ASM energy campaign chair Ian Brunswick confronted Chancellor John Wiley about the University of Wisconsin’s plans for energy reform at the energy forum sponsored by ASM Thursday evening.
Brunswick demanded Wiley directly answer whether he supported specific energy goals proposed by the campaign, such as upgrading all UW vehicles to be electric-powered by 2009. The chancellor addressed the demands point by point, emphasizing that the university was working hard to improve energy efficiency while also keeping costs low.
The forum showcased the university’s plans for addressing possible energy shortages and current wastefulness and inefficiency. In addition to Chancellor Wiley, the directors from Renew Wisconsin and MG&E were also featured speakers.
Expressing dismay that only a few dozen students out of a population of 40,000 attended the forum, Wiley emphasized that citizens need to be more aware of the possibility of an impending energy crisis.
“I can’t think of a more important topic to be discussing than the energy economy we are living in and the futility of that economy.”
Wiley told the audience that although protecting the environment is important, the university’s biggest problem is ensuring there is enough energy to meet peak demand. Current UW energy production cannot fulfill the energy needs for facilities being built under the proposed east campus plan, he said.
“We are at risk for blackouts,” Wiley said.
Altogether, the university plans to spend $29.5 million over the next 15 years to upgrade its energy capabilities. Wiley claimed the changes would pay for themselves by money saved on energy costs.
The most important component of the plan is to build a new co generational plant on the west side of campus, similar to the one located on Charter Street.
Panelist Ald. Austin King, District 8, expressed concerns about building the new facility. He argued the university should not seek to replicate the “grotesque Charter Street plant” that burns coal next door to student housing.
Wiley admitted using nonrenewable resources like coal was problematic, but he stressed that the university has no alternative because of the amount of energy the plants produce for their cost.
“Due to our budget situation, we will not pay any more than we have to for energy. That is our reality right now,” he said.
Wiley put the burden for meaningful changes in the hands of state politicians who have final say on university energy policies. Claiming it has been “politically impossible” to overhaul current energy practices, Wiley expressed concerns that a lack of political will could lead to an eventual energy crisis in Wisconsin.
“This is a gridlock that is going to bring this state into the dark eventually,” Wiley said.
The president of Renew Wisconsin, Michael Vickerman, said he agreed wholeheartedly with Wiley’s sentiments.
“It behooves our policymakers to find renewable resources,” Vickerman said. Expressing frustrations with the current “pay to play” political environment, Vickerman argued that politicians’ tendency to put money over protecting the environment “is a sad fact of political life in these United States.”
Vickerman also pressured Wiley and UW to plug into renewable resources, namely wind power.
“This is the beginning of a potential golden age for wind power in Wisconsin. It is wise for us to look beyond fossil fuels and see the difference wind power can make,” he said.
