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Candidates
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Doyle announces plan to develop renewable energy industry in state
The plan Gov. Jim Doyle outlined Monday calls for a $450 million public and private investment strategy to help develop the renewable energy industry in Wisconsin.
Doyle also hopes the plan will help Wisconsin get 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.
"This new state funding will encourage innovative new energy technologies across our state that will help the nation kick its addiction to oil," Doyle said.
Doyle added that the investment plan would create 17,000 jobs in Wisconsin and funding for it will be included in his next budget.
The plan includes a variety of financial incentives including bonds, tax credits, loans and grants - all for companies who invest in and develop new technologies and renewable energy.
The plan includes three primary programs.
The first earmark for this program is $5 million to bring the first cellulosic ethanol manufacturer to the state.
Cellulosic is basically the same as regular ethanol, but is different in how it is produced.
Regular ethanol is produced from grains - primarily corn. Cellulosic ethanol is produced from such things as sawdust and paper pulp.
Doyle says the goal is to become the first state to produce ethanol using this process.
This earmark is a part of a $20 million grant program for researchers and companies who are developing new technologies that increase renewable fuels.
Called "Wisconsin Renewable Energy Independence Grant Program" it would leverage $240 million from private investors.
Another program called "Wisconsin Energy Independence Fund" would make $50 million in loan guarantees and low-interest loans available to Wisconsin businesses that want to expand production and use of renewable energy in the state.
Doyle said that this plan would leverage $100 million in private sector support and leaders from the agriculture and forest industries along with private utilities and academic institutions would oversee the fund.
The goal of the program would be to provide economic development in biopower, biofuels and bioproducts.
The next element of the plan is aimed at increasing the number of gas stations in the state that offer E85.
This program is called "Wisconsin Energy Independence Tax Incentives" and it would provide tax credits to gas stations to help them install E85 capable fuel tanks and pumps.
Doyle hopes this program will add an additional 400 E85 gas pumps in the state. E85 is fuel which is made up of 85 percent alcohol and 15 percent gasoline.
A similar program was introduced late in the last legislative session and never made it out of committee.
The governor made his announcement while visiting the Madison Area Technical College.
While there he presented the school with $20,000 to fund start-up costs associated with the development of the Northern Star Testing and Certification Facility. This facility would certify that solar panels are energy efficient.
According to Doyle's office there is only one such facility in the country and the planned facility at MATC would help eliminate the current certification backlog.
On top of the $20,000 the governor pledged an additional $100,000 to help complete the facility.
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