Wisconsin Ag Connection - New Coalition Formed to Support Value of WI Electric System

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New Coalition Formed to Support Value of WI Electric System
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 02/24/2015

A new statewide coalition has been formed to promote the significant value of the state's electric infrastructure. Fair Rates for Wisconsin's Dairyland, Inc. aims to bring together representatives of organized labor with large and small energy providers and consumers.

Former state legislator and Public Service Commissioner Mark Meyer will serve as executive director of the non-profit corporation. Other board members will include Jim Brooks of Evansville and Robert Turner from Milwaukee--who both serve as small business representatives on the panel.

"One of our goals is to highlight the great value our electric system delivers to Wisconsin customers, something that too often is taken for granted," Meyer said. "FRWD will stand strong in support of the continued health and welfare of a system that has served us well."

The group says distributed generation refers to power that is produced outside the grid by homes and businesses. The small-scale, on-site power sources at or near customers' homes or businesses are usually located on the customer side of the electric meter. Power structures include rooftop solar panels, energy storage devices, fuel cells, bio-digesters, micro-turbines, small wind turbines, and combined heat and power systems.

Improvements in technology, efficiency and economics make it clear distributed generation will be a larger part of the electric system that brings power to Wisconsin homes and businesses, Meyer said.

"FRWD supports the long-term competitiveness of our state's economy, and we will work to help policy makers recognize that when distributed resources are integrated into our current system they should be paid for in a manner that is fair to all ratepayers," he added.

They say FRWD will advocate for the hard-working men and women who build, operate, and maintain the electric system, and for workers whose jobs and livelihood depend on reliable electricity.

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