Wisconsin

Law could prevent Wisconsin from using $78M in federal funds to build publicly-available EV charging stations

Published

1 year ago

June 7, 2023

Law could prevent Wisconsin from using $78M in federal funds to build publicly-available EV charging stations

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation hopes to nearly double the number of publicly-available electric vehicle charging stations around the state with an infusion of federal dollars — but an outdated state law stands in the way.

Over the next five years, Wisconsin is slated to receive $78.5 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. That would cover around 80 percent of the cost of building roughly 60 charging stations.

But federal requirements stipulate those stations need to charge customers by the amount of electricity used, also known as kilowatt-hour. In Wisconsin, only regulated utilities are allowed to charge per kilowatt-hour.

Rebecca Valcq, chair of the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, or PSC, said the definition of a public utility in Wisconsin is at the heart of the issue.

“A public utility will be considered a public utility, if anybody — any individual, company or corporation — is providing water or power, either directly or indirectly, to or for the public,” she said. “That definition that sits in our state statute has led to a lot of uncertainty for EV charging companies because there is no exception for EV chargers.”

The PSC and state DOT said they hope the Legislature will change the law to allow Wisconsin to take full advantage of the federal funds. State officials said expanding the state’s electric vehicle charging network would benefit the tourism industry and utilities while creating infrastructure for the future.

Recent attempts to change the law have failed. A bill was introduced in the state Legislature last session, but died in the Assembly after being approved by the Senate. The language change was included in Gov. Tony Evers’ budget, but was removed earlier this year by the Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee.

State Sen. Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay, sponsored a bill last year to exempt EV charging providers from being regulated as a utility. He declined Wisconsin Public Radio’s request for comment, but told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he expects a new bill to be proposed this session.

DOT Secretary Craig Thompson said that of the more than 60 public EV chargers already in Wisconsin, only four are compliant with federal guidelines for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program.

Right now, most EV stations in the state charge users by the amount of time their vehicle is charging, which isn’t particularly transparent, Valcq said.

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“Customers don’t know how much (electricity) they’re going to get because you’re being charged on time,” she said. “If you think about going to a gas station, you’re not paying by the minute when you go to the pump. You’re paying by how many gallons or fraction of gallons.”

When the state applied for federal funds, Thompson said Wisconsin proposed, and had been approved, to have EV chargers at businesses along all of its interstates, U.S. highways and portions of state Highway 29.

“The entire state is basically covered,” he said of the plan. “Along those alternative fuel corridors, we had to be able to demonstrate that we could find suitable sites, no more than every 50 miles along those corridors, no more than one mile off of an exit — and we have identified 62 of those corridors that will work.”

Thompson said the goal of DOT’s EV infrastructure expansion plan is to empower private sector businesses like Kwik Trip or Walmart. He said the federal funds would provide an 80 percent match for private entities to construct EV charging stations. So far, Thompson said the department has seen “a lot of interest” from businesses.

“But right now — under the current law — they’d have to be regulated as an electric utility, which is not feasible,” he said. “If we want to allow all these different, great private sector partners to be able to participate, we really do need that law change to be able to exempt them from being regulated as a utility.”

Valcq said being regulated as a utility is a burden that requires businesses to file a lot of data with the PSC. It also allows the agency to “essentially inspect their books at any time.”

“It would be extraordinarily burdensome for an EV charging company to be regulated as a public utility,” she said. “My own personal belief is that was not the intent of the Legislature when they came up with the definition of public utility — EVs didn’t exist at the time that statutory definition was created.”

In terms of the economic benefits of changing the law, Thompson said major vehicle manufacturers are looking to pivot to electric vehicles to meet market demands. He pointed to General Motors’ pledge to go all-electric by 2035.

“While electric vehicles are a small percentage of the amount of cars on the road right now, we know that’s going to grow exponentially,” he said. “We want people that are driving electric vehicles to feel comfortable that they can come visit Wisconsin, come see the Packers, come golfing and not worry about that. I think any state that falls behind is going to be at a competitive disadvantage.”

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Wisconsin

Golfers raise money for Wisconsin Veterans Home

Published

10 hours ago

June 14, 2024

Press Room

Golfers raise money for Wisconsin Veterans Home

CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WEAU) – An annual event helping raise money for veterans is back in Chippewa Falls.

The 6th Annual Wisconsin Veterans Home Golf Outing teed off this morning.

The event is hosted by Brew Pub Lotzza Motzza Pizza and the Lake Hallie Golf Course.

Matt Selvig, Advertising and Promotions Manager with Brew Pub, said over the last five years the outing has raised over $51,000 for area veterans.

He said this year the community is coming together more than ever before, with around 20 teams participating for a good cause.

“It’s going to a great cause to help out veterans and really give them the opportunity to do things above and beyond what they normally do, whether it’s go to a baseball game or music in the park or go fishing, so it’s for a great cause,” said Selvig.

Money raised will go to the Chippewa Valls Veterans Home.

This year’s event also featured guest speaker, Kyle Nyseth.

Nyseth is a combat veteran of three wars with 22 years of service in the United States Navy

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Wisconsin

Ziebell, Jirschele named athletes of the year at Northeast Wisconsin High School Sports Awards

Published

17 hours ago

June 14, 2024

Press Room

Ziebell, Jirschele named athletes of the year at Northeast Wisconsin High School Sports Awards

Neenah basketball star Allie Ziebell was honored as the girls athlete of the year and football, basketball and baseball standout Keagen Jirschele was honored as the boys athlete of the year during Thursday’s Northeast Wisconsin High School Sports Awards show.

The event, presented by Festival Foods, was held at the Lambeau Field Atrium in Green Bay.

In all, 34 awards were handed out at the show, which honored athletes, coaches and teams from the entire region. The boys and girls athlete of the Year Awards were sponsored by Cellcom.

Ziebell concluded one of the most decorated high school basketball careers in state history.

A generational talent, Ziebell led the Rockets to the WIAA Division 1 state championship game, was voted the Associated Press state player of the year and also named the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Ms. Basketball winner.

She was also named the Gatorade Wisconsin player of the year for the second year in a row and was selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American game. She was also a member of the Team USA U19 national team that captured the FIBA Women’s World Cup title last summer.

Ziebell finished her high school career fourth overall in state history in points scored with 2,819 and will play basketball in college at the University of Connecticut for legendary coach Geno Auriemma.

More: Find complete prep sports coverage on our Varsity page

Jirschele, a senior from Mosinee, is a three-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball. He was a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association all-state selection on offense and defense and was also voted the offensive and defensive player of the year in the Great Northern Conference.

In basketball, Jirschele was unanimous first-team all-conference and honorable mention all-state after leading Mosinee to the conference championship. And this spring, he was named the Great Northern Conference player of the year in baseball on the No. 1 ranked team in the state in Division 2. He will play baseball in college at South Dakota State.

The Northeast Wisconsin High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. The show was produced with the support of Prevea Health, USA Today Sports and Golfweek.

The show recognized prep athletes, coaches and teams in the Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids markets for their achievements during the 2023-24 school year.

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Wisconsin

New Mexico linebacker Mason Posa makes it official: He commits to Wisconsin’s 2025 class

Published

24 hours ago

June 14, 2024

Press Room

New Mexico linebacker Mason Posa makes it official: He commits to Wisconsin’s 2025 class

MADISON – Mason Posa’s official visit to Wisconsin, which began on May 31, went better than anyone could have expected.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound linebacker from Albuquerque, New Mexico, left Madison almost certain he would choose UW.

Posa made his decision official Thursday when he announced he had committed to UW for the 2025 class.

His other two choices were Oregon and Texas A&M.

The Aggies were originally scheduled to host Posa on a visit later this month.

“The coaches, I knew they were great,” Posa said on 247’s YouTube channel after making his announcement. “I knew the town was amazing. But what I was looking for on these officials visits was which players I felt comfortable with.

“And Wisconsin just fit me. Those players were great to me. I had a blast out there. I knew Wisconsin was home.”

Posa recorded seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 99 total tackles as a junior.

Including Posa, UW has 18 known commitments for the 2025 class.

That includes four linebackers for defensive coordinator Mike Tressel – Posa, Cooper Catalano of Germantown High School, Brenden Anes of Tennessee and Samuel Lateju of New Jersey.

What does Posa believe he will bring to UW?

“I’m ready to go win them championships,” he said. “I’m ready to bring a national title to the University of Wisconsin. I’m excited. I love Madison. I love that coaching staff…

“I want to be a first-round pick. I want to be in the NFL and I want to win us a national title. I know some of the recruits we have…there is something special coming at Wisconsin.”

More: Wisconsin football transfer portal tracker: Who’s heading out and who’s heading in?

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