Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Highlights Efforts to Build a 21st-Century Clean Energy Economy and Workforc

This comes as, earlier this week, Gov. Evers kicked off “National Apprenticeship Week” in Wisconsin and announced that Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program for high school students saw record-high enrollment for the fifth year in a row. During the 2025-26 school year, a record 12,141 students enrolled in the program, a seven percent increase from the prior year.

Since Day One, Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration have been committed to promoting climate resilience and building a clean energy economy in the state. In his first year in office, Gov. Evers joined the U.S. Climate Alliance, of which he is now the first Midwest governor to serve as an executive board member. The governor, along with his fellow U.S. Climate Alliance governors, is committed to collectively achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change and has established an ambitious goal of ensuring 100 percent carbon-free electricity consumption in Wisconsin by 2050. In 2019, Gov. Evers also created the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, which advised and assisted the governor in developing strategies to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change for the benefit of all Wisconsin communities.

In addition to joining the Alliance in 2019, in his first year in office, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #38 to create the Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy (OSCE), charging the office with developing the Wisconsin Clean Energy Plan to promote the development and use of clean and renewable energy across the state, advance innovative sustainability solutions that improve the state’s economy and environment, and diversify the resources used to meet the state’s energy needs.

In accordance with Gov. Evers’ Executive Order #38, the state’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan was released in 2022, providing a roadmap for the state to lower energy bills and prices at the pump for Wisconsin families, promote energy independence by reducing reliance on out-of-state energy sources, create an estimated more than 40,000 jobs by 2030, and invest in job training and apprenticeship programs in innovative industries and technologies. Since creating Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Plan four years ago, OSCE has released annual clean energy progress reports to outline the strides the state is making to meet our clean energy goals.

Additionally, in 2023, Gov. Evers created the Green Ribbon Commission on Clean Energy and Environmental Innovation to advise on creating the state’s first-ever Green Innovation Fund. The Green Innovation Fund and its partners work to leverage public and private financing to invest in projects that provide environmental and clean energy solutions to businesses, reduce pollution, lower energy costs for families, and expand access to clean, affordable energy options.

In July 2025, Gov. Evers signed 2025 Wisconsin Act 12 to launch a nuclear power siting study, supported by $2 million in funding provided by the 2025-27 Biennial Budget, and during his 2026 State of the State address, Gov. Evers announced a new partnership agreement between the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics to undertake that study. The study will explore nuclear energy opportunities in Wisconsin and bolster knowledge and understanding of how Wisconsin’s nuclear energy potential can help meet the state’s growing need for carbon-free energy.

The governor also announced in his 2026 State of the State address that the state is taking the first steps to continue efforts to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Wisconsin utilities and renewable energy projects for the next two decades, continuing the state’s longstanding practice of leading by example and ensuring Wisconsinites have access to in-state renewable electricity. The state plans to purchase approximately 225,000 RECs every year for the next 20 years, representing 225,000 megawatt-hours of renewable electricity each year, which is enough energy to power more than half a million Wisconsin homes.

A transcript of the governor’s radio address is available below.

Hey there, folks! Governor Tony Evers here.

Making sure Wisconsin is prepared to create jobs for the future and meet the rapidly evolving needs of a 21st-century economy must be a top priority for our state.

At the same time, we also have to make sure we don’t jeopardize the work we have done—and are doing—to build a more sustainable future for our state.

Folks, Wisconsin is ready for bold and urgent solutions that will stop treating these goals as mutually exclusive.

That’s why I sent a letter to the Trump Administration urging them to reverse course on forcing aging, coal-fired power plants to remain open past their scheduled retirement dates.

And all keeping these power plants open is doing is causing costs to go up for Wisconsin families.

Wisconsin must continue working to build the clean energy future our families, communities, and economy need in order to reduce energy costs, reduce our reliance on out-of-state energy sources, and build the sustainable future we want for our kids.

That’s why I was proud to secure $2 million to partner with UW-Madison to study opportunities to expand nuclear energy in Wisconsin and help meet the state’s growing needs.

Nuclear energy is the largest source of clean power in our country, but today, it’s way underutilized in our state.

Nuclear energy also supports nearly half a million jobs in the United States, proving that investing in clean energy and protecting our environment and creating jobs and bolstering our economy go hand in hand.

And a key part of our work to build a more sustainable future is building a 21st-century workforce to meet 21st-century needs.

So, this week, we’re also glad to be celebrating National Apprenticeship Week, as well as another record-breaking year for youth apprenticeship in our state for the fifth year in a row.

Folks, Wisconsin is ready to be a leader in building a clean energy economy and workforce, and that’s exactly what we’re going to keep working to do.

Thank you.