The Department of Energy has approved a Wisconsin plan to hand out nearly $150 million in home energy rebates, a state official told POLITICO’s E&E News on Wednesday.
Wisconsin is only the second state to get DOE approval to distribute the rebates, which can be used for electric appliances, home insulation and other energy efficiency projects. Meghan Sovey, a spokesperson at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, confirmed the approval to E&E News.
The Wisconsin move, which has not been previously reported, is part of an $8.6 billion DOE initiative that has struggled to advance nearly two years after it was enacted in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. The initiative is one of the few areas of the tax-cutting, loan-issuing law that directly benefits low- and moderate-income Americans, not companies.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is set to travel to Wisconsin on Thursday and Friday, where she’ll attend an event at Lambeau Field in Green Bay and meet with Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and White House climate adviser John Podesta in Milwaukee. Wisconsin is a critical battleground state in presidential elections.
