Wisconsin Senate Bill SB3

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/24/25
• Refer: 1/24/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to amend 66.0401 (1m) (intro.); to create 66.0401 (1r), 66.0401 (4) (h), 196.49 (4m) and 196.491 (3) (d) 9. of the statutes; Relating to: requiring local approval for certain wind and solar projects before Public Service Commission approval.

Summary

SB3 would require local government approval before the Public Service Commission (PSC) could issue certain permits for large wind and solar projects in Wisconsin. The bill defines “solar project” and “wind project” as facilities designed to generate at least 15 megawatts of electricity, and it applies to projects seeking either a certificate of authority or a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the PSC. Before PSC approval, the project developer would have to seek approval from each city, village, and town where the project is located. Each affected municipality would have 90 days to approve or reject the project by resolution, with limited extensions allowed for additional information, material changes, or other good cause. If a municipality does not act in time, the project is deemed approved. The bill also states that existing state limits on local regulation of wind and solar systems would not apply to these approval decisions, and PSC could not issue the required certificate unless every affected municipality has adopted an approving resolution.

Impact

The bill would significantly change the permitting process for large renewable energy projects by adding a mandatory local consent step to existing PSC review under chapters 66 and 196 of the Wisconsin statutes. It would carve out solar and wind projects from current restrictions on local regulation of energy systems, and it would amend PSC certification provisions so that local approval becomes a prerequisite to state authorization. The practical effect would be to give cities, villages, and towns veto power over qualifying projects within their borders, while also creating a default approval mechanism if a municipality fails to act within the statutory deadline.

Sentiment

The available record shows the bill was introduced with a substantial number of legislative cosponsors, suggesting notable support among its backers for increasing local control over renewable energy siting. However, the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not secure enough support to become law. No committee transcript or recorded votes were provided, so the broader public debate cannot be directly measured from the supplied materials, but the bill’s fate suggests it was politically contested.

Contention

The main point of contention is the balance between local control and statewide energy siting policy. Supporters appear to favor giving municipalities direct authority to approve or reject large wind and solar projects, likely to address local land-use, aesthetic, environmental, or community-impact concerns. Opponents would likely view the bill as undermining the existing state framework that limits local restrictions on renewable energy systems and as creating a de facto local veto that could slow or block development of utility-scale clean energy projects. The 90-day deadline and deemed-approval provision may also be debated as either a reasonable procedural safeguard or an insufficient check on local obstruction.