Wisconsin Denies Alliant Permit to Build Coal Plant

Earlier this week, the state of Wisconsin denied Alliant the necessary permit needed to build a 300 megawatt coal-fired power plant near the the Mississippi River in Cassville, Wisconsin.

From the Iowa Environmental Council...

The rejection of a coal plant proposal in Wisconsin highlights the changing atmosphere of energy policy in the United States. Once thought an inexpensive means of producing power, coal-fired power plants are facing greater opposition as the cost of coal grows alongside the concern about global warming pollution.

"Building coal-fired power plants has never made sense from an environmental perspective and no longer makes sense from an economic perspective," said Katie Nekola, energy program director of Clean Wisconsin. "The transition toward a clean energy economy is beginning, and it's important for other states not to lag behind the movement by building more coal plants."

Nathaniel Baer, energy program director for the Iowa Environmental Council, says Iowans need to follow the lead of neighboring states to the west, north, and now east, which have concluded that clean energy makes more economic sense than coal."Iowa simply cannot afford to be left behind sinking billions of dollars into monuments to 19th century dirty coal," Baer said.

With today's decision Wisconsin joins a list of states including Kansas, Montana, Minnesota, Georgia, and Florida that have all rejected plans to construct coal fired power plants. The rejected proposal is the 64th nationwide in the last two years. The Big Stone II coal plant proposal is still pending. It will come in front of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Nov. 12. Eight plants are pending in Michigan, six are pending in Illinois, and two are pending in Iowa.

Iowa has two proposed coal-fired power plants in Marshalltown and Waterloo.