Protestors marched on Thursday afternoon in response to the new price hike proposal by WE Energies, which would mark the third price increase in the past three years.
Protesters marched down Wisconsin Avenue to make their disapproval heard in a public hearing. The proposed price hike would add around $11 monthly to residential bills in 2025. If approved, the money would go towards the current construction of two power plants along Lake Michigan.
“I just paid in the last four months over two thousand dollars,” said Maria Beltran, a protestor with North Side Rising. “I missed a payment for the LIFT program so I got kicked off…forcing me to pick between paying the bill or food for my grandchildren.”
Protestors from various organizations — Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE), Sierra Club of Wisconsin, Walnut Way, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, North Side Rising and Healthy Climate — gathered outside of the WE Energies headquarters at Zeidler Union Square Park and marched to the Drury Plaza Hotel. Within the hotel, the Public Service Commission held a hearing to get public input over the decision of accepting the new proposal or not.
Protesters stand outside of the WE Energies headquarters on Michigan Street on Oct. 3, 2024. Credit: Cael Byrne 
Protesters march across the river on Wisconsin Avenue. Credit: Cael Byrne 
Protesters stop and speak outside of the Great Lakes Ballroom in the Drury Plaza Hotel on Oct. 3, 2024. Credit: Cael Byrne
The Great Lakes Ballroom, where the hearing took place, was filled with eager participants both on Zoom and in-person, waiting for their voices to be heard.
“I have experienced my lights being turned off,” said Keviea Guiden, Energy Burden Organizer for North Side Rising and co-op for Citizen Rising of Wisconsin. “With inflation of all things, it’s not a perfect time for WE Energies to ask for a rate pay increase to fund two new gas plants.”
The new WE Energies proposal asks for a 6.9% electric increase in 2025 and a 4.6% increase in 2026. If approved, this could amount to a rise of $10-$11 monthly in 2025 and $7-$8 in 2026.
“I work at a pizza place. I work two days a week, because I’m a college student,” said Madeleine Erickson during their hearing comment. “I don’t have a lot of voting dollars to throw around like WE Energies does…I’m just being scammed by a public service claiming to belong to the public?”
The main concerns that came from opposers stem from the increase in cost for families already struggling to keep up with the current inflation prices and the environmental impact the new plants could cause.
According to the Sierra Club, Black and Hispanic neighborhoods experience two times more energy burden than white neighborhoods. According to Guiden, these neighborhoods have houses that are 100 years old or more and they haven’t been weatherized properly.
“We are pulling more energy in the summer months to keep cool…and pulling more energy in the winter months to keep warm,” said Guiden.
But in the face of this opposition, there are also supporters of the price hikes.
“The rate hikes are helping solar installations that are going through the state,” said Daniel Bukiewicz, Mayor of Oak Creek and President of the Milwaukee Building Construction Trades Council. “We are going from coal to gas. We are reducing our carbon footprint, which the state would like to have done by 2030.”
Supporters stated at the hearing that the new price hikes are necessary to achieve cleaner energy. Mayor Bukiewicz stated during his comment that alternative sources are needed since “the state of Wisconsin isn’t like the state of Texas” where they have over 1.3 million solar panels covering 3,600 acres of land, according to BKV Energy.
“When the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing, you need alternative sources to power the grid,” said Mayor Bukiewicz.
Supporters also stated that the new plants will provide more opportunities for union labor.
“I grew up poor with a single mother and getting into the trades in a registered apprenticeship program saved my life,” said Andy Buck, Representative of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 7. “I was able to get my start working on WE Energies’ projects in Port Washington and want to extend that opportunity to other folks.”
The two new power plants are already in construction, having been approved by the Public Service Commission. One is the Paris Solar Energy Center in Kenosha County the other is the Darien Solar Energy Center in Rock and Walworth counties. Both are expected to be operational this year.
The Public Service Commission hasn’t made a decision on the price increase yet. Public comments can still be made until the end of Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. You can file a public comment here.