A Wisconsin coal plant that was supposed to be retired got $19 million in federal taxpayer dollars to keep running — and its dangerous emissions nearly doubled in 2025.
In this episode, I'm joined by Brittany Keyes, Clean Air Policy Manager for Healthy Climate Wisconsin, to break down what's really happening at the Columbia Energy Center in Pardeeville, Wisconsin — and why it matters for every family in this state.
The Columbia Energy Center was scheduled to close. Instead, the Trump administration used the Defense Production Act to funnel $19 million to keep it burning. DNR data shows the plant's emissions skyrocketed in 2025 — and EPA modeling links it to 2,600 asthma attacks, 1,200 missed school days, and at least four premature deaths every single year in Wisconsin. On top of that, Wisconsin doesn't even have coal. We import it. And ratepayers are being asked to foot the bill.
Brittany and I get into all of it — how we got here, who let Wisconsin down, what this means for the 2026 governor's race, and what Wisconsin can actually do to protect itself regardless of who is in the White House. We end where every conversation like this should end: with what you can do right now.
This is not just an energy story. It is a public health crisis.
Find Brittany Keyes and Healthy Climate Wisconsin:
healthyclimatewi.org
YouTube: @HealthyClimateWI
Facebook: facebook.com/WIClimateHealth
X: @WIClimateHealth
Instagram: @wiclimatehealth
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Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters.
Producer: Abraham Lyerly
Music: Nic Tierman
Graphics: Nathaniel Gonzalez