Walker's "Open for Business" should be changed to "Under New Ownership!!!"

So where in the world did big business get the idea they can do almost anything they want in Wisconsin? You don't think it came from the not so subtle messages ballyhoo'd by Scott Walker and his band of plundering pirates in the legislature?

We're beyond warning signs at this point. The following jaw dropping ad demonstrates the actual corrupting influence of money; a former state commerce secretary, now a consultant, is selling his companies lobbying expertise to businesses trying to influence legislation. And if that doesn't work, at least take their case to the state supreme court:

At least Capitol Consultants is upfront about their intentions. 

A business group in Milwaukee, trying to get off the hook for converting a coal plant to natural gas (trying to get regular consumers to pay instead), is getting just what they want. And conservative "stand with Walker" voters and ratepayers will fork over more of their hard earned cash to big energy. jsonline:

Milwaukee's primary business booster group is pushing state lawmakers to cut funding for the Citizens Utility Board, a move that would cripple the group that represents consumers when utilities like We Energies seek state approval for rate increases.

Spearheaded by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce … If approved by the Legislature, it would eliminate a grant that provides $300,000 a year in utility ratepayer dollars to CUB, which was created by state law more than 35 years ago.

Last year alone, CUB — which has a total budget of $771,580 — helped persuade the Wisconsin Public Service Commission to reduce utilities' initial rate proposals enough to save customers a total of $161 million. So this cut would represent savings of less than a penny for every $100 that electric customers pay. "We are truly a bargain," said Kira Loehr, CUB's executive director and general counsel. "There is no other state agency or group in the country that does what we do on the budget we have."

Just so you weren't confused over the intentions of the MMAC big business partners:

The change would also limit funding for CUB and other groups to hire expert witnesses in utility cases. The Republican-dominated finance committee adopted on a 12-4 party-line vote … (saying) they can't see why ratepayers should fund advocacy groups...

...ah, because they saved ratepayers $161 million? What am I missing in this debate? And we as ratepayers have been taking it in shorts for years in Wisconsin, even with the help of CUB:

The move to cut funding for CUB and other groups that advocate at the PSC comes at a time when the state's utility rates have risen faster than the rate of inflation and rank second-highest in the Midwest. 

Walker PSC crony Ellen Nowak gets the job done, advised Utility Industry to raise Rates for Customers to discourage Solar Power.

The following statement by the solar industry is not hyperbolic when it comes to the recent decisions made by Wisconsin PSCregulator Ellen Nowak:

“Nowak should recuse herself before their rate decision becomes final,” Allicance for Solar Choice’s Bryan Miller said. “She’s behind the most expensive anti-solar ruling in the U.S. and we’re appealing it on both the substance and the process.”

A solar industry group appealing a decision to impose the most expensive solar fees in the U.S. said a Wisconsin regulator violated rules barring communication about pending cases.

The amazing example below is getting little attention in the state, and because of that, big energy here just might get away with the job killing base rate increase for solar customers that didn't succeed elsewhere. The shocking conflict of interest and professional advice given by the conservative PSC regulators appointed by Scott Walker, Ellen Nowak, is pretty much beyond words.

See for yourself if Ellen Nowak’s spokesman wasn't lying when she said straight faced Nowak didn't discuss the rate case at the conference with Klappa.    

Ellen Nowak, a regulator for the Wisconsin Public Service Commission, and Wisconsin Energy Corp. (WEC) Chief Executive Officer Gale Klappa participated in a panel together at a utility industry conference in June. Her discussions with Klappa at the conference should have disqualified her from voting on a pending rate case, said Bryan Miller, a co-chairman of the Alliance for Solar Choice.

Nowak told the audience June 10 at an Edison Electric Institute conference: “The traditional rate design will no longer work with the growth in the D.G. (distributed generation) environment … fixed fees so customers who produce their own power with rooftop solar systems continue to pay enough to cover the costs of maintaining the grid. We need to make more of the fixed costs more in line with fixed charges, particularly so those customers who don't participate in (distributed generation) are not paying for those who do."

Less than three weeks after the Edison Electric Institute event, the company submitted a detailed proposal that included a fixed fee for customers with solar power, sometimes called distributed generation or D.G..

Joel Rogers, a professor of administrative law at the University of Wisconsin Law School in Madison, reviewed a transcript of her comments and said they could be seen as improperly offering advice. “Appearing on a panel together goes right up to the edge of impropriety, but giving advice goes beyond that,” Rogers said today in an interview. “She should have recused herself.”

Of course WE Energies had completely, more surreal take on the complaints over Nowak’s advice:

We Energies spokesman Barry McNulty said, "We're obviously very disappointed that the solar advocates would resort to these types of allegations after having lost on the merits." 

Yea, how desperate can the solar industry be for pointing out the obvious. But sadly this is only the beginning of future rate hikes:

This trend is set to continue in future rate cases as the current Wisconsin Public Service Commission chairman, Phil Montgomery, has stated that the only thing stopping him from approving even more drastic increases in fixed costs is "the principle of gradualism."

The attack on the green energy industry and the jobs that go with them, took off when Scott Walker became governor:

Focus had suspended renewables incentives in 2011, for one year, after the PSC concluded it had been spending too much on renewables, which don't provide as strong a payback that energy-saving efficiency projects do. We Energies and Renew Wisconsin have been at odds since We Energies terminated a renewable energy development program that provided incentives for churches and nonprofit groups to add solar. Utilities are also opposing moves to allow companies to build and own the solar panels that are on customers' rooftops. 

Wisconsin Energy Industry wants to kill Solar and Wind power generated by Homeowners.

The Bottom Line: Our current regional energy monopolies need to change their business model from supplying energy via coal, gas and nuclear, to mostly providing the infrastructure to deliver energy.

Like the horse and buggy, technology is about to turn We Energy and MG&E out to pasture, and they don’t like it one bit. Big energy is fighting this in other states as well. In Arizona for example, companies actually wanted to charge customers who installed solar panels $100 more a month. That not only kills the green energy market, but penalizes people for trying to save money.

That brings us to Wisconsin:

jsonline: We Energies has dropped its protest of a move by a solar energy coalition and environmental group to get involved in the upcoming fight over its plan to slash payments to customers who generate their own power. The decision means the hearings will become a showdown on questions that could decide how the market for clean energy unfolds in the years ahead.

That already sounds like an outrageous move from a desperate energy company trying to hold onto the past.

We Energies is proposing big changes … say(ing) the move will be more fair for all of its customers. Like We Energies, Madison Gas & Electric Co. wants to pay less to solar power generating customers, as well as add a significant increase in the fixed charge on all customers' bills.

Those in the solar business disagree. They say the utility wants to limit customers' ability to take advantage of falling prices of equipment to generate solar power.

Earlier this month, We Energies … chastised them for … missing a PSC deadline for getting involved in the case. The groups countered that their tardiness should be excused. They claimed that We Energies didn't float its solar proposal and 75% increase in the monthly fixed charge on customers' bills until after that PSC deadline had passed … a customer generating solar power could see the amount paid by the utility drop by more than 34% in 2016.

Scott Walker and the Republican legislature have made it incredibly difficult for green energy to get started in Wisconsin, since big energy contributors call the shots here. That’s not a partisan statement either. Energy monopolies are killing jobs here:

Companies in the solar business, like SunVest Solar in Pewaukee, say the impact will be to spur more clean-energy development — and job creation — outside the state. SunVest develops solar projects in Missouri, New Jersey, New York and Wisconsin. "Unfortunately, 90% or more of that work is being done in other states," said SunVest owner Matt Neumann. "We're creating these jobs in other states and our tax credits are getting invested in other states."

One final note. The following comment is a lie, because rate payers have always paid for utility upgrades and improvements alongside their actual energy costs. The idea that a utility didn't get full compensation from a customer for the power grid is insulting.  

We Energies stresses that customers who don't produce their own power are gaining benefits from the power grid that they aren't fully compensating the utility for.