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FACT BRIEF

Did Tony Evers sign an executive order to make Wisconsin carbon-free by 2050?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order on Aug. 16, 2019 that created the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy. It was charged with "ensuring all electricity consumed within the State of Wisconsin is 100 percent carbon-free by 2050." 

The order required the office to create and implement a clean energy plan — designed to combat climate change — in collaboration with other state agencies and nongovernment stakeholders.  

The OSCE released that plan in April 2022. It called for increased funding and support for clean energy and low- and no-emissions vehicles, updated state building codes and strengthened energy efficiency standards.

Executive orders are "directives issued by the governor based on the governor’s constitutional or statutory power and have the force of law," according to the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Recent Wisconsin governors have increasingly used executive orders to govern state agencies without using legislative processes. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy Executive Order 38: Relating to clean energy in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy Clean energy plan
Wisconsin Public Radio Evers' budget proposes significant investment To address climate change, protect public lands
Wisconsin State Legislature The use of executive orders in Wisconsin, 1965–2021
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.