send a letter to the legislature detail-ing the ways Focus on Energy has helped their industry grow.

Katy Walter: Tell me about your business.

Mark Lydon: Artisan Energy is an owner-operated company that provides en-ergy efficiency and building performance consulting in the Dane County area. Since 2006, services have included solar site assessments, Green Built Home certification, and Focus on Energy New Homes Program certifica-tion.

KW: How did you come to the industry?

ML: A recipe for a successful consulting business requires many ingredients. Mix several summers of building experience with an interest in design and architecture. Add in three years of teaching and a lifelong passion for envi-ronmental stewardship. A voluntary career change in 2005, coupled with a move to Wisconsin from Vermont, landed me, thankfully, in a necessary and growing field.

KW: How can building performance assessments help homeowners?

ML: While energy efficiency is on the list of concerns, it ranks No. 4 on my list of priorities. Safety with respect to carbon monoxide exposure is my primary interest. Secondly, homeowners can ensure long-term durability by testing for and correctly managing moisture loading. Third, homeown-ers should be comfortable, which is readily possible by undertaking perfor-mance improvements. Lastly, it is possible to save on rising utility costs by optimizing energy efficiency measures. I joke that I’m not the energy police. I just want our housing to work for us, not the other way around.

KW: Who should consider an assessment?

ML: Houses that generally benefit the most from an assessment:• Are pending a renovation; be sure to include performance updates

during a planned remodel!• Have a carbon monoxide alarm that unexpectedly sounds.• Have moisture retention issues usually expressed with mold and

condensation.• Have excessive icicle formation.• Are very uncomfortable.

These descriptors apply to housing types of all ages.

KW: How did you get involved with Clean Wisconsin?

ML: Clean Wisconsin attended the Better Buildings: Better Business confer-ence in 2011. I understood that they could provide reliable guidance on lo-cal advocacy. I reached out and found valuable insight in drafting language rooted in reliable market data and legislative direction.

KW: Why did you decide to get engaged on this issue?

ML: Partnering with Focus on Energy is positive for a client’s bottom line and the finished products. I became involved because I had heard many re-modeling contractors wanting to voice their position, including Jayne John-son of Homeoworks Remodeling and Sam Breidenbach of TDS Custom Construction. Recognizing the strength in numbers of NARI of Madison, I approached them to see if they would like to voice their opinion on the negative impact of recent political changes on the local economy and the environment.

KW: Do you have any advice for people and businesses who want to raise their voices on issues that matter to them?

ML: My 5-year old has a favorite singsongy rhyme: “What’s gonna work? Teamwork!” He’ll sing it incessantly sometimes, but that’s a good one to remember!

Learn more about Artisan Energy at artisanenergy.com

Supporter Profile: Mark Lydon, Artisan Energy

By Katy Walter, Clean Energy Specialist

Inge & Frank Wintersberger

have done it againThis August, the couple threw the seventh

installment of their successful annual house party at their home in Cedarburg. Raising over $3,000, the event aimed to introduce the work of Clean Wisconsin to friends and neighbors, share the progress of ongoing environmental ef-forts, and socialize on the Wintersbergers’ beau-tiful backyard patio.

Ozaukee County water conservationist Geoff Schramm came to speak about his work to keep local watersheds clean. Schramm’s efforts are aided by a grant from the Fund for Lake Michi-gan, which was created through Clean Wiscon-sin’s past efforts and ultimate legal settlement concerning the Elm Road Generating Station. The settlement will provide $4 million annually for 24 years for water quality projects in South-eastern Wisconsin.

Clean Wisconsin wants to send another big thank you to Inge and Frank Wintersberger for their hard work and hospitality. In addition, we’d like to thank this year’s co-hosts: Mary and Norman Dyer; Luke Fairborn; Joan and Gordon Liebl; Kim Wintersberger and Ahmad Ashour; and Rick and Victoria Wintersberger. Finally, we thank this year’s co-sponsors, all those who attended, and everyone who could not attend but gave generously to Clean Wisconsin.

Getting Agri-cultural with graze

Q: What do you get when you combine Mixed Berry Cobbler Punch, local environmental en-thusiasts and a perfect August evening on the Capitol Square?

A: A successful Fresh Faces event!

Amid our hard work this summer to clean our air and water, we also organized a fun event at Madison’s Graze restaurant for our members and supporters. Called “Fresh Faces,” these bi-annual events are designed for networking, socializing and taking advantage of great venues around Madison. The Fresh Faces events are a unique opportunity to learn more about the work of Clean Wisconsin and our eco-friendly host venues and to connect with our environmental peers around Dane County.

Melissa Malott, Clean Wisconsin’s water pro-gram director, spoke about her collaboration with farmers to help clean our waters. And Talish Bar-row, Graze’s general manager, spoke about the res-taurant’s commitment to local foods. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make this event our most successful yet!

Thank you!

&a clean wisconsin fresh faces event

Pat Rierson, howard and harriet Weiss, and Dave Rierson

Julie Berner, Gary Goyke, trev harder and Maureen harder

hollie Schick, Victoria Wintersberger and Mary Dyer

Al and Rita hospel and Frank Wintersberger

inge Wintersberger, Geoff Schramm and Mark Redsten

James irwin, Katy Walter and Matt Dannenberg

Kara Pennoyer, Nathan houdek and Greg Packnett talish Barrow, General Manager, Graze

Adrienne Pagac, Julie Majerus, Sigrid Peterson, Jay Burlingham, Donna Erez Navot, Melissa Malott, Rachael Nachtwey and Marci Pelzer