Fran Larsen, of Neenah, kayaks the warm waters of Columbia Lake adjacent to the Columbia Energy Center near Portage on Tuesday. Alliant Energy plans to retire the 45-year-old plant, the state's second-largest coal-fired generator, by 2025.
Retiring the 1,100-megawatt plant early will eliminate an estimated 97 million tons of carbon dioxide as well as smog-causing pollutants such as nitrogen and sulfur dioxide.
Retiring the 1,100-megawatt plant early will eliminate an estimated 97 million tons of carbon dioxide as well as smog-causing pollutants such as nitrogen and sulfur dioxide.
Fave 5: Reporter Chris Hubbuch picks his top stories from 2019
We are sharing Wisconsin State Journal staffers' favorite work from 2019. From energy and environment reporter Chris Hubbuch:
My story about researchers mapping the toxic history of lead and zinc mining in southwest Wisconsin checks all the boxes for what I find interesting -- history, the environmental cost of human industry, geography, technology, and a bit of mystery. It was one of my favorite stories to write and also one of the most-read, a consonance that rarely happens on my beat.
It’s been 40 years since the last zinc mine closed and nearly two centuries since Southwest Wisconsin was the nation’s primary source of lead. The last vestiges of the industry have all but disappeared, but the toxic legacy remains.
As renewable energy drives down the cost of wholesale electricity, utilities are shuttering expensive coal plants early. Should ratepayers continue to ensure shareholders profit from their investments?
New technology and a growing acceptance of climate change have brought the nation to the cusp of an energy transformation. But who profits from it, and is there time?
The petroleum industry and ethanol producers are fighting over federal mandates that require refineries to blend biofuels into their gasoline and the Trump administration's growing use of exemptions.
Part of a $19.8 million project -- including more than $10 million in public funding -- that could eventually include an adjacent hotel, Garver Feed Mill will host an event center and 11 other local food and wellness businesses.
Fran Larsen, of Neenah, kayaks the warm waters of Columbia Lake adjacent to the Columbia Energy Center near Portage on Tuesday. Alliant Energy plans to retire the 45-year-old plant, the state's second-largest coal-fired generator, by 2025.
Retiring the 1,100-megawatt plant early will eliminate an estimated 97 million tons of carbon dioxide as well as smog-causing pollutants such as nitrogen and sulfur dioxide.
Retiring the 1,100-megawatt plant early will eliminate an estimated 97 million tons of carbon dioxide as well as smog-causing pollutants such as nitrogen and sulfur dioxide.
