MON AM News: Bill from GOP authors would create tax break for nuclear fusion; Report focuses on G20 carbon dioxide removal pledges

November 3, 2025

— GOP lawmakers are seeking to create a new tax break for nuclear fusion projects in Wisconsin, with a goal of making the state an “epicenter” for the technology’s development.

Sen. Dan Feyen of Fond du Lac, as well as Reps. Benjamin Franklin of De Pere and David Steffen of Howard, recently began circulating a co-sponsorship memo for the legislation. It would create a sales and use tax exemption for various machines and materials used exclusively for a qualified nuclear fusion technology project, certified by WEDC.

Along with laying out a long list of what would qualify — ranging from battery storage systems to lasers and cooling infrastructure — the legislation would also establish a definition for nuclear fusion technology projects. It essentially covers projects aimed at achieving controlled fusion of atomic nuclei or related research, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.

The lawmakers say their bill would “magnetize investments, spark AI synergies, and create thousands of jobs, cementing our state as a clean energy powerhouse” through nuclear fusion.

“Picture Wisconsin powering its factories and farms with clean, endless energy from nuclear fusion — the sun’s secret, unlocked on Earth,” they wrote in the memo. “No longer a dream, fusion nears commercialization, with $2.5 billion invested in 2025 alone. To lead this charge, Wisconsin must exempt fusion technologies from sales and use taxes.”

Bill authors say the tax exemptions would help reduce the costs of research and development and lure fusion companies to Wisconsin. The memo notes that could include companies such as Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which recently raised $863 million.

“Wisconsin’s manufacturing prowess and Great Lakes cooling make us ideal for pilots,” they wrote, arguing the state will lose ground to California and Texas without the tax exemptions.

Several companies in the state are already working toward nuclear fusion energy, including Janesville’s SHINE Technologies and Realta Fusion in Madison.

Last week’s memo also ties in AI, which authors call “the perfect fusion partner” as it’s helping speed up advances in the field. In return, the enormous potential of fusion-based energy could help meet the rising energy demand driven by AI growth.

“Safe, abundant fusion aligns with our all the above approach to energy generation,” they wrote.

The co-sponsorship deadline is Wednesday at noon.

See the bill text and a recent story on Realta Fusion’s plans in the state.

— A new report featuring UW-Madison professors finds most G20 member nations aren’t doing enough to ramp up carbon dioxide removal.

Profs. Morgan Edwards and Gregory Nemet of the university’s La Follette School of Public Affairs were involved in creating the Insight Report by the State of Carbon Dioxide Removal, an independent assessment group formed by academics including those at UW-Madison.

Countries need to “sharply reduce emissions” while increasing CO2 removal to meet global temperature goals outlined in the Paris Agreement, authors wrote. But they note the role of CO2 removal in current pledges by members “remains limited and lacks credibility.”

Few of the G20 countries are meeting deadlines for submitting information on plans to address climate change, the report shows. It found just eight of the nations provide enough information to even judge the role of CO2 removal in meeting environmental targets.

“Without more transparency and credible commitments, it remains highly uncertain whether parties plan to support [carbon dioxide removal] and if these plans are sufficient to put the world on track for scaling it by the mid-century,” authors wrote.

They warn of a growing CO2 removal “gap” between what countries have pledged and the level of reduction needed to meet global targets for keeping temperatures from rising too much. Proposed CO2 removal levels represent only a “marginal” increase from current efforts, which are largely driven by land-based activities such as planting trees, the report shows.

Edwards says consistent and transparent reporting is needed to achieve real progress following climate pledges.

“Without clear accounting for how much carbon removal countries are planning for, it’s impossible to assess credibility or sustain the investments needed to make these efforts succeed,” Edwards said in a statement.

See the release and report.

— Gov. Tony Evers has signed an executive order declaring a period of “abnormal economic disruption” in the state and prohibiting price gouging.

The order declaring a state of emergency in Wisconsin references the federal government shutdown and lapsed benefits under FoodShare, the state’s name for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. About 700,000 people in the state are losing access to the food benefits program, according to a release from the guv’s office.

Under the order, DATCP is directed to enforce prohibitions against price gouging, the release shows. All executive branch state agencies are being ordered to “take any and all measures to respond” to the emergency, including reviewing and suspending any administrative rules that would hinder the state’s response.

“Wisconsinites and Americans across the country are now scrambling, trying to figure out how to feed their families,” Evers wrote in the release. “There’s no excuse for it, and this is a direct result of Republicans in Congress and the Trump Administration, who’ve done nothing to help.”

A notice at the USDA website says Senate Democrats have voted 13 times to not fund SNAP, and “the well has run dry” for the program.

“We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats,” the notice reads. “They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”

See Evers’ order and release.

— A Marquette University researcher is part of a team getting $3.8 million in federal funding to develop an assessment framework for certain speech disorders in children.

Jenya Iuzzini-Seigel, an associate professor of speech pathology and audiology in Milwaukee, is working with Kristen Allison of Northeastern University on the project.

The research grant from the National Institutes of Health builds on their prior work to create the Profile for Childhood Apraxia of speech and Dysarthria, or ProCAD. The new funding will help to further develop this tool to improve diagnosis of these motor speech disorders.

For kids with childhood apraxia of speech, the rare disorder makes it difficult for them to control their lips, jaw and tongue while speaking, disrupting typical speech development. And dysarthria occurs when the muscles involved in speech are weak or hard to control, often caused by other conditions that affect the nervous system or paralyze the face.

While early data show the ProCAD tool can distinguish between these two disorders, ongoing research will help create a “clinically feasible” way to diagnose them earlier and more accurately, according to the announcement.

Iuzzini-Seigel notes the disorders are “highly debilitating” for millions of people.

“We hope to take important steps towards development of a much-needed assessment protocol to identify features that best differentiate children with childhood apraxia of speech from dysarthria and from the features children demonstrate during typical development,” she said in a statement on the project.

Funding for the research comes from the NIH’s National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

See the release.

— Project partners have begun building a new rehabilitation hospital in Fitchburg, with construction slated to wrap up in early 2027.

UW Health, UnityPoint Health – Meriter and Lifepoint Rehabilitation recently announced the start of the project. The 58,000-square-foot facility will include 40 private rooms, offering physical, occupational and speech pathology services for adults recovering from various injuries and illnesses, such as a stroke.

The care providers involved in the new hospital already have a 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Madison, which has been operating since late 2015.

Michele McClure, chief nursing officer at UW Health University Hospital, says the Fitchburg location was selected to be convenient for patients in the area and surrounding counties.

“Fitchburg is a fast-growing community that has a strong need for medical services,” she said in the announcement.

See the release.

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— The Wisconsin Technology Council’s Early Stage Symposium is being held in Madison this week, featuring discussions on building startups, investor perspectives, product development and more.

The annual event will take place Wednesday and Thursday at the Monona Terrace, where entrepreneurs will have opportunities to pitch their ideas to an audience of their peers, potential investors and expert judges.

Attendees on Wednesday will hear from Maggie Brickerman, the new leader of the Tech Council who recently succeeded its former president, Tom Still. Along with expert panels and other programming, the second day includes a governor candidate forum.

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