**News Release**

Thursday, April 21, 2005 -- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Mayor Paul Fisk 592-3247

**Fisk Supports a Greener Lodi**

***Mayor issues challenge to community to increase support for renewable
energy***

In an appeal issued to coincide with Earth Week, Mayor Paul Fisk is
challenging local citizens to enroll in the Renewable Energy Program
available to customers of Lodi's municipally-owned electric utility.

"When we choose renewable energy, we are helping to safeguard our
limited resources for future generations," Fisk stated. "It's an
important way for us to contribute to a cleaner environment."

A program participant since 2002, Fisk explained that enrolling in the
utility's Renewable Energy Program is an easy process and a meaningful
way to show support for the increased use of renewable energy. Customers
pay just \$3.00 additional per month for each block of renewable energy
they choose to purchase, Fisk said. A block is the equivalent of 150
kilowatt-hours of electricity. Just two blocks of renewable energy per
month, for an entire year, is enough clean power to offset the emissions
produced by a car driven for six months (or 7,500 miles.)

"On a personal level, I think it's just the right thing to do," Fisk
said. Fisk will be sending a personal letter this week to each of the
customers of Lodi Utilities.

The success of renewable energy initiatives in other Wisconsin
communities is also driving the Mayor's challenge. He said he decided to
challenge his friends and neighbors earlier this month when he learned
of Lodi's participation levels and of the national recognition being
given to a couple other Wisconsin communities.

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Page 2 -- Mayor Fisk, renewable energy

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), an arm of the U.S.
Department of Energy, announced April 14 that Madison and River Falls
boast two of the nation's highest customer participation levels in
renewable energy programs. River Falls, like Lodi, is one of the 39
communities that own Wisconsin Public Power Inc., a statewide energy
company.

Mayor Fisk believes that Lodi can increase customer participation.
Lodi's current customer participation level is at 2.2 percent, more than
double the national average of 1 percent, but well below where the
national leaders rank. Twenty-nine of the utility's 1,320 residential
customers are enrolled the program.

River Falls Municipal Utilities, with 3.8 percent of its residential
customers purchasing green power, tied Madison Gas and Electric for the
tenth spot in NREL's annual ranking of leading utility "green pricing"
programs.

"I'd like to see Lodi on that top-10 list a year from now," said Fisk.
Lodi Utilities would need to have 53 customers participating in the
renewable energy program in order to achieve a 4 percent participation
rate. Mayor Fisk would like to double current participation rates and
shoot for 30 new customers enrolling in the program this year.

Marv Dolphin, Lodi Utilities superintendent, reported that participating
Lodi customers are supporting their power supplier's renewable energy
resources. WPPI's portfolio includes a refurbished, low-impact
hydroelectric plant near Black River Falls and two wind turbines located
in southern Minnesota.

Overall, nearly 2,800 customers across WPPI member communities are now
combining to purchase more than 800,000 kilowatt-hours of clean, green
power each month. That's enough to offset the need to burn almost
950,000 pounds of coal monthly to produce the same amount of
electricity.