Sierra Club Wisconsin Slams We Energies for Rate Increase and Once Again Delaying Oak Creek Coal Plant Retirement

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This week, We Energies has announced that it will once again delay closing its Oak Creek coal plant and that it intends to raise residential and small business rates by 4.7% in 2027 and 4.5% in 2028. The Oak Creek power plant was originally scheduled to close in 2023, but We Energies pushed back its retirement in 2025, again in 2026, and now through 2027. We Energies’ digging their heels in on fossil fuels continues to cost Wisconsinites with higher energy bills, more air pollution, and climate impacts.

The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) is set to decide on these rate increases before the end of the year. The PSC failed to block We Energies’ last several rate increases, allowing for higher costs to be forced onto Wisconsin families and businesses.

In response, Jadine Sonoda, Campaign Coordinator at Sierra Club Wisconsin, released the following statement: 

“Is anyone surprised that Wisconsin’s largest and most profitable utility keeps squeezing us for more money? Wisconsinites aren’t oblivious to We Energies’ scheming– we know We Energies can’t be trusted to make good on their promises to retire coal, and we know that they’ll turn to the PSC to approve any rate hikes they can get. Big Tech has been looking to build data centers in Wisconsin as a huge cash-grab, and We Energies wants in with their fossil fuels instead of prioritizing the affordable clean energy transition Wisconsin has been demanding. Our families and businesses cannot afford this and certainly don’t want to be plagued with more coal pollution. It’s past time that the PSC stepped in and stopped We Energies’ ceaseless greed.”

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.