As Wisconsin's appetite for electricity grows, our commitment to conservation is on the decline.
Appliances are far more efficient.
Less money spent Meanwhile, the state's utility industry is spendingtens of millions of dollars less than during the early 1990s on efforts aimed at curbing electric use, according to state figures. These factors are happening at a time when Wisconsin needs to beef up its electric infrastructure. Electric reliability has become a hot-button issue in Wisconsin, as well as other states, as efforts to keep pace with growing hunger for juice have faltered in recent years. The lesson we take is that we do not want to be California, so we have to push demand-side management. In his farewell address last week, former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson asserted that Wisconsin's demand for power will outstrip generating capabilities in two years.