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Demand Energy Justice 
for Health

We believe every Wisconsinite, regardless of how much money they make, should have access to safe, affordable, and clean energy. That future is possible if we stand together.

Protecting the health of our loved ones is something we can all agree on. We Energies’ rate case and proposals prioritize fossil fuel investments over the health of our communities: they would keep Wisconsinites reliant on fossil fuels that pollute the air in our lungs, contaminate the water we rely on, and destabilize our climate. 

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WEC Energy Group, which owns several utility companies including We Energies, is proposing to:​

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Increase their rates (again) in 2025 and 2026: We Energies has proposed raising rates to 9.25% in 2025 and an additional 8.5% in 2026. They estimate that their average residential customer will pay over $150/month in utility costs by 2026.

 

Build methane gas projects: We Energies wants to build two new massive methane gas plants, which directly contradicts their stated commitment to achieve “net-zero carbon emissions from power generation by 2050”.

 

Increase their Return on Equity (ROE): We Energies is asking to increase the share of dollars that they can earn returns on from 9.8% to 10%. 

 

Continue profiting from stranded assets: We Energies intends to earn more than $300 million in profits on their Oak Creek coal plant after it’s no longer operating.

This is a health issue!

These proposals would harm climate and public health and increase energy burden, which  ​is the percentage of income a household spends on energy costs.

 

Explore the following resources to learn and share why energy burden is a serious health issue.

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What is the PIPP and why does it matter for community health?

Educate yourself and others with this brief 2-page overview

Learn More
Utility Pole

Action Toolkit

Energy Justice

Action Toolkit

Take actionable steps toward a more equitable energy system

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What are the health impacts of gas?

See more information about how gas harms organ systems.

Learn More

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is the state agency that regulates utility monopolies in Wisconsin.

 

If approved, the burden of rate hikes and fossil fuel infrastructure will primarily affect families, with business and industrial customers experiencing a lesser rate increase.

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WEC Energy Group’s shareholder profits are higher than any utility company in the state and higher than the national average. They have provided their shareholders with increasing dividends every year for the past 20 years and gave out a record-high $984 million in shareholder dividends in May 2024. In 2022, the PSC pushed back against We Energies and decreased their ROE to 9.8%. This generated some savings for customers, but profit levels are still too high and We Energies is requesting to return their ROE to 10%.

 

We Energies is telling communities that the new price hikes are to support “clean” energy. Methane gas is NOT clean energy. We cannot let We Energies prioritize profits while communities of color and low-to-moderate-income families continue to struggle to pay rising utility bills and associated health costs. 


Join us in protecting the health of Wisconsin families that are already struggling to make ends meet.

Tell the PSC, the state agency with the power to regulate utilities, to require that We Energies:

Limit total energy bill burden to at least 6%, which is where the threshold for high energy burden begins.

Deny proposed methane gas infrastructure. It is a fossil fuel that threatens our health and our climate.

Pursue wind, solar, and energy efficiency to improve customer cost savings, community health, and environmental health.

Adopt the following programs prior to further rate increases: Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP), Arrearage Management Program, and pilot geo-targeted energy efficiency programs to lower bills.

Key Action Dates

FAQs
Citations

Citations

  1. Sierra Club. (2021). Energy burden in Milwaukee: Study reveals major disparities & links to redlined areas. https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/default/files/sce-authors/u560/2392%20MilwaukeeEnergy_Report_06_high%20%281%29.pdf  

  2. Sierra Club. (2024). Energy Burden in Milwaukee: 2024 Report Update. https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/default/files/2024-04/EB%20report%20update%202024%20%281%29.pdf

  3. Brown, M. A., Soni, A., Lapsa, M. V., Southworth, K., & Cox, M. (2020). High energy burden and low-income energy affordability: Conclusions from a literature review. Progress in Energy, 2(4), 042003. https://doi.org/10.1088/2516-1083/abb954

  4. Viggers, H., Howden-Chapman, P., Ingham, T., Chapman, R., Pene, G., Davies, C., Currie, A., Pierse, N., Wilson, H., Zhang, J., Baker, M., & Crane, J. (2013). Warm homes for older people: aims and methods of a randomised community-based trial for people with COPD. BMC public health, 13, 176. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-176

  5. Liddell, C., & Morris, C. (2010). Fuel poverty and human health: A review of recent evidence. Energy Policy, 38(6), 2987–2997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.01.037

  6. Frank, D. A., Neault, N. B., Skalicky, A., Cook, J. T., Wilson, J. D., Levenson, S., Meyers, A. F., Heeren, T., Cutts, D. B., Casey, P. H., Black, M. M., & Berkowitz, C. (2006). Heat or Eat: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and Nutritional and Health Risks Among Children Less Than 3 Years of Age. Pediatrics, 118(5), e1293–e1302. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2005-2943

  7. Nord, M., & Kantor, L. S. (2006). Seasonal Variation in Food Insecurity Is Associated with Heating and Cooling Costs among Low-Income Elderly Americans. The Journal of Nutrition, 136(11), 2939–2944. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.11.2939

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