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— The cost of coal is flat, natural gas prices have dropped significantly and the demand for electricity in Wisconsin has fallen over the past year. But that doesn’t mean utility rates are going down anytime soon. In fact, due to the way major utilities are regulated in the Badger State, falling demand means that prices can actually increase in order to pay for ongoing infrastructure costs. It’s also because power companies are authorized to earn 10.4 percent on their investments, though in down years that can be less. In return, they are required to provide power to all customers in their service area and accept other rules. Rates are also rising because customers will be paying for the cost of building new facilities, such as Milwaukee-based We Energies’ Oak Creek plants and wind farms that will be coming on line next year. See more in a new WisBusiness.com article: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.Iml?Article=177366 — Wisconsin lawmakers should focus on finding an alternative to fuel taxes for transportation funding — but that alternative should not include tolls — according to a long-range plan released by the state Department of Transportation. Connections 2030, a broad plan to maintain the state’s transportation infratructure for the next 20 years, indicated that the state will use the recommendations of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission — apart from tolling — as a framework for funding rising transportation costs. The report projects revenue from state fuel taxes to remain relatively flat as construction and real estate costs continue to rise. The DOT report also identifies 37 “priority corridors” across the state — which “serve critical sectors of the state’s economy and connect to other states” — that will be increasingly reliant on cooperation between state, regional and local authorities. The corridors largely comprise large interstate and state highways and assign next steps for the roads, from developing corridor plans to increasing capacity and repairs. *See the press release: http://wispolitics.com/index.Iml?Article=177333 *See the Connections 2030 report: http://www.wiconnections2030.gov — A record 500-plus people attended Wisconsin’s largest early stage investing conference this month and another 250 rubbed shoulders in the same convention hall at the Midwest’s largest forum on health care investing. BizOpinion columnist Tom Still says that makes this good time to shatter myths surrounding the investors who crowded both events. Read his new column about myths surrounding venture capital: http://blogs.wisbusiness.com/bizopinion/2009/11/myth-busters-why-some-things-you-hear.html — Gov. Jim Doyle is on a trade mission to Israel that features a mix of government officials, water industry representatives and UW System employees in the 37-person delegation. Businesses sending representatives include Badger Meter of Milwaukee, Full Compass Systems of Madison, A-O Smith of Milwaukee and Aquarius Systems of North Prairie. Eleven of the members are from state government, including three cabinet secretaries. The attendees from the private sector pay fees that cover the bulk of the travel costs for government officials on the trip. See the list of attendees: http://tr.im/FigX TOP STORIES
Call center West Asset Management to hire 120: A Wausau call center plans to hire more than 120 people by Dec. 14 for a new service center it is creating at its existing facility on the city’s west side. Engineers union files suit against state for layoffs: A state union bargaining unit representing about 1,100 engineers filed a lawsuit against the state Tuesday seeking to stop temporary layoffs. The union argued in the lawsuit, filed in Dane County Circuit Court, that the state purposefully structured the layoffs so it could recoup unemployment compensation benefits the engineers claim they are entitled to receive. APAC expects to add 500 employees: While economic woes have other companies retrenching and retreating, APAC Customer Services Inc. is expanding and growing. And, believe it or not, hiring. The customer services outsourcing firm has remodeled its downtown Green Bay facilities to make way for an expected 500 new employees by the end of the year. Oshkosh Corp. seeks city, state assistance for new plant: Oshkosh Corp. is seeking state and city assistance to help finance construction of a 150,000-square-foot electrostatic coating plant needed to fulfill a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles contact currently under review by the federal government. Menasha-based Affinity Health System to give Appleton’s St. Elizabeth Hospital a $65 million expansion: St. Elizabeth Hospital is getting a major makeover. Hospital officials are planning a three-year, $65 million plan to renovate and expand several operations including the emergency and radiology departments, cancer center and campus power plant. The plan also relocates outpatient rehabilitation services from the hospital to another site in Appleton still to be determined.
************************************************************ See commentary from around the state and columns from WisBusiness contributors Jennifer Sereno, Kevin McKinley, Tom Burzinski, Gregg Hoffmann, Tom Still and Steve Jagler: ************************************************************ TECHNOLOGY (back to top)
BIOTECH (back to top)
ECONOMY (back to top)
MANUFACTURING (back to top)
LABOR (back to top) – Wausau: City lays off 10; 130 others to take 2 days furlough before end of year – Thrive economic group reduces staff
INVESTING (back to top) – Kimberly-Clark Corp. declares dividend
REAL ESTATE (back to top) – Madison consultant helps get senior housing project moving – Simon looking at General Growth assets
AGRIBUSINESS (back to top)
TRANSPORTATION (back to top) – Schneider taking over Emerson trucking division – AirTran unveils seat-back advertising
TOURISM (back to top)
UTILITIES (back to top) – Power line sought for Door County
HEALTH CARE (back to top) – Assurant Health inks exclusive pact with USAA
FINANCIAL SERVICES (back to top) – Wells Fargo agrees to $1.4B settlement – Most state credit unions are in the black this year PRESS RELEASES (back to top) For these and more releases visit http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82 |
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