Governor Tony Evers has signed an executive order which aims to eliminate use of carbon-based fuel in Wisconsin by 2050. It’s an idea the Republican controlled legislature has already rejected
“We reallocating resources, as we always have to do,” Evers said Friday. “Unfortunately this should have been a priority for the entire legislature, but it wasn’t. And so we’re making it a priority.”
Proud to sign this alongside @LGMandelaBarnes. This state has a responsibility to current and future generations of Wisconsinites to act on climate change. https://t.co/k7yjQXuKNv
— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) August 16, 2019
Evers and other members of his administration were joined by young people at a Capitol press conference. Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes, who will be overseeing the effort, said it’s about them. “Because in their eyes, and in reality, their future may be bleak. And it’s unfortunate, because there may be no future at all for their generation if we don’t act now.”
The order also creates an Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, responsible for carrying out the goal and putting the state on a track to achieve the 2015 Paris accord on climate. It does not place any state mandates on Wisconsin businesses or utilities. “But I am extremely confident that the utilities in the state of Wisconsin are moving forward on this issue already,” Evers said.