THU AM News: Report criticizes ‘loophole’ in utility approval process, while WEC Energy Group disputes assertion; Healthcare and social assistance now state’s top employment sector

July 9, 2026

— The nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists is criticizing the state’s regulatory framework, arguing a “loophole” in the process for approving new large-scale utility projects is allowing developers to avoid scrutiny.

But WEC Energy Group, whose subsidiary We Energies is targeted in the report, argues it “completely ignores” aspects of this process that ensure the public’s view is taken into account.

The environmental advocacy group yesterday issued a policy brief focused largely on proposals from We Energies and Illinois-based Invenergy related to two natural gas plants.

The proposed Foundry Ridge and Red Oak Ridge projects — which would produce enough power to power 1 million homes — are intended to help meet increased energy demand driven in part by the massive data centers being built in Wisconsin, according to an earlier UW-Madison analysis.

Invenergy, which is considered an independent power producer rather than a traditional utility, has filed applications with the state Public Service Commission to get the projects approved. At the same time, We Energies has submitted applications to acquire those plants, citing the influence of “substantial data center load additions” in its proposal, the report shows.

Because IPPs like Invenergy aren’t subject to the same legal requirement to serve the public as utilities, authors argue the current split regulatory process “disadvantages the public” and leads to greater risk for communities in the state.

The report says the current framework means intervenors in the utility’s cases before the PSC are only able to argue whether or not We Energies should be allowed to buy the gas plants, not if they should be built in the first place.

“In essence, the fragmented nature of the cases isolates the process of constructing large amounts of harmful methane gas-fired capacity from the necessary assessment of impacts to the public,” authors wrote, calling it a “lost opportunity” to discuss clean energy options or other alternatives.

In response to the report, a spokesperson for Milwaukee-based WEC Energy Group notes any major energy project that’s been approved or is pending before the PSC is subject to “detailed review” by regulators, including opportunities for public input. That includes solar facilities and battery storage as well as natural gas.

“The report completely ignores the well-established, extensive and transparent regulatory review process already required under Wisconsin law,” the spokesperson wrote in an email.

The spokesperson said the state’s regulatory staff, as well as intervenors and members of the public “thoroughly evaluate” all projects, including comparing costs for alternative options, the environmental impact and the “actual need” for new generation resources.

“As electricity demand grows, maintaining a dependable energy system remains essential for households, businesses and Wisconsin’s economy,” the spokesperson wrote.

UCS says it plans to file public comments on the proposals for both gas plants, for which public hearings are scheduled for July 16 and July 23.

See the report.

See the release.

— Healthcare and social assistance has now overtaken manufacturing as Wisconsin’s largest sector by employment, based on preliminary data for 2025.

That’s according to a new report from Forward Analytics, which shows manufacturing employment in the state has dropped from 560,000 in 2001 to fewer than 460,000, based on the latest available figures. At the same time, healthcare and social assistance has grown from 321,000 jobs to more than 463,000.

While the margin of just 4,933 jobs is narrow and based on preliminary figures, authors note this result has been signaled for years as manufacturing employment has contracted both in Wisconsin and nationwide.

Steady growth in healthcare and social assistance has been driven in part by rising employment in social assistance in particular, doubling from about 48,000 to just under 100,000 from 2001-2025.

Meanwhile, the ambulatory and outpatient care subsector has grown by 54%, from about 92,000 to nearly 142,000. The hospital sector’s employment has risen by 36% from 104,000 to 141,000 over the same period.

And despite the “critical” role of nursing and residential care facilities in taking care of Wisconsin’s aging population, jobs in this area have only grown by 5.6% over the study period — well below the national rate of 24.8%. Even in the Midwest, the state’s growth in this subsector has been eclipsed by Minnesota, whose nursing and residential care workforce grew by 46% over a similar timeframe.

Authors note demographic pressures are only expected to worsen in the coming years, placing greater demand on the subsector that’s seen the least growth over the last two decades.

“Wisconsin will need more of these workers as its population ages, and the current trajectory of growth within the sector is not aligned with where the demand will be the greatest,” they wrote.

The report spotlights another challenge, noting the subsector with the fastest growth, social assistance, has the lowest wages in the sector with an average of $30,184. By contrast, job growth in the higher-paying hospitals and ambulatory care settings — ranging from $77,000 to $93,000 — has been slower

“The aggregate employment numbers tell an optimistic story, but the composition of the growth tells a more nuanced one,” authors wrote.

These trends have played out amid relatively slow overall job growth for Wisconsin, whose total employment has risen 8.3% from about 2.7 million in 2001 to about 2.9 million in 2024. That’s less than half the national rate of 19.6%, and places the state at 11th lowest for overall employment growth among U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

See the report.

See the release.

— The state DOJ announced a settlement with farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Company requiring the company to provide the same equipment repair resources to farmers and independent shops as are currently provided to authorized dealers.

The settlement addresses farmers’ “right to repair” their own John Deere farm equipment such as tractors, the state Department of Justice said yesterday. The effort involved Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, Michigan and Minnesota, as well as the Federal Trade Commission.

The company will be required to provide these resources over the next 10 years, including making available any future repair resources that are “similar or reasonably necessary” for repairing its machines once they’re made available to more than half of its authorized U.S. dealer network.

Deere & Company is also required to instruct authorized dealers to promote availability of the repair resources and support their use, and can’t “discriminate or retaliate against” farmers or independent shops using these resources.

“Farmers shouldn’t have to go to a dealership to have repairs made to their farm equipment,” Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement. “This settlement will mean that farmers have more options in many circumstances in which repairs are needed to their John Deere equipment.”

See the release.

— Wisconsin will receive more than $650,000 from a $45 million multi-state settlement the state DOJ announced with Block Inc., which operates Cash App.

The settlement, announced yesterday, resolves allegations that the company misled consumers about the safety of its peer-to-peer payments application and failed to protect users from fraud. It involved Wisconsin and 45 other states, DOJ says.

The business allegedly implied the app had similar financial protections as banks despite not having the same protections in place, and “doubled down” on marketing even as it was aware fraud was “rising sharply” on its platform.

In a statement on the settlement, Attorney General Josh Kaul said consumers who trust companies with their money “should be provided with a clear picture of how safe” it really is.

Along with the financial penalty, the company has agreed to maintain customer support for fraud and other issues, provide live support at all hours, cease all “false or misleading” claims about the safety of Cash App as well as marketing practices linked to fraud, and more.

See more details in the release.

— MMAC is backing a recommendation from Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson to advance a hybrid option for a reconstruction project on I-794.

The group yesterday announced it’s backing the “Freeway Improvement” option for the I-794 Lake Interchange project, which involves rebuilding the elevated freeway without capacity expansion, consolidating freeway access ramps and other proposed changes.

This would result in “minimal changes” to traffic patterns while opening up more developable land and potential tax base, according to the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.

MMAC President and CEO Dale Kooyenga said the mayor’s proposal “addresses a critical transportation need, supports future economic growth and minimizes disruption” for businesses and local residents.

“The business community has been clear: Milwaukee needs infrastructure that keeps people and commerce moving,” he said.

The four options for the project detailed by the state Department of Transportation will be under environmental review next year by the EPA, before one is selected. MMAC says final design and construction efforts are expected to start in 2030.

See the release.

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