Democratic gubernatorial candidate and state Rep. Francesca Hong used Earth Day to unveil an aggressive climate agenda that critics say would hammer Wisconsin ratepayers with sky-high energy costs, threaten manufacturing jobs, and risk rolling blackouts — all while she positions herself as a “fighter for the working class.”
In a series of posts on Tuesday, the Madison Socialist called for passage of the Climate Accountability Act — the same bill she sponsored in 2025 — to mandate a 52% cut in carbon emissions by 2030 and statewide carbon neutrality by 2050. She also pledged to enact a binding clean electricity standard requiring 100% clean electricity by 2040. Tying the plan to economic equity.
Hong’s proposals are similar to Gov. Tony Evers’ earlier goal of a 100% carbon-free grid by 2050. Independent modeling by the Center of the American Experiment estimated this would cost Wisconsin families and businesses an additional $248 billion through 2050, relying on large-scale wind, solar, and battery storage that could affect grid reliability. The only people who would benefit from the shift would be the shareholders of monopoly utility companies. Megan Novak notes that Governor Evers’ Public Service Commission has already approved over $2.2 billion in utility rate increases, making energy costs for Wisconsinites some of the highest in the nation.
As of 2025, Wisconsin’s electricity mix relies on dispatchable sources: approximately 31% natural gas, 30% coal, and 13% nuclear, with low-carbon generation, including renewables and nuclear, making up about 26% of total generation. While coal retirements are underway, renewables currently provide only a small share of the reliable baseload power required by the state’s factories, dairy farms, and paper mills.
Hong’s timeline would require an unprecedented ramp-up of intermittent energy sources in a state with long winters, limited sunshine in some areas, and rising electricity demand. Similar aggressive mandates elsewhere — California’s repeated blackout warnings and Germany’s costly Energiewende experiment — have driven up rates and exposed vulnerabilities when the wind doesn’t blow, or the sun doesn’t shine.
A 2022 analysis of a net-zero-by-2050 pathway for Wisconsin found the pathway to be theoretically feasible only with enormous investments in solar, wind, storage, and hydrogen. Even optimistic models showed upfront costs would far exceed fossil-fuel savings, with the greatest impact on lower-income households.
Republicans and energy experts have repeatedly warned that forced timelines ignore engineering constraints. Wisconsin utilities have already reduced emissions through coal retirements and efficiency improvements, but achieving a binding 52% reduction by 2030 would demand sweeping changes across transportation, industry, and agriculture sectors. Hong’s plan would indirectly regulate through electricity mandates.
Hong, who entered the 2026 governor’s race as a progressive voice, has framed the agenda as creating “family-sustaining green jobs” and achieving long-term savings. Many analysts argue that subsidizing renewable energy shifts costs to taxpayers and ratepayers and may lead to manufacturing jobs moving to states with lower-cost, more reliable power.
As Wisconsin approaches another high-stakes governor’s race, Hong’s Earth Day wishlist underscores the major faults in the left’s climate agenda. Democrats are betting big on rapid decarbonization, while the real priority should be keeping the lights on and bills affordable for the very working families she claims to champion.
