A Madison area citizens’ group — Friends Of Responsible Energy — filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the decision to build a 150-megawatt cogeneration power plant at the University of Wisconsin’s west side of campus.
The suit cites the state Department of Administration, UW Board of Regents, the state Public Service Commission, and the Department of Natural Resources as respondents.
According to the complaint, the facility currently under construction to serve both Madison Gas & Electric’s Madison community customers and UW buildings violated Wisconsin’s Environmental Policy Act, failing to fully consider other alternatives that would meet the university’s electric and steam needs to come.
FORE’s attorney, Glenn Stoddard, was quoted in a press release as saying this power plant would cost many people a lot of money.
“We are alleging that the DOA, acting in concert with the UW, violated Wisconsin’s most important environmental law by failing to perform an environmental impact statement for a new power plant that will be built on state property at a substantial cost to Wisconsin taxpayers, UW students, and MGE ratepayers,” Stoddard said.
Though FORE has thrown around the idea of a lawsuit before, spokesman for UW administration Kent Barrett spoke on the issue before the lawsuit was filed.
“I think until there’s something concrete, there’s not too much to say,” Barrett said.
Barrett could not be reached for comment Thursday.
