Senator Tammy Baldwin Is A Climate Champion Who Will Protect Our Progress 

Senator Tammy Baldwin is a climate champion for Wisconsin. Baldwin has advocated for passing legislation to address extreme heat, and air and water pollution while creating good-paying clean energy jobs of the future. She has supported legislation to help and has championed clean energy, having voted for the clean energy plan, which has already spurred over $940 million in investment and has helped create 1,962 new clean energy jobs in the Badger State. Sen. Baldwin has also worked to hold Big Oil accountable calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to prevent and prosecute collusion and price fixing in the industry and introducing legislation to crack down on profiteering by Big Oil by clawing back their windfall profits. 

In stark contrast, GOP Senate candidate Eric Hovde has made support for Big Oil a centerpiece of his campaign for Senate. Hovde has avoided the topic of climate change altogether, instead choosing to attack the largest investment in tackling the climate crisis, calling it a “big, ugly bill.” Hovde’s personal finances show that he supports EVs when there’s money to be made – he’s made over $5 million from electric vehicle stocks while he campaigned against them and spread the lie that Democrats are mandating them. He also said he was “wholeheartedly” opposed to tax credits for clean energy while simultaneously pitching his bank clients on “big solar green energy tax credits.” In contrast to Baldwin’s work to address extreme weather and pollution, Hovde has campaigned on allowing Big Oil to drill more with fewer protections as they’ve propped up his campaign and poured millions into ads supporting his candidacy. 

Hovde is vastly out of touch with Wisconsinites. While 72% of Wisconsinites believe their state should fight for federal climate and clean energy funds to build more clean energy projects, Hovde has parroted the oil and gas industry’s talking points in attacking the clean energy industry. He “wholeheartedly” opposes tax credits for clean energy and claims anyone who believes in transitioning to a clean energy economy is “smoking crack cocaine.” 

In Wisconsin, the impacts of climate change will mean more extremely hot days, increased frequency of heavy rainstorms, and ice cover on the Great Lakes forming later or melting sooner. It’s clear that Hovde would be a threat to Wisconsinites’ health, safety, and economy if elected.

• In the past decade, Wisconsin has experienced 31 billion-dollar climate-related disasters that caused $114.6 billion in damages and killed 432 people. 
• Climate change has caused Wisconsin to see an increase in temperatures and extreme heat events, putting people’s lives at risk. Milwaukee is the ninth-fastest warming city in the nation, and low-income residents and people of color tend to live and are at higher heat risk in the center of Milwaukee and along highways. 
• From 2022 to 2023, Wisconsin’s air quality worsened. Seven counties, Door, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Manitowoc, Ozaukee, Racine, and Sheboygan, received F grades for the number of high-ozone days – an increase from five in 2023’s State of the Air report.
• Smoke from wildfires from Canada and the western United States have repeatedly  polluted Wisconsin’s air and forced the state to issue air quality advisories. Experts have said that more frequent and severe wildfires as a result of climate change will continue to worsen our air quality.  
• According to 2023 data, children who live in 53205, a predominately Black ZIP code on Milwaukee’s Near North Side, visit the emergency department for asthma 20 times more than children living just a 15-minute drive away in the predominately white suburb of Whitefish Bay.
• As of 2024, Wisconsin ranked ninth in the nation with the highest number of lead service lines. According to the EPA, there is no safe level of exposure to lead. In Wisconsin, communities of color and low-income families are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning. Milwaukee is now one of a few selected cities nationwide launching a groundbreaking accelerated removal program to replace all of the city’s lead pipes thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
• A 2023 study found that Wisconsin’s communities will need to spend at least $16.7 billion by 2040 to protect residents from climate disaster events. 
• Health consequences and increasing energy burden on Wisconsinites underscore the need to transition towards clean, renewable energy sources – in Milwaukee, low-income households have seen as much as 5% increases in their energy bills, and proposed fossil gas projects would cause these rates to go even higher. 

Advancing Climate Action

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Advancing climate action is pivotal to ensuring the health, safety, and economic security of Wisconsinites. Senator Tammy Baldwin understands the impacts of climate change and has voted for landmark legislation that provides millions to Wisconsin to fight climate change, while Eric Hovde avoided  addressing the climate crisis and attacked legislation that fights climate change as a “big, ugly bill.” 

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• In 2020, Baldwin introduced legislation to put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050.
• Baldwin understands the impacts of climate change and has stressed that passing “bipartisan climate legislation is a good step in the right direction as we work to take on the climate crisis.”
• Baldwin voted for the clean energy plan, which has already delivered $7 billion in funding to Wisconsin, including  $13.5 million to fight climate change, expand access to green space, and create healthier communities. The law has also helped 73,250 Wisconsin households save a total of $91 million through residential clean energy credits.
• Hovde called legislation that fights climate change a “big, ugly bill.”  

Expanding The Clean Energy Economy

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As of June 2024, Wisconsin has received over $7 billion in funding from the Baldwin-backed clean energy plan – that’s money going to communities all across the state to replace toxic lead pipes, promote climate resiliency, reduce pollution, and advance climate-smart agriculture. But Hovde called the clean energy plan, which has already spurred over $940 million in investment and helped create 1,962 new clean energy jobs in the Badger State, a “big, ugly bill” and his  personal finances show that he supports EVs when there’s money to be made. He’s made over $5 million from electric vehicle stocks while he campaigned against them and spread the lie that Democrats are mandating them. He also said he was “wholeheartedly” opposed to tax credits for clean energy while simultaneously pitching his bank clients on “big solar green energy tax credits.” 

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• Baldwin voted for the clean energy plan, which has already spurred $940 million in investment and helped create 1,962 new clean energy jobs in the Badger State. The law has also funded over $7.2 million in renewable energy and energy efficiency grants for Wisconsin agriculture producers and small business owners as part of the Rural Energy for America Program.
• In 2023, Baldwin introduced a bill to protect and invest in farmland used for clean energy development, saying she was proud to help give farmers who want to expand solar operations the tools they need. 
• In 2023, Baldwin cosponsored the Reclaiming the Solar Supply Chain Act, which would award grants and direct loans to support the nation’s solar component manufacturing supply chain.

• In 2021, Baldwin voted for legislation that later delivered $8 million to bolster the development of clean energy workforce training programs in Wisconsin.
• In 2024, Baldwin helped secure over $7 million in funding to convert a coal-fired power plant in Wisconsin into a clean energy storage facility. 
• Hovde repeatedly opposed the transition to clean energy, even saying that anyone who believes they could transition the economy away from fossil fuels in the next decade is “smoking crack cocaine.” 
• Hovde said he was “wholeheartedly” opposed to tax credits for clean energy while simultaneously pitching his bank clients on “big solar green energy tax credits.”
• Hovde made over $5 million from electric vehicle stocks while campaigning against them and spreading the lie that Democrats are mandating them. 

Extreme Heat

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Wisconsin’s increase in temperatures and extreme heat events put people’s jobs and lives at risk. While Senator Tammy Baldwin understands that climate change has led to increased extreme heat in Wisconsin and has taken steps to address the issue, Hovde has not said anything about the record temperatures that threaten Wisconsinites’ way of life. 

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• Baldwin understands that climate change has led to increased temperatures in Wisconsin, and has urged “action to preserve our way of life, economy, and wellbeing.” 
• In 2019, Baldwin advocated for the Department of Labor to establish new workplace safety standards for workers who are increasingly affected by severe heat as a result of climate change. 
• Baldwin voted for legislation that awarded $1.5 million to expand tree planting and maintenance – which studies show lower average temperatures. 

• Hovde has not addressed extreme heat in Wisconsin, even as the state saw its hottest day in over 75 years last summer. 
• In the same week that Wisconsin observed Heat Awareness Day, Hovde opted to spend his time on the beach in California. 

Clean Air

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Air quality remains an issue in Wisconsin, and communities of color bear the brunt of air pollution. While Senator Tammy Baldwin has fought for clean air, Eric Hovde has said nothing about the issue and supports drilling policies that would worsen air quality for Wisconsinites. 

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• In 2022, Baldwin submitted an amicus brief defending the EPA’s Clean Air Act authority.
• Baldwin celebrated the clean energy plan’s actions to reduce air pollution, saying “we are taking on the climate crisis by reducing air pollution, investing in climate-smart farming, and cutting emissions by 40%.”
• Baldwin voted for legislation that provided 24 school districts across Wisconsin with clean school buses, replacing the existing fleet which has been linked to asthma and other harmful health conditions. 
• In 2009, Baldwin cosponsored the Clean Cities Program Authorization Act, which aims to reduce the use of dirty fossil fuels in the transportation sector.

• Eric Hovde has not addressed air pollution in Wisconsin – in fact, he supports policies that would actively worsen air quality for Wisconsinites, including “immediately” tapping into all of the United States’ oil, natural gas, and shale supply. 
• Hovde called electric vehicles “corporate welfare” while simultaneously making millions in from several EV stocks. 

Clean Water

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Wisconsin has the ninth-most lead service lines in the nation, putting people’s health and lives at risk. While Eric Hovde remained silent on protecting Wisconsinites’ water, Senator Tammy Baldwin has introduced legislation to improve the quality of drinking water in Wisconsin and voted for a bill that delivered over $120 million to the state for drinking water and clean water infrastructure upgrades. 

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• In 2023, Baldwin introduced the Healthy H2O Act, which directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a grant program for improving the quality of drinking water in rural areas.
• In 2018, Baldwin introduced the Water Technology Acceleration Act, which provides support for developing and deploying innovative water technology to address pressing water challenges. 
• In 2024, Baldwin introduced the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act, which extends and increases funding for the critical program to restore and protect the Great Lakes. 
• Baldwin voted for legislation that provided more than $120 million to Wisconsin for drinking water and clean water infrastructure upgrades. 
• Baldwin championed projects and fought for nearly $3.5 million in funding for the City of Milwaukee’s Clean Water Initiative, which would replace outdated water infrastructure and remove pollutants.
• Local leaders across Wisconsin praised Baldwin for her leadership in passing the bipartisan infrastructure law, saying Baldwin’s work “would deliver the resources necessary to assist La Crosse and other communities to provide a dependably clean water supply.” 
• Baldwin expressed concern about increased water pollution in the Great Lakes and cosponsored legislation to prohibit oil and gas drilling in them. 
• Hovde has not addressed water pollution in Wisconsin. 

Holding Big Oil Accountable

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Senator Baldwin took on Big Oil. She introduced legislation to crack down on Big Oil’s profiteering, calling on the Department of Justice to use every tool at its disposal to prevent and prosecute collusion and price fixing in the oil industry. On the other hand, Eric Hovde is backed by the oil and gas industry, which has poured over $1.7 million into supporting his Senate bid while he parrots their talking points.  

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• In 2022, Baldwin introduced a bill to crack down on Big Oil’s profiteering by clawing back their windfall profits and lowering consumer costs with relief rebates. 
• Baldwin cosponsored the Gas Price Spike Act, which imposes a windfall profit tax on crude oil, natural gas, or products of crude oil or natural gas.
• Baldwin called on the Department of Justice to use every tool at its disposal to prevent and prosecute collusion and price fixing in the oil industry.
• Baldwin said, “Big Oil and those at the top of the food chain cannot be allowed to use inflation and foreign conflict as an excuse to boost record profits while working families pay the price.” 
• In 2001, Baldwin cosponsored legislation to prohibit oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes. 

• Hovde’s 2024 campaign for Senate received over $30,000 from the energy/natural resources sector and one of his largest donors was natural gas company Energy Transfer LP. 
• Oil and gas groups – including the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers and groups closely tied to oil billionaire Charles Koch — spent over $1 million on ads supporting Hovde’s 2024 Senate bid. 
• Americans for Prosperity spent $1.7 million supporting Hovde’s campaign, the 8th most of any candidate supported by the group in 2024. 
• Hovde wanted to “immediately tap into” all of the United States’ oil, natural gas, and shale supply. 
• Hovde sought to end the moratorium on drilling on public lands, wanted to expand domestic oil and gas drilling, and called for easing drilling protections.