Jobs, energy on minds of central Wisconsin leaders
An article by in the Wausau Daily Herald:
A delegation of representatives from Marathon, Portage and Wood counties will travel to the state Capitol on Wednesday [April 9] to encourage investment in renewable energies and the creation of incentives to spur collaboration among local units of government.
The members of Centergy, the Central Wisconsin Alliance for Economic Development, chose to focus their message to policymakers on two issues of statewide concern that are of particular interest in the three-county area. The goal of the fourth annual Central Wisconsin Day is a departure from previous years, when the group used its unified voice to lobby for state funding for specific programs or projects in north central Wisconsin.
“We’re not going down with the feeling we know all the answers, but going down with the feeling these current issues deserve more exploration,” said Brad Zweck of Wausau Insurance, a member of the Centergy board. “The last couple years, we came down with some specific local projects in mind — very worthwhile projects — where we were interested in additional earmark funding. This year, we took a step back and said, ‘What are two broader issues that we’d like to put the spotlight on?’”
Gov. Jim Doyle was joined in Wausau a week ago by the mayors of the region’s five largest communities, who pledged to work toward a goal of securing 25 percent of their cities’ energy needs from renewable sources by the year 2025.
Centergy leadership, made up of representatives from the public and private sectors, sees economic opportunities for the region in the development of renewable energy from local resources. The question is how to best capitalize on such an initiative to create jobs and help the state inch toward energy independence, said Ted Penn, who represents Wisconsin Public Service Corp. on the Centergy board.
“(WPSC), from our standpoint, we support the renewable portfolio and renewable energy in general,” Penn said. “The cost is coming down, and it’s the right thing to do, so in the long run, we have to find out what makes economic sense and what’s best for Wisconsin.”
