Proposed power plant sparks backlash over potential community impacts: 'It sets up this false choice'

We Energies — the trade name of the Wisconsin Electric Power Company, or WEPCO — wants to launch a new gas plant at its Oak Creek facility as it further shifts away from coal.

As FOX6 News Milwaukee reported in March, the proposal is being met with resistance from local clean energy advocates who would prefer to see the company investing in renewable sources like wind and solar instead. 

What's happening?

We Energies says the $1.2 billion project will provide reliable power to its customers. And, according to a January update from Wisconsin Public Radio, an environmental assessment of the proposed gas plant conducted by the state's Public Service Commission "found the plant will produce a little more than a quarter of the emissions that would come from continuing to run the aging coal units at the Oak Creek site that are scheduled to shut down."

But WPR also spoke with Ciaran Gallagher of the nonprofit Clean Wisconsin, who pushed back on the assessment. "It sets up this false choice between coal and gas, whereas the real choice is between gas and clean energies like solar, wind and batteries that are, in many other parts of the country, replacing retiring coal plants," Gallagher told the public news outlet.

She went on to explain that because We Energies plans to repurpose an existing coal plant, the "scrutiny on this project was much lower" in terms of evaluating environmental impacts.

Courtney Brady, deputy director of D.C.-based environmental advocacy group Evergreen Action, has shared similar thoughts on the organization's blog: "Wisconsin lacks an Integrated Resource Planning process, allowing utilities like WEPCO to push costly fossil fuel projects without much scrutiny."

The company, meanwhile, has spoken about the Oak Creek gas plant proposal as just one piece of We Energies' overall plans, which spokesperson Brendan Conway told WPR include "solar and wind, battery storage, nuclear power, all these carbon free sources."

Dan Krueger, executive vice president at We Energies, told FOX6 News, "The way to make the renewables most effective is to have quick start natural gas plants to fill the gap," especially if demands in the state increase.

Environmental advocates warn that projects like the Oak Creek gas plant could contribute to rising global temperatures and slow a meaningful transition to renewables — and that demands, such as those surrounding the launch of Microsoft data centers across the United States and in Wisconsin, may not be as intense as they might appear.

Says Evergreen Action on the organization's blog, "Microsoft has already paused construction and canceled leases for planned data centers across the country and power demand may be overestimated even if the data centers are constructed."

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CNBC reported in March that "Microsoft is open to deploying natural gas with carbon capture technology to power artificial intelligence data centers." And some see gas as an option in the face of perhaps more obviously dirty fossil fuels like coal and oil. But environmental experts say gas is not the best alternative, and investing in other sources would be more beneficial for the planet, human health, and our bottom line.

Why is this important?

Some view gas as a cleaner alternative to coal, but it is indeed a fossil fuel and still releases carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, trapping heat and driving temperature rise globally. An analysis released by Healthy Climate Wisconsin and the Union of Concerned Scientists shows how pollutants from gas power plants can have negative health impacts on communities.

Victoria Gillet, a board member for Healthy Climate Wisconsin, shared her thoughts on the proposal with FOX6 News in March: "Gas is the second worst after coal. We deserve a good outcome, not something that's slightly better than the horrible coal that's been ruining our community for so long."

Meaningfully backing renewable energy can be seen as a public health necessity, but advocates maintain that it could also be an economic opportunity. They argue that the time for Wisconsin to invest in accelerating its infrastructural transition to clean energy — rather than doubling down on fossil fuels — is now, as sources like wind and solar are becoming more efficient and less expensive.

When asked by FOX6 News, "a spokesperson [for We Energies] said he could not give a dollar for dollar amount. But he did say natural gas would be cheaper than the costs associated with the current coal plants." Evergreen Action has asserted, meanwhile, that even if the plant operates as planned, customers could still face additional costs. 

What's being done about it?

Groups like Clean Wisconsin, Healthy Climate Wisconsin, and Evergreen Action are calling for the state to shift focus from fossil fuels to renewable energy systems. Residents also testified against the Oak Creek proposal at a hearing in late March, per WPR.

Regulators could reconsider this and other gas projects and instead prioritize a clean energy future, reducing carbon pollution, improving public health, and modernizing infrastructure.

While state officials and utility companies make large-scale, long-term energy decisions, individuals can take some actions closer to home right now.

Whether upgrading to energy-efficient appliances, exploring solar options, considering a switch to an electric vehicle, or advocating for local clean energy policies, people can build their own relationships to the broader shift from dirty fuels to renewable energy.

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