Wisconsin Coal Plant Gets Trump Bailout While Emissions Nearly Double

There are no levers in Wisconsin to hold these investor-owned utilities accountable and to their word.

They can make these large and bold promises, but to date we have not had any levers of control.

And so really another thing we need for our future decision makers, leaders of Wisconsin, is someone who is willing to hold these utilities accountable.

What they're doing is beyond a broken promise.

They are causing harm.

They are causing people in Wisconsin to die.

They are fueling climate change.

They are poisoning our water.

Hello and welcome to the Dr. Kristen Lyrely.

I'm Dr. Kristen Lyrely and today I'm talking with someone who has been sounding the alarm on

Healthy Clean Air in Wisconsin for a long time.

Brittany Keys is the Clean Air Policy Manager for Healthy Climate Wisconsin.

That's my t-shirt.

I'm a member.

Proudly.

It's an organization that is dedicated to fighting for cleaner air, healthier communities, and a sustainable energy future for our state.

Brittany works at the intersection of environmental policy, public health, and political accountability, which is exactly where today's conversation is going to live.

Now for me as a physician and a member, I can tell you that the air our patients breathe is not a partisan issue.

It is a health issue.

It is a social determinant of your individual health.

And a new report that just came out in the Wisconsin Examiner last week is so good because it's so important.

It talks about a coal plant in Columbia County that was supposed to be retired.

but is instead now being rewarded with $19 million in federal taxpayer dollars to keep it running.

And here's the kicker.

Its emissions nearly doubled in 2025.

We should be cutting back on these things instead.

We are ramping up.

So Brittany, I am so glad you're here today to help us understand what the consequences of this are for the people of Wisconsin.

Welcome.

Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

I can't believe we're still talking about this.

I felt like we were on the right path.

Yeah, these are coal plants that we were promised that would be closed and these are communities that have been burying the brunt of this coal plant pollution.

And here we are seeing our investor-owned utilities.

This one is Alliant Energy.

Continue to break the promises and just...

continue this toxic pollution on communities across Wisconsin.

So for folks who may not be familiar with the Columbia Energy Center, can you give us the quick background?

Where is it?

Who owns it?

And what was supposed to happen?

Yeah, so this is one of the coal plants that is still online in Wisconsin

We

have four and two with a lion energy This one's in Marathon County.

It was supposed to be closed.

I believe it's 2028 and then it was delayed and then now We just learned that they are accepting millions in taxpayer dollars to extend the life by investing in what they're calling

a clean coal technology, which we know is just a fallacy.

There is no such thing as clean coal.

Yeah, but we keep hearing that.

It's so interesting how whether we're talking about healthcare, vaccines, energy, it doesn't matter.

We're being fed.

things that are not true.

And when you actually look at the data and you have to look at the data, it really does tell you the full story.

And that's what was so great about this examiner story.

It reported that the plant's emissions increased dramatically.

Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter in central Wisconsin.

So for you as somebody who tracks clean air policy, what does the data that was shared in this story tell you?

And were you surprised by this?

I was.

It tells us we're going backwards.

It tells us that our utilities are saying one thing and doing the other.

It's telling us that the permitting by the Wisconsin DNR is not keeping us safe and not bringing us along to the climate goals and public health goals that we are holding ourselves to in Wisconsin.

I definitely want to talk about the permitting because I think that that's a big part of the problem.

But first I want to mention that with the EPA's own modeling, we know that the health effects of this plant are huge.

100 fewer asthma attacks.

If we were able to get rid of this plant, we would have 2600 fewer asthma attacks, 1200 fewer missed school days, and at least, and this is the one that gets me, four fewer premature deaths every year in Wisconsin for people, for lives, for family members, for community members.

As a doctor, those numbers aren't abstract, they're real people.

What does it mean to you as an activist in this space who obviously cares deeply about this to see the federal government moving in the opposite direction?

We're continuing to operate on a system of perverse incentives where it's like upside down what we're incentivizing You cannot put a dollar amount on these human lives, right?

And so what they continue to incentivize is our utilities to build more to spend more to operate as expensive as possible to continue to invest in these outdated and harmful technologies to continue to

profit the fossil fuel industry and the shareholders of these utilities while minimizing the harm as well as the value of the lives in Wisconsin.

Yeah for lives for real people that that is the part that just

And the Trump administration just funneled $19 million to this plant through the Defense Production Act as part of a much bigger $700 million push to prop up the coal industry, which you said earlier, there's no such thing as clean coal.

You hear them using those words, but it is not clean.

So are you familiar with what the justification is for this and does it match with the reality?

So what we were seeing, what we've been seeing the last couple years is this attempt for massive infrastructure build out by our utilities.

We were calling it the Wisconsin gas rush because the more that they can build, the more that they can profit from through the predicted lifetime of the project, right?

And so what they really needed was this justification of need and then in walks data centers.

All right.

Now we're seeing this hyperscale data center boom.

And so what they're saying is, you know, for grid reliability stability, the meet the need of these hyperscale data centers.

But what the reality is, is whether it's needed or not, whether this is speculative demand, if these will actually come online, if this AI bubble will boom and bust.

It is taking us backwards and it is sacrificing lives of people in Wisconsin in order to continue to operate this harmful and outdated technology.

Yeah, and it's all tied into the big data center debate.

As you mentioned, the need for more energy, which comes at a cost to the people who live in the region, dollar cost as well as the cost of human lives.

all for something that may never materialize.

Absolutely.

And we are in a position where we have incentives for this industry to develop in Wisconsin with really no protections.

And as you said, we will pay with our pocketbooks and with our health.

And you mentioned earlier the permitting process.

Alliant Energy says that the plant is running in full compliance with its air permit.

So is this a regulatory failure?

Is it the permits themselves that are inadequate or is something else going on here?

Yeah, I mean stepping back and looking at the whole process our regulators in Wisconsin are not equipped with the people or the funds to really ensure compliance with these large polluters a blaring example is The large methane gas plant in Rock County Riverside Energy Center has not had a valid or has not let me say

The large methane gas plant in Rock County Riverside Energy Center has been operating with an expired title 5 air permit since 2015.

Oh,

wow, and that's 11 years

That's 11 years and they've since then more than doubled their capacity and been approved for a new

gas plant on site as recent within the last year and a half.

And they're trying to build out a large liquefied natural gas storage and processing facility that also requires an air permit and the Public Service Commission and DNR, despite the inability of the DNR to process those operational permits and ensure compliance, they continue to make to approve

additional build-outs.

And so it's a very concerning situation where our regulators are approving new permits without ensuring compliance and regulation.

So I just want to say this again.

It's been 11 years and compliance has not been assured yet.

The permits have been approved.

So we don't know exactly what's happening here.

because nobody's actually following up and checking on it.

The Wisconsin DNR does not have the personnel or the money to operate their Title V air permitting program, which is the program that ensures we have the protections of the Clean Air Act.

So the Clean Air Act that was born out of the mind of Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin because of Northwestern Wisconsin and the Clear Lake area, we can't even enforce it because we don't have the people, we don't have the government to be able to do that.

So industry can just run roughshod all over our air.

So they say they are within their legal requirement.

Which is true.

Right they continue to issue or Submit their applications for these but we do not have the assurance or Of the protections because the DNR has not processed it or or gone through The you know to ensure compliance

yeah, so they

have not gone through the regulatory process for 11 years and if that backup is going on

Since 2015, how can we be assured protections and other sources?

Yeah.

Oh, that's so scary.

And like, how is the average Wisconsinite supposed to know that?

We just trust, we trust that the government is working and that these industries are putting out, are following the laws and being held to

I'm having a hard time coming up with the words.

I'm so frustrated by this.

Okay, let's move on.

Let's move

on.

I share the frustration.

And we're finding that most of...

the residents of Wisconsin, even elected officials, are surprised to learn about this lack of funding, about this lack of staffing, and the fact that, given the lack of funding and staffing, that our state regulators continue to approve new sources.

Yeah, that's very frustrating and it's obviously not...

not aligned with our public health goals or the goals of the people of Wisconsin.

So here's another thing about the goals of the people of Wisconsin that I think is important to point out.

We don't have any coal here.

We don't mind coal.

We don't have any, we don't have gas deposits here in Wisconsin.

We can make clean energy, but we otherwise have to import everything.

So can you help people understand what it actually costs Wisconsinites financially and in terms of health to

keep this plant burning imported coal instead of turning to sources of energy that we can actually produce right here in the state.

Yeah, that is a terrific point.

We have as ratepayers

that are

dependent on the energy produced in coal plants or gas plants, we are covering the cost of extraction, transportation, and then the final operations to generate the energy, right?

And so it's instead of

relying on sources like clean energy, renewable energy in Wisconsin, which is much lower operations costs.

The overhead is much, much higher.

Yeah, it doesn't make any sense.

Again, it doesn't make any sense.

It costs more and it's worse for our health.

Well, it makes sense from the industry perspective when the system incentivizes them to spend more to in order to maximize their profits for their shareholders.

said very diplomatically.

Thank you.

Now this is landing right in the middle of a gubernatorial race for energy policy and data centers are front and center.

Republicans are talking about beautiful clean coal.

We know that that's not real.

Democrats are talking about lower utility rates and protecting the environment.

This sounds pretty standard.

What do you think Wisconsin's next governor actually needs to do on this issue?

And what tools do you think they have?

Our next governor needs to come out strong first and foremost on data centers.

They need to stand with their local, with communities across the state.

This is one of the most beautiful, uniting issues where folks are coming together and uniting around what they value, which is clean air, clear water and healthy communities.

And they are seeing this large threat knocking on their door or their neighbor's door.

in the form of hyperscale data center developments or the fossil fuel infrastructure to power them.

And they are asking for help.

They're asking for a stop and they want protections.

And so first and foremost, we need our next governor to prioritize protections, pull up the emergency break, put on a pause and make sure the protections are in place for these types of developments.

Because as I shared with the example with the DNR,

in the air department those protections are not there and that lack of enforcement and personnel and capacity extends beyond the air department it is throughout the whole DNR regulatory system so that's number one.

Number two we need a governor that will stand up for clean air and ensure a just clean energy transition where we all benefit and

you know prioritize the future health of our environment and our communities.

Yeah.

And looking at the slate of candidates, this is coming up every time they're together.

How do you feel about AI data centers?

And it is very interesting to see how it is starting to become a defining issue.

And, you know, for example, I think it's important to point out that Francesca Hong is the only candidate who has said she would impose a moratorium on data centers.

The other candidates appear to be approaching it with a little bit more caution.

So it'll be very interesting to see how this plays out.

You said something in the Wisconsin Examiner article that really stuck with me.

You talked about, your quote was, if our utilities had just kept their word and shut down the coal plants when they said they would, we wouldn't have to be having this conversation.

What happened there?

It's the same playbook that they have been using from

Oak Creek to Sheboygan to get this larger gas plant in Rock County.

There are no levers in Wisconsin to hold these investor-owned utilities accountable and to their word.

They can make these large and bold promises but

To date we have not had any levers of control and so really another thing we need for our future decision makers leaders of Wisconsin is someone who is willing to Hold these utilities accountable What they're doing is beyond a broken promise

They are causing harm.

They are causing people in Wisconsin to die.

They

are

fueling climate change.

They are poisoning our water.

I mean, the EPA has historically said the number one polluter of our air, land and water are coal and gas plants.

So not only are we seeing these on longer, we're seeing our these utilities take taxpayer dollars and

like a handout in order to keep it going.

But we're also seeing them build out more gas.

And so we're seeing more pollution and more harm.

And we need a leader that will stand up against it.

Against it, against the federal overreach.

So what would it look like for Wisconsin to actually protect itself from this kind of federal overreach?

Is there a policy path that doesn't depend on who's in the White House?

At this point, we need a strong leader that will ensure Wisconsin protects Wisconsin.

We

need to refresh, reinvent, re...

refresh and reinvigorate our state regulators.

Our DNR needs the people and the funding in order to ensure compliance and protections.

We need the 100% clean energy standard in order to ensure that legally

our utilities have to follow, have laws that they have to follow, and our regulators can fall back on them.

And we need strong consequences.

So often a violation of

One of the protections of the permits, a violation becomes just a cost of business.

We have to have strong leadership that ensures they are incentivized to do the right thing.

That's exactly right.

We need strong leaders so much right now.

So for Wisconsinites that are out there listening to you talk about this, what can they do as just a citizen in this state?

How can we fight back?

well first and foremost is talk about it with your neighbors talk about it with your family about what's going on you know

coming together around what first and foremost, what you value, what you wanna protect and then appreciating what's at stake and then reaching out to your elected officials.

So whether it's the local level or the state level or getting involved with pushing the candidates who are trying to earn your vote on the issues that are important to you and prioritizing, ensuring they're prioritizing.

What you value and you know the Wisconsin we want to live in and pass down to future generations

That's right talk about it share this information and

not just work with your elected leaders, but elect leaders that believe in the future of Wisconsin, that understand the beautiful natural resources we have here and how important it is to be able to breathe clean air and have clean water and all of those things.

Brittany Keys, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today and for sharing all of this really incredibly important information.

You're so welcome.

Thank you for having me.

Friends,

this is exactly the kind of conversation we all need to be having because it's not just an energy story.

It's a health story and it's a Wisconsin story.

The decisions being made right now in Washington in utility boardrooms in the state legislature, they all determine whether our kids have more asthma attacks, whether our neighbors die early, whether our air gets cleaner or dirtier.

And that's not acceptable.

So everybody watching and listening, if this conversation made you angry, you can go to healthyclimatewi.org, follow them, support their work, pay attention to what your elected officials are saying and doing.

AI data centers, hot topic.

This stuff matters more than most people realize.

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I'll see you next time.