Cost? Who Cares?

The Greenies just sucked $100 million from utility customers in Wisconsin.

But that's not likely the biggest cost resulting from the "settlement" issued last week.

Here's the background:

The three year legal battle over the water intake structure at the Elm Road Generating Station (ERGS) in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, ended late last week with a settlement agreement that will provide $100 million for Lake Michigan protection projects over a 25 year period and take significant steps to address global warming

...Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club filed suit after the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a permit allowing the use of a once-through cooling system at the coal-fired power plant. The organizations held that once-through cooling did not represent the best available technology for cooling the plant and thus should not be permitted. According to the terms of the settlement agreement, Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club agree to withdraw their legal challenges to the DNR permit, and, in return:

The ERGS owners (We Energies, Madison Gas and Electric, and Wisconsin Public Power Inc.) will fund $4 million per year from 2010 through 2035 for projects to address water quality issues in Lake Michigan such as invasive species, polluted runoff, toxic loadings, and habitat destruction

...yada yada yada...

The ERGS owners agree to support legislative efforts to establish a renewable energy portfolio standard of 10 percent by 2013 and 25 percent by 2025.

"Renewable energy portfolio" means....what?

Sunshine? Wind? Corn-A-Hole? Switchgrass? Milorganite?

Any idea what that portfolio adjustment might cost? Who's going to pay? (Hint: it ain't the utilities...) What will be the reliability?

Nope.

And I will guarantee you that Clean Wisconsin and the Sierra Club don't really care.

That's YOUR problem, folks.