WLGCC celebrates new members, climate progress

Press Release - September 14, 2023

The Wisconsin Local Government Climate Coalition (WLGCC) recently welcomed the City of Edgerton and the Village of Shorewood as our two newest members to formally join the Coalition, bringing our membership to over 20 local governments.

WLGCC is a coalition of local governments pursuing clean energy and climate solutions. Currently, the Coalition represents more than one third of Wisconsinites. WLGCC provides a platform for members to collaborate on overcoming barriers to decarbonization, accelerating local climate solutions, and ensuring the benefits of the clean energy economy are accessible throughout the state. 

Lewis Kuhlman, member of the WLGCC Board and Environmental Planner with the City of La Crosse, sees real value in being a member of WLGCC.

"Some of the best benefits of WLGCC membership are the resource sharing, peer learning, and collaborating with other local governments,” says Kuhlman, “WLGCC provides a forum to share policies and programs that are helping communities across the state achieve their carbon reduction and clean energy goals. By working together, local governments can help each other and the state reach our climate action goals faster and more efficiently.”

“The Village of McFarland decided to join WLGCC to support the collective voices of local governments to address important state-level policy decisions. It is our responsibility as public entities and leaders to support policies which help us reach our carbon reduction goals while being equitable for all communities in Wisconsin.” states Kong Thao, Associate Planner with the Village of McFarland and long time member of the Coalition.

Local governments - as both large electricity users and policy making entities - have a unique perspective on the threats and challenges posed by climate change. In the last two years, the Coalition has demonstrated the significant impact local governments can have when they leverage their collective voice and engage on important climate topics. Recently, members have been working to ensure that statewide policies and programs are aligned with the needs of local communities. "Given the influx of federal funding coming to the state via the Inflation Reduction Act, it's especially important that the state's plans and policies are grounded in local community needs - from encouraging continued growth in renewable energy to facilitating a resilient and efficient building stock", states Allison Carlson, Executive Director of WLGCC. "I'm especially excited about how both our membership and our impact has grown over the last two years. I know that this Coalition will continue to strengthen over time, and I look forward to meeting our next milestone!"

If any local government is interested in learning more about WLGCC, please email us at info@wlgcc.org.