Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB145

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/17/25
• Refer: 3/17/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act Relating to: passing legislation to reduce carbon emissions.

Summary

AB145 is a directive bill that would require the Wisconsin Legislature, during the 2025-26 session, to enact separate legislation establishing a viable plan to reduce statewide carbon emissions by 52% by 2030 and to reach carbon-neutral emissions by 2050. The bill does not itself set the emissions-reduction program or regulatory details; instead, it compels the legislature to pass future legislation that would create those plans. The bill also specifies that any plan enacted under its mandate must maximize its impact on improving economic and racial equity. In effect, AB145 frames climate policy as both an emissions-reduction and equity issue, requiring future legislation to consider distributional impacts as part of the state’s decarbonization strategy.

Impact

AB145 would not directly amend existing environmental statutes or create immediate regulatory requirements, but it would impose a legislative obligation to pass future climate legislation during the 2025-26 session. If enacted and followed, it could lead to new state laws governing greenhouse gas reduction, long-term decarbonization planning, and implementation measures affecting energy, transportation, industry, and other emissions sources. Its equity language could also influence how future climate policies are designed and evaluated, particularly for economically disadvantaged communities and communities of color.

Sentiment

The available record shows the bill was introduced with support from a broad group of Democratic Assembly and Senate cosponsors, suggesting favorable sentiment among its authors and allied members. However, there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided materials to show broader legislative debate. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating that it did not secure the necessary legislative approval.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the bill’s mandate that the legislature pass future emissions-reduction legislation, rather than leaving climate policy to the ordinary legislative process. Another likely source of disagreement is the substantive policy target itself: a 52% reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050, which may be viewed as ambitious or burdensome by opponents. The requirement that the plan maximize economic and racial equity may also be contested by those who favor a narrower emissions-focused approach or who object to embedding equity criteria in climate legislation.