Gov. Evers: ICYMI: Travels across the state to highlight Evers administration’s continued efforts to build clean energy future, advance Wisconsin’s nuclear energy potential

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers this week met with clean energy stakeholders, utility partners, and conservation groups across the state to highlight his administration’s efforts to bolster clean energy and sustainability, advance Wisconsin’s nuclear energy potential, and build a 21st-century clean energy economy and workforce in the state. Gov. Evers last week blasted the Trump Administration for efforts to roll back clean energy progress, sending a letter urging the administration to reverse course on forcing multiple aging and expensive coal-fired power plants in the Midwest to remain open past their scheduled retirement dates, causing utility costs to rise that will be shouldered by Wisconsin families. 

Gov. Evers kicked off “National Apprenticeship Week” in Wisconsin this week by highlighting the Evers Administration’s work to ensure the workforce can meet the needs of the 21st Century, including investing in job training and apprenticeship programs in innovative industries and technologies to ensure a clean, reliable, and affordable energy future in Wisconsin. Additionally, the governor announced that Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program for high school students saw record-high enrollment for the fifth year in a row. During the 2025-26 school year, a record 12,141 students enrolled in the program, a seven percent increase from the prior year. 

“This week, I was glad to visit folks across our state who are proving that here in Wisconsin, we’re embracing a future where we don’t have to choose between mitigating climate change and protecting our environment or creating good-paying jobs and having a strong economy—we are doing both,” said Gov. Evers. “As energy costs and demand continue to go up, we’re focusing our efforts on lowering costs, reducing our reliance on out-of-state resources, and investing in the clean energy workforce and economy to support our 21st-century needs.”

On Tues., April 28, Gov. Evers, together with Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy (OSCE) Director Maria Redmond, visited The Nature Place in La Crosse. Located in Myrick Park, The Nature Place provides community access to open green spaces and prairies, outdoor recreation, and environmental educational programming. During the visit, Gov. Evers and OSCE Director Redmond toured the facility and heard about the organization’s sustainability efforts, including the 120-panel solar array installed on the roof of The Nature Place building. This investment in renewable energy saves the organization around $12,000 each year, freeing up resources for environmental education programs, land stewardship, and summer camp scholarships that benefit kids, individuals, and families in the greater La Crosse community. Photos of the visit are available here and here.

Following this, Gov. Evers and OSCE Director Redmond visited the Superior Solar Garden in Superior, which is owned by Superior Water, Light & Power, where they heard about the shared solar array and how community subscribers receive a credit for the amount of solar energy produced by their share of the 470-kilowatt array. Electricity produced by the community solar garden feeds into the local power grid, and customers receive credit for the energy on their monthly bill. The solar garden also includes a pollinator garden, which includes native plants that create habitats for bees, butterflies, and other insects that are essential to the local ecosystem. Photos of the visit are available here and here.

Finally, on Wed., April 29, Gov. Evers visited the Point Beach Nuclear Plant in Two Rivers, which is owned by NextEra Energy Resources and is the only nuclear power plant in operation in Wisconsin. During the visit, the governor toured the facility, heard about the processes of the power plant, and saw their reactor simulator, which is used to ensure operators are adequately trained for any situation, as well as the growing benefits of nuclear energy. Photos of the visit are available from the governor’s office upon request.

STUDYING THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN WISCONSIN 

Nuclear energy generates safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity to power Wisconsin homes and businesses and remains an important part of Wisconsin’s existing energy infrastructure, accounting for 16 percent of the state’s energy generation, according to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin’s (PSC) most recent Strategic Energy Assessment.  

In recent years, advancements in nuclear technology and increased demand for energy have led to renewed interest in nuclear energy nationwide, which is why, in July 2025, Gov. Evers signed 2025 Wisconsin Act 12 to launch a nuclear power siting study, supported by $2 million in funding provided by the 2025-27 Biennial Budget, that will bolster knowledge and understanding of how Wisconsin’s nuclear energy potential can help meet the state’s growing need for carbon-free energy.

The overarching goal of the siting study is to provide foundational information and a thorough evaluation of potential nuclear energy development opportunities in Wisconsin to help guide future actions. The study scope encompasses traditional nuclear power, small modular reactors, and advanced technologies, including fusion energy. It will identify various siting opportunities and analyze site characteristics, suitability, regulatory, and permitting requirements, as well as impacts to local economies and the power grid. Information from industry experts at the Oak Ridge and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories will be incorporated into the study, as will feedback from recent experiences with the construction and operation of nuclear projects. Act 12 requires the study to be completed by the start of 2027.    

As announced by Gov. Evers in his 2026 State of the State address, the siting study will be conducted by PSC and the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, as UW-Madison has one of the nation’s few remaining teaching and research nuclear reactors and is a national leader in fusion energy research.     

In addition to the nuclear power siting study, in July 2025, Gov. Evers also signed 2025 Wisconsin Act 11, creating a Nuclear Power Summit Board designed to help advance nuclear power and fusion technology and development, and to showcase Wisconsin’s leadership and innovation in the nuclear industry through the hosting of a nuclear power summit in the city of Madison.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON GOV. EVERS’ EFFORTS TO BUILD A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE IN WISCONSIN

Since Day One, Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration have been committed to promoting climate resilience and building a clean energy economy in the state. In his first year in office, Gov. Evers joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, of which he is now the first Midwest governor to serve as an executive board member. The governor, along with his fellow U.S. Climate Alliance governors, is committed to collectively achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change and has established an ambitious goal of ensuring 100 percent carbon-free electricity consumption in Wisconsin by 2050. In 2019, Gov. Evers also created the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, which advised and assisted the governor in developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change for the benefit of all Wisconsin communities.

In addition to joining the Alliance in 2019, in his first year in office, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #38 to create the OSCE, charging the office with developing the Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan to promote the development and use of clean and renewable energy across the state, advance innovative sustainability solutions that improve the state’s economy and environment, and diversify the resources used to meet the state’s energy needs.

In accordance with Gov. Evers’ Executive Order #38, the state’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan was released in 2022, providing a roadmap for the state to lower energy bills and prices at the pump for Wisconsin families, promote energy independence by reducing reliance on out-of-state energy sources, create an estimated more than 40,000 jobs by 2030, and invest in job training and apprenticeship programs in innovative industries and technologies. Since creating Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Plan four years ago, OSCE has released annual clean energy progress reports to outline the strides the state is making to meet our clean energy goals.

Additionally, in 2023, Gov. Evers created the Green Ribbon Commission on Clean Energy and Environmental Innovation to advise on creating the state’s first-ever Green Innovation Fund. The Green Innovation Fund and its partners work to leverage public and private financing to invest in projects that provide environmental and clean energy solutions to businesses, reduce pollution, lower energy costs for families, and expand access to clean, affordable energy options.

Gov. Evers has also long championed efforts to promote climate resilience through innovative transportation infrastructure and clean energy initiatives. As co-chair of the U.S. Climate Alliance, Gov. Evers announced last year that Wisconsin would be joining the Alliance’s Affordable Clean Cars Coalition. This multi-state initiative is aimed at sustaining America’s transition to cleaner and more affordable cars, supporting U.S. automotive manufacturers and workers, and improving air quality for all.

Further, the PSC announced in March that Wisconsin is now a national leader in enrollment for the Inflation Reduction Act Home Energy Rebate programs, which have helped residents statewide reduce energy use and lower utility bills. Since launching the programs in 2024, nearly $9 million in rebates have been paid to Wisconsin households to install popular energy-efficient measures, including air sealing, insulation, heat pumps for cooling and heating, and electric panels and wiring.

Wisconsin was the very first state to make energy efficiency upgrades available under the Home Energy Rebates (HOMES) Program in August 2024 and remains one of only a handful of states in the country to offer both the HOMES Program and the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) Program, which was launched a few months later. More about the state’s efforts through the HOMES and HEAR programs to help Wisconsin households save energy and money with energy-efficient home upgrades can be found on Gov. Evers’ press release page. 

Finally, Gov. Evers announced in his 2026 State of the State address that the state is taking the first steps to continue efforts to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Wisconsin utilities and renewable energy projects for the next two decades, continuing the state’s long-standing practice of leading by example and ensuring Wisconsinites have access to in-state renewable electricity and building on his administration’s efforts to help bolster clean energy in Wisconsin. The state plans to purchase approximately 225,000 RECs every year for the next 20 years, representing 225,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable electricity each year, which is enough energy to power more than half a million Wisconsin homes.

Since 2007, the state of Wisconsin has purchased over 1.8 million RECs from Wisconsin utilities. Each REC represents the equivalent of about one MWh of renewable energy. By purchasing RECs, state agencies support Wisconsin-based jobs, local economic development, clean air, and clean water, while offsetting their net greenhouse gas emissions. The RFP seeks proposals capable of delivering RECs starting in January 2031 for a 20-year term, helping position state agencies and universities to achieve Wisconsin’s goal of 100-percent carbon-free electricity by 2050.

An online version of this release is available here.