New in the Legislature: Democrats' bill seeks to commit Wisconsin to clean emissions goal
Here's what to know about the bill:
The "Climate Accountability Act," introduced Tuesday, would not outline how the state should achieve that goal but would indicate that the Legislature is serious about climate change and the impacts it could have on the state. The proposed text of the bill is only five lines long and calls for a "viable plan" to reduce emissions by 52% by 2030, and another "viable plan" to achieve carbon neutral goals.
The legislation was introduced by Democratic Representatives Supreme Moore Omokunde of Milwaukee, Angelito Tenorio of West Allis, Darrin Madison of Milwaukee, Francesca Hong of Madison, Angelina Cruz of Racine, Christian Phelps of Eau Claire and Margaret Arney of Wauwatosa.
In addition, Democratic Senators Chris Larson of Milwaukee, Jodi Habush Sinykin of Whitefish Bay, Melissa Ratcliff of Cottage Grove and Tim Carpenter of Milwaukee were also involved in the drafting.
Moore Omokunde talked about the "fierce urgency of now," a phrase once used by Martin Luther King Jr.
"We must all decide what we will do on behalf of the planet that we love and that we live in," he said. "I say that this is a sense of urgency, because the best way to prevent runaway climate change is to cut our carbon emissions in half in the next five years, by 2030. We cannot continue to burn fossil fuels with no plans to seek alternatives."
The first step would be to get the bill a hearing at the committee level.
At least one legislator behind the bill acknowledged it's unlikely to receive much Republican support, and the GOP holds the majority in the Legislature. No Republicans were a part of crafting the bill, and Hong said during a press conference it is unlikely to receive much Republican support.
"I predict that the majority party will be opposed to addressing the crisis," said Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison.
But Moore Omokunde said he is holding out hope for bipartisan work on the issue. Recently, Republicans proposed legislation to study nuclear energy as a way to reduce the state's reliance on coal.
"Right now, I'm seeing a lot of converging interests," he said.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Democrats' bill commits Wisconsin to clean emissions goal
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