Gov. Evers, Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy Celebrate 2026 Clean Energy Plan Progress Report

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) and the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy (OSCE), today celebrated the release of the 2026 Clean Energy Plan Progress Report, underscoring achievements made over the last year to advance the goals established by the state’s Clean Energy Plan. The progress report released today details Wisconsin’s advances in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through clean energy sources while also creating thousands of new jobs and lowering energy costs for families across Wisconsin, as well as investing in job training and apprenticeship programs in innovative industries and technologies.

“Wisconsin is becoming a national leader in charting the course toward a stronger, more sustainable clean energy future, and our latest Clean Energy Progress Report shows just how far we’ve come,” said Gov. Evers. “By lowering energy costs for working families, creating good-paying jobs in innovative industries, and bolstering our efforts to lower carbon emissions, we’re building the healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable state and future that Wisconsinites deserve. I’m proud of our efforts to move these important priorities forward, and especially during 2026 the Year of the Neighbor, it’s up to all of us to work together to deliver on our promise to the next generation of Wisconsinites to leave them with a better state and world than the one we inherited.”

“The Clean Energy Plan shows that Wisconsin does not have to choose between a prosperous economy and a healthy environment, and that by working together we can make progress towards both,” said DOA Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld. “I’m proud that as a state, we’re leading by example and working collaboratively to find real solutions for our state’s climate challenges.”

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 was the first Midwest governor to serve on the executive board and as co-chair. 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.

“This year’s progress report highlights the enormous progress the state of Wisconsin has made towards this goal since 2022,” said OSCE Director Maria Redmond. “Despite numerous challenges, this year has seen strong momentum across the state supporting our shift to a clean energy economy, while prioritizing environmental justice and workforce development.”

Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Plan focuses on four foundational pathways to ensure a clean, reliable, and affordable energy future in Wisconsin:

• Accelerate clean energy technology deployment: Increasing funding options for projects, investing in infrastructure, new emissions goals, expanding state energy resources for generation, technology innovation, equitable expansion of clean energy, and leveraging existing policies and programs.
• Maximize energy efficiency: Strengthening energy efficiency standards and programs to reduce energy waste, create jobs, and save consumers money on energy costs.
• Modernize buildings and industry: Addressing building codes, supporting electrification, expanding funding, and supporting industry and businesses in their transition.
• Innovate transportation: Supporting the transition to low- to no-emission vehicles and supporting refueling options, along with planning and increased options to move people around.

The 2026 Clean Energy Plan Progress Report highlights progress in clean energy deployment and emissions reductions that, among many other accomplishments, includes:

• New investments and partnerships to bolster nuclear fusion energy and establish Wisconsin as a national hub for fusion energy commercialization, strengthening efforts to generate safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity to power Wisconsin homes and businesses while creating quality, family-supporting job opportunities;
• The launch of the Ignite Wisconsin Program, which awarded $778,000 to the Wisconsin Fusion Energy Coalition, led by the 5 Lakes Institute Inc., that will work to establish Wisconsin as a national hub for fusion energy commercialization;
• The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s continued exploration of establishing the state’s first green bank, the Green Innovation Fund, to finance clean energy and other projects;
• Announcing that Realta Fusion would be locating its corporate headquarters and fusion research facility at OM Station, the site of the former Oscar Mayer plant, in Madison, bringing the economic benefits of fusion home to Wisconsin;
• Securing the long-term future of the state’s renewable energy certificates (RECs) portfolio by committing the state to purchase approximately 225,000 RECs every year for the next 20 years, which is enough energy to power more than half a million Wisconsin homes;
• Significant growth in utility-scale energy storage deployments as well as incentivizing eligible energy infrastructure investments for businesses;
• The approval of over 7,300 megawatts of solar and 118 megawatts of wind power projects by the Public Service Commission (PSC) since 2019, with an additional 100 megawatts of solar under review and 277 megawatts of wind under review;
• A total of 78 projects that received awards through two rounds of Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program funding, and as of June 2026, 21 fast-charging electric vehicle charging stations have been installed and are currently operational across the state;
• The adoption of a new Clean Fleet Policy requiring state agencies to purchase electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, or other alternative fuel vehicles for new fleet vehicle acquisitions unless an approved exemption applies;
• The release of the PSC Draft Strategic Assessment 2026-2032 in June 2026, which found that Wisconsin utilities identified a 45 percent reduction in CO2 levels in 2024 compared to 2005 CO2 emissions levels;
• Helping businesses and residents save 7 billion lifecycle kilowatt-hours and more than 367.8 million lifecycle terms through Focus on Energy;
• The publication of “Wisconsin’s Emissions Reduction Roadmap–Actions for Sustainability in Wisconsin,” the first statewide framework to address all major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Wisconsin;
• Celebrating Wisconsin’s success in launching and implementing the Home Energy Rebate Programs in Wisconsin. To date, Wisconsin households have received more than $15 million in rebates, with projects being completed in 70 of the 72 counties in the state; and
• Releasing Wisconsin’s Trillion Trees Pledge 2025 Annual Report, which shows that Wisconsin planted nearly 12 million trees and conserved more than 7,800 acres of forestland in the state in 2025 as part of Wisconsin’s Trillion Trees Pledge, bringing the total number of trees planted since 2021 to over 54 million trees in just the first five years.

Throughout the year, Gov. Evers and his administration have also remained steadfast in fighting federal attempts to reverse course on combating the climate crisis as well as slash and claw back millions in already approved and agreed-upon dollars for clean energy innovation, both in Wisconsin and across the nation.

Namely, Gov. Evers sent two letters to the U.S. Department of Energy this year, one in April and another in July, both of which slammed the Trump Administration for forcing multiple aging and expensive coal-fired power plants in the Midwest to remain open past their scheduled retirement dates, which will raise energy costs for Wisconsinites and impede the state’s ongoing clean energy efforts. A new analysis outlined in the governor’s July letter shows that the Trump Administration’s decision to force several coal plants to stay online will cost Americans between $3.1 billion and $5.9 billion over the next few years, including an estimated $117 million in increased costs to ratepayers in Wisconsin alone.

Further, the governor sent a series of letters to every member of Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation, urging bipartisan opposition to provisions in President Donald J. Trump’s proposed Federal Fiscal Year 2027 budget that would have devastating impacts on the state, including Wisconsin’s valuable natural resources and clean energy infrastructure. In one of the governor’s letters, Gov. Evers urged Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation to reject, among several other proposals, President Trump’s proposal to reduce funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program that helps to continue the state’s successful electric vehicle charging network build-out along high-traffic corridors.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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