16 N. Carroll Street
Suite 840
Madison, WI 53703-2726
(608) 280-0360
Fax (608) 280-0361

info@wi-ei.org

     

    Environmental Policy Forum 2001:

    Ensuring Wisconsin’s Energy Reliability and Environmental Quality

      The Environmental Policy Forum, a program of the Wisconsin Environmental Initiative (WEI), presents events that bring together a large group of stakeholders, representing all sectors and viewpoints, to work towards more effective environmental policy in Wisconsin.  In 2001, the Environmental Policy Forum will focus on ways to create a reliable energy system in Wisconsin that is economically viable and ecologically sustainable.  In order to effectively address energy reliability now and in the future, it is essential that there be a shared understanding of Wisconsin’s energy needs and the resulting environmental impacts of energy production, transmission, and use.   

    The Environmental Policy Summit on Energy Reliability will provide a chance for participants to openly discuss different perspectives and positions, identify opportunities for collaboration and consensus building, and explore ways to efficiently meet Wisconsin’s need for a safe, reliable energy supply while minimizing the environmental impacts of energy production, transmission, and use.  Participants will work towards developing a set of innovative alternatives and solutions that have the support of NGOs, government, business, and the academic community that can be sent to the legislature and/ or adopted by energy producers, suppliers, and users.

    The Environmental Policy Summit on Energy Reliability is designed to accomplish the following:

    ·         initiate a far-reaching, action-oriented discussion on Wisconsin’s economic and environmental goals associated with addressing energy reliability challenges;

    ·         increase communication and collaboration among energy and environmental stakeholders;

    ·         provide stakeholders with an opportunity to gain a more thorough understanding of Wisconsin’s energy situation and the energy policy decisions that are under consideration now or will be in the future;

    ·         increase stakeholder awareness of Wisconsin’s current and future energy needs and their associated environmental impacts;

    ·         discuss the role of emerging technologies such as real-time pricing, distributed generation, and renewables in the reliability mix;

    ·         discuss and develop innovative alternatives and solutions for ensuring a safe, reliable energy supply while minimizing the environmental impacts of energy production, transmission, and use;  and

    ·        establish a collaborative process for approaching specific environmental policy issues which can have ongoing value and impact in emerging issues.

    The summit will be held in September, 2001, date and location TBA.  Following the summit, smaller working groups will be formed to target specific issues during ongoing working sessions, using a timeline developed by group members.  A follow-up conference will be held in which working group participants will share the results of their collaboration and draft a joint action plan for communicating recommendations and work products.

    For more information, please contact WEI at (608) 280-0360.

    2001 Steering Committee

  • Dan Barthold, Miller Brewing Company

  • Linda Bochert, Michael, Best & Friedrich

  • George Edgar, Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation

  • Tom Estock, Quad/ Graphics, Inc.

  • Rita Hayen, American Transmission Company

  • Steve Hiniker, Citizens’ Utility Board

  • Mary Jo Kopecky, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

  • John Mitchell, Energy Center of Wisconsin

  • Michael Vickerman, RENEW Wisconsin

  • Mark Williamson, Madison Gas & Electric

    • Project Background

    In early 2000, representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Sierra Club, Miller Brewing Company, Michael, Best & Friedrich, Wisconsin Builders Association, the Village of Menomonee Falls, and UW- Green Bay, began meeting to discuss the current and future state of environmental policy in Wisconsin.  They agreed that Wisconsin is having a less productive and inclusive environmental policy discussion than in the past, and that there is a need for a forum in which  stakeholders can come together to share ideas on how to create more effective policies.  The idea for the Environmental Policy Forum grew out of this broad consensus.

    Two Forum events held in June and September 2000 brought together leaders from various sectors and viewpoints.  Participants created a systematic way to address environmental policy issues through collaboration and consensus building, resulting in policy recommendations drafted and supported by a diverse coalition of environmental stakeholders. The collaborative process developed in these events will serve as a guide for Forum events in 2001, where participants will work toward solutions to specific environmental challenges.