Journal Sentinel columnist misguided, wrong

A letter to the editor in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel by Jeff Anthony, Director of Business Development of the American Wind Energy Association and a member of the board of directors of RENEW Wisconsin:

John Torinus' column celebrating the demise of Wisconsin's Clean Energy Jobs Act legislation couldn't be more misguided and wrong (April 25, Page 3D).

Torinus conveniently ignores the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin study concluding that average utility bills would be lower under the bill compared to the status quo. Further, a comprehensive economic assessment of the proposed legislation concluded it would create at least 15,000 jobs in Wisconsin by 2025.

Most puzzling is that Torinus criticizes the bill by citing the European experience, which has incorporated the very same kind of renewable energy targets already in place in Wisconsin and that the bill would have strengthened.

And contrary to still more puzzling claims from Torinus, behind the development of the bill was an impressively diverse range of businesses and stakeholders, all working in concert over a lengthy period to come up with a pragmatic piece of legislation that would simultaneously create jobs and foster a cleaner environment.

Torinus apparently has failed to take a look at the list of businesses and other organizations that formed such pro-bill coalitions as "Clean, Responsible Energy for Wisconsin's Economy." Conspicuously absent from the collaborative effort, in fact, was Torinus' own company.

Jeff Anthony
Director of Business Development
American Wind Energy Association
Milwaukee

Posted in: Climate change,Economic development,Energy policy,Renewable energy