REPORT CARD: Trump Gets an F in Wisconsin; In November, He’ll Get an L

Washington, D.C. – As Trump visits the Badger State and Wisconsin voters head to the polls, we want to remind you how Trump’s anti-worker and climate-denier agenda hurt Wisconsin’s burgeoning clean energy economy and polluted freshwater resources that Wisconsinites depend on. Under President Biden’s leadership, Wisconsin’s electric vehicle manufacturing and battery storage industries are seeing a surge in investments. New clean energy projects have already spurred $920 million in investment in the state and helped create or move forward over 1,000 good-paying clean energy jobs. 

“During Donald Trump’s presidency, he catered to Big Oil’s demands at the expense of Wisconsin families,” said Climate Power communications director Alex Glass. “Trump gutted the clean energy industry, rolled back critical protections that kept our air and water safe and ignored science as climate disasters worsened. President Biden’s clean energy plan, on the other hand, is revitalizing communities, investing in auto manufacturing, and tackling the climate crisis head-on.”

FAIL: Trump’s EPA refused to regulate toxic chemicals like PFAS in water supplies across the state. Scientists have linked PFAS to kidney and testicular cancer, hypertension, and other diseases. Despite objections from career scientists and local officials, Trump’s EPA also made exceptions for Foxconn Technology Group to build a plant in Racine County, exacerbating smog pollution levels. 

• In January 2023, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued a PFAS fish advisory for Dane, Marathon, and Portage waterways.
• In 2017, the state of Wisconsin discovered that a Tyco plant in Peshtigo was discharging PFAS and other chemical pollutants into local waterways. Tyco was aware of the elevated levels of contaminants at least four years before the report, yet the company failed to warn residents. Today, these chemicals have spread throughout the community’s groundwater, forcing residents to use bottled water and causing ongoing health problems like stomach cancers and developmental delays in children. 

FAIL: Trump imposed tariffs on solar, tried to eliminate the electric vehicle tax credit, and prevented the leasing and planning processes for renewable energy projects – raising costs for Wisconsinites.

• President Biden’s affordable clean energy plan will lower household energy costs and reduce the costs of solar and wind power by 33% and 25%, respectively, over the next 30 years in Wisconsin. 

FAIL: During his presidency, Trump repealed Obama-era clean car standards that would have saved families money at the pump and protected wages for workers nationwide. The cancellation was estimated to cost Wisconsin over $427 million per year. Trump’s climate-denier policies would decimate Wisconsin’s auto industry.

• Meanwhile, Biden’s clean energy plan has spurred 11 new EV, solar and battery projects in Wisconsin, driving over $920 million in new investment and creating over 1,000 new jobs. Over $78.6 million in federal spending has been earmarked for Wisconsin to deploy EV charging infrastructure over the next five years.

FAIL: As Trump continued to deny the reality of the climate crisis, Wisconsin was one of eight states most affected by the historic Midwest flooding, one of the costliest U.S. inland flooding events on record that caused $11.4 billion in damages. Scientists believe worsening climate change caused the floods, which marked the worst flooding in the Green Bay area since 1990. 

• Communities of color were particularly impacted by the flooding in Wisconsin. Nearly one in five Green Bay residents identify as Hispanic where flooding along the East River forced families to evacuate during the spring of 2019.
• Additionally, the East River contains high loads of sediment and unwanted nutrients, which contributes to poor water quality and toxic blue-green algae blooms.