(The Center Square) – Wisconsin candidate for governor Tom Tiffany is proposing to lower the guaranteed profit rate for utilities, stop closing power plants, protect farmland and embrace new nuclear power in order to meet increased energy demands over the next four years.
His opponent, Democrat David Crowley, says that he wants to ban non-disclosure agreements for data centers and require them to provide 100% renewable energy along with paying for 100% of the costs for infrastructure and grid upgrades while contributing to the state’s Focus on Energy fund.
“(Tiffany) has never introduced legislation regulating data centers in Congress, has never backed a moratorium, and is pushing to keep aging coal plants online to help power the very data centers he claims to be tough on,” Crowley said in campaign material.
Tiffany, by contrast, has called out Gov. Tony Evers’ Public Service Commission for approving what has amounted to be more than $2 billion in utility rate increases with 14% additional increases for We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service on the table.
“For too long, Wisconsin’s energy policy has focused on government mandates instead of what should come first for ratepayers: affordability and reliability,” Tiffany said while announcing the plan. “David Crowley would maintain the status quo of rubber-stamping rate increases at the PSC to meet his Green New Deal mandates. Families should not be forced to pay higher utility bills to satisfy government mandates.”
Tiffany also is advocating for a cooling off period where PSC commissioners cannot leave and take jobs at investor-controlled utilities or transmission companies.
Former PSC commissioner Rebecca Valcq stepped down in February 2024, was hired by Alliant Energy six months later and became the company president in December 2025.