The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.
Climate Week brings the world’s attention to New York City, but some of the most practical solutions are being built a thousand miles west. In Wisconsin—a true purple state—we’ve learned that climate action is common sense: it lowers bills, creates good local jobs, and protects the air and water families depend on. Our playbook is pragmatic and bipartisan: align smart policy with market innovation, center justice, and let businesses, workers, tribes, and frontline communities lead together.
But progress is not guaranteed. In Washington, special interests are pushing an irresponsible pullback of policies that work—rolling back clean-energy investments, undermining business certainty, and imposing a hidden tax on working families. That short-sighted retreat risks higher costs, fewer choices, and lost jobs at a time when we can least afford it.
Jobs, bills, and basic reliability
When neighbors ask what “climate action” delivers, start with kitchen-table math. Clean energy already supports tens of thousands of Wisconsin jobs. Scaling what works—efficiency, solar, storage, and advanced manufacturing—means lower household energy costs, more reliable power, and greater energy independence. Why would Washington politicians choose higher prices and less reliability? In Wisconsin, we know better: pair clear standards with reasonable incentives, and let communities and the private sector deliver.
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Build it here, hire here, save here
With the right signals, the Midwest can manufacture the components of the transition—batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and EV systems—made in America and shipped worldwide. This isn’t coastal hype; it’s already happening across our supply chains. But manufacturers need steady rules, not policy whiplash, to invest in people and equipment. Rolling back clean-energy incentives only undermines our competitive advantage.
Justice is who benefits—and who breathes easier
“Environmental justice” isn’t a slogan; it’s about dollars and sense. It’s storm-proofing neighborhoods that flood every other year. It’s replacing old furnaces and leaky roofs so families pay less for better comfort. Rolling back these tools means telling frontline families to keep paying the price of pollution and inefficiency. If we want durable progress, the benefits must be visible on the blocks that have carried the burdens the longest.
Partnerships beat partisanship
The most powerful coalitions in Wisconsin don’t need to be the usual suspects. Put manufacturers and farmers at the same table as school districts and rural co-ops, tribal governments and village halls, faith communities and startups. Unlikely partners are how you get durable wins.
Turning federal headwinds into local opportunity
Yes, Washington is clawing back clean-energy tools. But here in Wisconsin, we’re proving resilience. Cities are cutting costs in public buildings. Rural schools are adopting electric buses to save on diesel. Manufacturers are retooling with efficient motors and heat pumps to hedge against energy price spikes. Local leadership is turning federal headwinds into opportunities. That’s why business leaders and civic groups are defending climate investments: because it’s good risk management and good economics.
A purple-state invitation—and a call to march
If you’re reading this from a state where politics feel stuck, consider Wisconsin’s lesson: start where interests overlap. Lower bills, better jobs, cleaner air, and stronger local control keep people in the room—no matter their party label.
But it will only keep working if we defend it. That’s why I’ll be marching this Sunday, September 28, at the https://www.wisconsinclimatemarch.org/. It’s our chance to stand together and send a message: Wisconsin won’t let Washington roll back common-sense progress that lowers bills, creates jobs, and cleans up our air and water.
Let’s build it here, power it here and prosper here. The clean-energy transition works best when it’s locally led and broadly shared—with businesses, workers, tribes and frontline communities at the table from the start. If we focus on trust, collaboration and measurable outcomes, green momentum can outpace politics as usual—and everybody wins.
– John Imes is co-founder and executive director, Wisconsin Environmental Initiative, and village president, Shorewood Hills
