Take Action Now: Submit Comments to the PSC

Blog last updated August 14, 2024 at 7:20pm

Action alert! The Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin is considering a proposal for the construction of the Vista Sands Solar Farm (Docket No. 9280-CE-100). The solar farm would be located on what is currently conventional agricultural land in Portage County near the towns of Plover, Buena Vista, and Grant. At nearly 1,300 megawatts, the Vista Sands Solar Farm would be Wisconsin’s largest renewable energy project to date – with a 4.7% reduction in our state’s emissions! It could power almost 200,000 average Wisconsin homes annually with fossil-free electricity.

In addition to its unprecedented climate benefits, the solar farm will bring good-paying union jobs to local communities, support the local economy, and aid in ecosystem restoration and land preservation. And because the project will reduce pollution from fossil fuel electricity generation, it will also provide substantial public health benefits!

However, the project has been the subject of controversy due to concerns about its impacts on the Greater Prairie Chicken. Because the vast majority of project area is intensively-farmed cropland, the project could actually mitigate some of the existing harms (such as fertilizer and pesticide application that impacts local water quality and heavy agricultural traffic) to local wildlife. The developer should work closely with experts throughout the project’s lifespan to avoid harm to local wildlife, particularly the Greater Prairie Chicken, and maximize beneficial conservation efforts like native grassland restoration.

The Vista Sands Solar Farm project has the potential to create long-lasting positive change for Wisconsin.  We need your help to ensure the PSC considers both the environmental and climate benefits of the Vista Sands Solar Farm in its decision, and ultimately approves it!

Submit your comment by Friday, August 16 using the PSC’s public comment form. We’ve provided some sample comment language and talking points below for you to use, but we encourage you to make it your own… your comments will have much greater power if they’re written in your own words and bring in your own personal experiences and concerns! 

Submit a comment!

If you’ve submitted your comment and want to make an even greater impact, consider testifying at a public hearing! The public hearings are scheduled for Thursday, August 15 at 2 PM and 6 PM – testify via Zoom (using this link) or in-person at Best Western Hotel & Convention Center in Plover, Wisconsin.

Let’s make our voices heard to support Wisconsin’s clean energy future!

Talking Points: This project has the potential to:

  • Mitigate harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
    • As the Wisconsin power grid is currently constructed, only around 3% of all power generated in Wisconsin is generated from solar energy. According to the the U.S Energy Information Administration, the rest of Wisconsin’s electricity in 2024 to date comes from:
      • 39.4% Burned Natural Gas
      • 25% Burned Coal 
      • 20% Nuclear 
      • 2.8% Hydroelectric 
      • 12.9% Non Hydroelectric Renewables (3% solar and 9.9% other)
    • This project would provide a whopping 4.7% reduction in our state’s emissions from electricity generation!
    • This project is 1.3 gigawatts in size; that is enough power for 200,000 homes annually that doesn’t come from fossil fuels.
    • By approving the Vista Sands Solar Farm and increasing the percentage of renewable energy, we have the potential to avoid 1.7 million tons of carbon emissions within its first year of operation! 
  • Positively impact the local economy.
    • Vista Sands Solar is projected to have an overall economic impact of $200 million and an additional $6.5 million in payments to local towns and Portage County. Estimates of payments to local communities include:
      • Town of Plover: $758,767
      • Town of Grant: $1,955,633
      • Town of Buena Vista: $140,400
      • Portage County: $3,712,800
    • The company will also lease the land from local landowners for a gross sum of $10 million annually. 
    • Solar farms have been shown to provide landowners and farmers with more security and diversity in their incomes than traditional farming practices. 
    • The project’s construction phase is projected to create over 500 jobs, with an additional 50 permanent positions created once construction is completed. 
  • Restore critical natural spaces and resources.
    • The proposed site for the Vista Sands Solar Farm has been used for industrial agriculture, which has negative environmental impacts. 
      • According to Clean Wisconsin, this particular area of farmland is subject to 3 million pounds of fertilizer and 73,000 gallons of insecticides each year. These chemicals threaten neighboring ecosystems such as the Buena Vista Wildlife area, a necessary habitat for the threatened Greater Prairie Chicken. 
      • This farmland, in particular, also requires 1 billion gallons of water per year, pumped from local aquifers, and close to 2 billion gallons during drier years. This accounts for 20% of the total well withdrawal in the Greater Buena Vista Area and significantly stresses local water levels. 
    • Solar farms have been shown to have the opposite effect of industrial agriculture, offering the soil a chance to recover from years of degradation. The project would reduce erosion, eliminate massive amounts of agricultural chemicals, and increase local biodiversity. It also has the potential to offer further climate mitigation through carbon sequestration in the soil. 
    • The project planners have also stated that they are placing a high priority on native grassland restoration, promising to restore 5,700 to 7,900 acres of land. The project has recruited leading ecologists to design a seed mix, composed of native grasses and sedge species, to restore habitats for many native species. They have also included key native wildflowers that will support local pollinators. 

Sample Comment:

Dear Commissioners,

I am writing in support of the Vista Sands Solar Farm because of its great benefits to the local community, the land, and the climate. The Vista Sands Solar Farm presents a significant opportunity to reduce our state’s emissions and help mitigate climate change, in alignment with the State of Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Plan. With a potential 4.7% reduction in our state’s emissions from energy generation, this is an opportunity we can’t afford to miss!

In addition to its unprecedented climate benefits, the solar farm will bring good-paying union jobs to local communities, support the local economy, and aid in ecosystem restoration and land preservation. And because the project will reduce pollution from fossil fuel electricity generation, it will also provide substantial benefits to public health. The developer should work closely with experts throughout the project’s lifespan to avoid harm to local wildlife, particularly the Greater Prairie Chicken, and maximize beneficial conservation efforts like native grassland restoration.

Overall, I believe that the Vista Sands Solar Farm will be a great asset to the community, environment, and our state. I urge you to approve the project for the vast benefits it will bring to Wisconsin.

Sincerely, 

[YOUR NAME]