Midwest

Wisconsin

In 2019, Wisconsin’s Governor committed the state to meeting the emissions reduction goals of the Paris Agreement and set a goal of 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. While the state’s electricity generation is still overwhelmingly from natural gas and coal, coal consumption is declining, with more than half of the state’s coal-fired generation capacity scheduled for retirement by 2026. Wisconsin’s net emissions decreased 15% from 2005-2021, compared to their emissions reduction target of 26% below 2005 levels by 2025.

GHG Reduction Targets

All targets relative to 2005 levels

2025

26%

Governor

Tony Evers (Democrat)

House Party

Republican Majority

Senate Party

Republican Supermajority

Legislative session

1/16/24 - 3/12/24

US Climate Alliance Status

Member

Key Offices & Links

16

Policies Enacted or In Progress

across 5 policy areas

See all

46

Policy Opportunities

across 7 policy areas

See all

Midwest

12 states

This map shows the occurrence of climate policies passed at the state-level. Higher numbers represent more climate policies enacted.

Compare with other states

Progress by Policy Area

Enacted
In-progress
Partially Enacted
Not Enacted

Glossary of Terms

Status	Policy	Policy Area	Policy Category	YR Enacted
Enacted	Clean Energy and Renewable Portfolio Standards Empty column 10% renewable energy by 2015 \| 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050 Establishing Policies Wisconsin Statute § 196.378 (1998) Executive Order 38 (2019)	Electricity	Energy Plans and Targets	2019
Enacted	Clean Energy Plans Empty column State of Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan 2024 Clean Energy Plan Progress Report Establishing Policies Executive Order 38 (2019) State of Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan (2022) 2024 Clean Energy Plan Progress Report (2024)	Electricity	Energy Plans and Targets	2024
Not Enacted	Electricity Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Targets Empty column Electricity greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets are set by a state to limit GHG emissions in the electricity sector. These targets aim to reduce emissions by different amounts over time, often expressed as percentage relative to a baseline year.	Electricity	Energy Plans and Targets
Not Enacted	Community Choice Aggregation Empty column Community choice aggregation allows local governments to procure power on behalf of their residents, businesses, and municipal accounts from an alternative supplier while still receiving transmission and distribution service from their existing utility provider.	Electricity	Clean Energy Generation
Not Enacted	Distributed Generation/Solar Carve-out Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT - Distributed Generation/Solar Carve-out in Wisconsin Policy Components not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted 0/5	Electricity	Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted	Net Metering Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT - Net Metering in Wisconsin SPOT - Aggregate Net Metering in Wisconsin Policy Components enacted enacted not-enacted not-enacted enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted 3/11	Electricity	Clean Energy Generation
Partially Enacted	Shared Renewables Empty column The State Policy Opportunity Tracker (SPOT) breaks clean energy policies down into “components”, which are binary questions to evaluate policy quality. Higher quality policies have more of their SPOT components fulfilled. Establishing Policies SPOT - Shared Renewables in Wisconsin Policy Components not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted not-enacted enacted 1/6	Electricity	Clean Energy Generation
Not Enacted	Energy Storage Targets Empty column Energy storage targets establish procurement targets for energy storage systems by a certain date, often with interim targets. Targets can vary from broad megawatt (MW) requirements to more specific mandates that focus on the adoption of certain storage technologies.	Electricity	Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage
Enacted	Interconnection Standards Empty column Wisconsin received a D grade from Freeing the Grid. Establishing Policies Freeing the Grid Wisconsin Grade (2023)	Electricity	Transmission, Distribution, and Energy Storage	2023
Not Enacted	Coal Phaseouts Empty column Coal phaseouts establish a target year by which states must end coal-fired power generation.	Electricity	Coal Retirement
Enacted	Coal Plant Securitization Empty column Securitization is authorized for pollution-control investments, but not for the full cost of a power plant. Establishing Policies Wis. Stat. § 196.027(2) (2004)	Electricity	Coal Retirement	2004

Wisconsin

Key Offices & Links

16

46

Midwest

Progress by Policy Area

Climate Governance and Equity

Cross-Sector

Electricity

Buildings and Efficiency

Transportation

Industry, Materials, and Waste Management

Natural and Working Lands

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections in Wisconsin