As the world comes to grips with the reality of global climate change, in Wisconsin we look for multiple strategies to lead us toward energy independence and to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Governor Doyle just set in motion a package of incentives for businesses to develop and expand production of renewable energy. And I just introduced a bill to help each one of us in our own homes make an impact and save money.
My "Energy Star Tax Holiday" bill (AB 725) creates a seven-day period each year, anchored by Earth Day in April, during which all purchases of Energy Star-certified household products costing $1,500 or less would be exempt from sales tax. Qualified appliances - dish and clothes washers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, CFL light bulbs etc. - use 10 percent to 50 percent less energy than standard models.
So when you decide to install a programmable thermostat or replace that energy-greedy old refrigerator in the basement, you will save money on the purchase and you will see savings on your utility bill. Local retailers will welcome your business. And the state's total carbon footprint will shrink.
The Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation reports that if just 1,000 Wisconsin homes switched to an Energy Star refrigerator, dish and clothes washers and changed 25 light bulbs over to compact fluorescent light, they would:
• Prevent 2.4 million pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.
• Save $161,334 in electricity costs that year.
• Prevent 662 tons of coal from being burned.
• Reduce emissions equivalent to taking 214 cars off the road.
A few other states already have an operative Energy Star Tax Holiday, and they report great success. Florida is looking to expand its holiday to a permanent two-week holiday. Virginia reports that exempting about $166,000 in state sales tax revenue generated more than $3.3 million in direct economic activity. We, too, want to reap that return on investment that will then be shared by hardworking Wisconsin families and the businesses that keep our communities strong.
The Energy Star Tax Holiday boasts strong bipartisan sponsorship and a unique coalition of support - Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Sierra Club, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Merchants Federation and the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters. This bill gathers together diverse perspectives, even unlikely partners, to share success in a first step as we venture into an arena of complex decisions to adjust to a carbon-constrained economy.
Last year, we sent $12 billion out of our state and overseas to meet our energy needs, money that left the economy and didn't find its way back to Wisconsin workers and consumers. We are intent on changing that statistic. We know that with energy independence and global climate change, there is no silver bullet; only silver buckshot will do. That is precisely why Governor Doyle established the Office on Energy Independence and a Task Force on Global Warming. That is why our Department of Tourism announced Travel Green Wisconsin to national acclaim. And that is why I introduce a Green Economy Agenda that zeroes in on empowering every one of us where we live, work and study to make a difference.
Learn more about the bill and how to contact your own state legislators to ask for their support for this bill on my Web site http://www.ltgov.wisconsin.gov.
- Barbara Lawton is Wisconsin's
lieutenant governor.
My "Energy Star Tax Holiday" bill (AB 725) creates a seven-day period each year, anchored by Earth Day in April, during which all purchases of Energy Star-certified household products costing $1,500 or less would be exempt from sales tax. Qualified appliances - dish and clothes washers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, CFL light bulbs etc. - use 10 percent to 50 percent less energy than standard models.
So when you decide to install a programmable thermostat or replace that energy-greedy old refrigerator in the basement, you will save money on the purchase and you will see savings on your utility bill. Local retailers will welcome your business. And the state's total carbon footprint will shrink.
The Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation reports that if just 1,000 Wisconsin homes switched to an Energy Star refrigerator, dish and clothes washers and changed 25 light bulbs over to compact fluorescent light, they would:
• Prevent 2.4 million pounds of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere.
• Save $161,334 in electricity costs that year.
• Prevent 662 tons of coal from being burned.
• Reduce emissions equivalent to taking 214 cars off the road.
A few other states already have an operative Energy Star Tax Holiday, and they report great success. Florida is looking to expand its holiday to a permanent two-week holiday. Virginia reports that exempting about $166,000 in state sales tax revenue generated more than $3.3 million in direct economic activity. We, too, want to reap that return on investment that will then be shared by hardworking Wisconsin families and the businesses that keep our communities strong.
The Energy Star Tax Holiday boasts strong bipartisan sponsorship and a unique coalition of support - Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Sierra Club, the National Federation of Independent Businesses and 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Merchants Federation and the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters. This bill gathers together diverse perspectives, even unlikely partners, to share success in a first step as we venture into an arena of complex decisions to adjust to a carbon-constrained economy.
Last year, we sent $12 billion out of our state and overseas to meet our energy needs, money that left the economy and didn't find its way back to Wisconsin workers and consumers. We are intent on changing that statistic. We know that with energy independence and global climate change, there is no silver bullet; only silver buckshot will do. That is precisely why Governor Doyle established the Office on Energy Independence and a Task Force on Global Warming. That is why our Department of Tourism announced Travel Green Wisconsin to national acclaim. And that is why I introduce a Green Economy Agenda that zeroes in on empowering every one of us where we live, work and study to make a difference.
Learn more about the bill and how to contact your own state legislators to ask for their support for this bill on my Web site http://www.ltgov.wisconsin.gov.
- Barbara Lawton is Wisconsin's
lieutenant governor.
