An estimated 82 clean energy projects in Wisconsin — totaling $18 billion in expected investment — could be eligible for labor-related tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, according to a new national report.

The report, released by the Climate Jobs National Resource Center, looked at how the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, could boost the clean energy sector while creating union jobs. 

Nationally, the report identified 6,285 utility-scale clean energy projects that are either planned, under construction or have been completed recently that may be eligible for incentives from the IRA. Those projects, the report says, account for $2 trillion in investment, nearly 1.1 million megawatts of power and roughly 3.9 million jobs. 

According to the report, the 82 utility-scale clean energy projects identified in Wisconsin — either planned, being built or recently completed — account for an estimated 42,000 jobs and 11,833 megawatts of power. Those are broken down into 48 solar projects, 26 battery projects, five wind projects and three hydro projects.

Amy Barrilleaux, a spokesperson for Clean Wisconsin, said it’s an exciting time for the clean energy industry in Wisconsin, fueled by the IRA.

“When you look at these 82 clean energy projects in the pipeline, that’s a huge deal. That’s changing how Wisconsin gets its energy,” she said. “Right now, we import most of our energy. We pay a lot of money to do that, but this is a change to a homegrown clean energy future for us.”

The state’s trade unions are playing a major role in that clean energy transition — due to labor standards tax credits for things like paying workers prevailing wages and using registered apprentices, said Barrilleaux.

Emily Pritzkow, executive director of the Wisconsin Building Trades Council, said those labor standards tax credits help tie industrial expansion to pro-worker policies, helping to lift the pay and the quality of jobs and training throughout that clean energy industry.

“Over the past four decades, we’ve seen workers’ wages stagnate and economic inequality deepen, and we’ve also been watching this climate crisis that has a disproportionate impact on working class neighborhoods, communities of color and so forth,” she said. “This policy really aims to go right at that. It means the opportunity to create millions of good jobs, but also to advance that equity.”

Earlier this year, Wisconsin’s four major utilities made a pledge to hire union workers for all solar, wind and battery projects moving forward. At the time, the utilities said the move would help ensure they meet competitive labor standards.

Pritzkow called the agreement between the utilities and trades unions historic, saying it provides more certainty to union workers. 

“We’ve had a long relationship with the state’s major utilities, and are very often working on their projects,” she said. “That is not a new development, but the commitment to enshrine this in a partnership moving forward on renewable projects is a new one, and I think it really is a reflection of the quality of work our members provide.”

The report pointed to a few case studies, including two in the Badger State. 

One of those is the Apple River Solar Project in Polk County, which is a 100-megawatt solar project being built by union laborers. The report said the project broke ground this summer and will offset an estimated almost 150,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Another project listed is the Menasha Joint School District’s Maplewood Middle School construction project in the Fox Cities. 

According to the report, the school will have rooftop solar panels, battery storage and other energy-efficient features that are estimated to save the district $135,000 annually on energy costs. The district is also expected to utilize direct payments included in the IRA for nonprofits and local governments.

Barrilleaux said the Inflation Reduction Act incentives in the law — for businesses, nonprofits, local governments and homeowners — help build clean energy projects, boost electric electric transportation and assist families to weatherize their homes and save energy. 

She called the law “the most ambitious investment to fight the climate crisis” in American history.

“It’s really hard to overstate the impact that the IRA is having in Wisconsin right now, and it’s only been here for a couple of years,” she said. “I think everybody understands that big action needs to happen because we’re in a really critical situation. We need to cut greenhouse gas emissions from every sector of society, and the IRA is helping us do that.”

A man has been arrested in the shooting death of a national title-winning University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnast near campus, police said.

Whitewater police said the suspect, identified only as a 23-year-old man who knew the victim, shot Kara Welsh, 21, after an altercation at a campus-area apartment late Friday.

University Chancellor Corey King announced Welsh’s death Saturday in a message to students and faculty and staff members.

“We know the news of Kara’s death is heartbreaking for our close-knit university community,” King said. “It is a time when we are all called upon to support one another, to process, and to grieve.”

The suspect was taken to Walworth County Jail and booked on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide, endangering safety while armed and disorderly conduct while armed, police said in a statement. Because his name has not been released, it was unclear whether he is still in jail or whether he has retained legal counsel.

Whitewater police did not respond to a request for more information Sunday evening.

In an earlier statement, the police department said a 23-year-old man was present when officers responded to a report of a gunshot victim Friday. A woman, later identified as Welsh, had been shot multiple times and was dead when officers arrived, police said.

“Through investigation, it was determined that leading up to the shooting, an altercation had occurred between the two,” police said.

The killing took place on the 100 block of Whitewater Street, about a mile east of the school’s main campus, at a residence listed on a university web page as off-campus housing.

Welsh was a business management major from Plainfield, Illinois, who won an individual national title on the vault for the gymnastics team last year, according to the school.

She was a vault “phenom” who holds four of the eight highest vault scores in team history, the university’s athletic department said in a statement Sunday.

“To put into words the impact Kara had on the Warhawk community is impossible,” coach Jen Regan said in the statement. “A powerful athlete, dedicated teammate, and the light in everyone’s dark days, Kara truly lifted each and every one of us up in her time as a Warhawk gymnast.”

USA Gymnastics, the governing body for the sport in the U.S., said on X, “We offer our deepest condolences to Kara’s family, friends and teammates at @UWWGymnastics.”

King said memorial services will be announced when details are available. Flags on campus will fly at half-staff when students and faculty and staff members return Tuesday, and counseling is available to those who need it, he said.

A relative of Walsh’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.

Whitewater is about 50 miles west-southwest of Milwaukee.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Brayden Narveson might not have been the happiest person in his own family when the Green Bay Packers claimed him off waivers to make him their kicker.

The move represented a homecoming for Narveson’s wife. Shelby Narveson grew up with a family full of Packers fans in Prescott, Wisconsin, just east of the Minnesota border and about 270 miles west of Green Bay.

“She’s like, ‘I’m going to be the coolest person in my hometown,’” Narveson said.

He went 6 of 7 on field-goal attempts with a long of 59 in a preseason audition with the Tennessee Titans, who are sticking with Nick Folk as their kicker this season. The Packers figured Narveson was a better option than incumbent Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph, who competed for the job in training camp.

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Narveson praised the Titans for giving him a preseason opportunity. Even as he prepared to spend this season on Tennessee’s practice squad, Narveson said Titans officials were letting him know there was a possibility he’d get claimed.

He ended up with the Packers, to his wife’s delight. The Narvesons got married this summer in Mexico.

“When I called and told her I got claimed by the Packers, she was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” Narveson said. “She hung the phone up and called her parents immediately. So, she was probably more excited than I was but, obviously, very thankful for me, as well.”

Narveson will make his NFL regular-season debut Friday when the Packers open their season against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Although he still hasn’t attempted a field goal in an NFL game that counts, Narveson has made a positive first impression on his new team. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he’s seen enough from Narveson in two practices to feel confident in him.

“I just like his approach, his mentality,” LaFleur said. “I can’t wait to see what happens in the game.”

Green Bay represents the latest stop for the well-traveled Narveson, who spent time at four different schools during his six-year college career. He spent two seasons at Iowa State and briefly transferred to San Diego before playing three seasons at Western Kentucky. He finished up at N.C. State last year.

“People can look at me and say that, ‘Oh, what is he doing? He’s going to four schools, this, that, and the other,’” Narveson said. “But ultimately I think it prepared me really, really well. It was like an NFL journey, you know? You go in, you compete. You go in and compete. You go in and every time I was at a new school I had to win a whole new audience over. And I had to go compete against new guys, right?

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“So it just put me in a whole new frame of mind that every single day matters and every single time you step up on the field when you’re between those white lines, you’ve got be focused and you’ve got to win the job.”

Narveson said playing at N.C. State last year helped get him ready for the NFL because he faced the pressure of taking over for Christopher Dunn, who had won the Lou Groza Award a year earlier as college football’s top kicker.

He responded by going 18 of 23 on field-goal attempts last year and setting a school record with his 57-yarder against Duke.

Now he’s dealing with even more pressure as he begins his NFL career on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. The Packers had one of the league’s most stable kicking situations when Mason Crosby held the job from 2007-22 and became the franchise’s career leading scorer.

Carlson struggled while trying to take over for Crosby as a rookie last year. The Packers are hoping Narveson can become more of a long-term solution.

“If somebody tells you they’re not nervous, there’s no pressure, they’re lying to you or they don’t care, in my opinion,” Narveson said. “I think there’s always pressure. Pressure’s a privilege, in my opinion. Pressure means that you’ve done the right things at the right time to show everybody how hard you’ve worked. That’s how I feel about it.”