Wisconsin Electric Power Company

Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCO) is the electric utility and wholly-owned subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy, also known as We Energies. WEPCO was incorporated in the state of Wisconsin in 1896. Principal executive offices are in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company serves approximately 1,114,700 electric customers in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

NAACP Clearing the Air Road Tour
In April 2010, Jacqui Patterson of the NAACP Climate Justice interviewed community members in Milwaukee. Jacqui wrote the following account of the impacts of the Valley Power Plant:
 * The Valley Power Plant is located on the Menomonee River about a mile southwest of downtown Milwaukee. It is wedged between the predominantly African-American Avenues West neighborhood to the north, and the predominantly Latino neighborhood of Walker’s Point  to the south. Over 24,000 people live within a mile of the plant, and both the Aurora Sinai hospital and Marquette University campus are less than a mile away.


 * Mr. Thomas White, State Conference President for the NAACP spoke with me about the hazards of the plant to the surrounding communities, described the communities a bit, and then took me on a driving tour of the nearby areas.

Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCO) Clean Air Act Civil Settlement
On April 29, 2003 the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. EPA announced a $600 million Clean Air Act settlement with Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCO). The settlement resolves alleged claims that the company violated New Source Review (NSR) provisions of the Clean Air Act.

“Today’s settlement is another example of the Justice Department’s strong commitment to cleaning up our nation’s air,” said Assistant Attorney General Thomas L. Sansonetti. “Soon the residents of Wisconsin and Michigan will benefit from the drastic reductions in pollutants emitted from these facilities.”

The EPA estimates that WEPCO will spend up to $600 million to install pollution control equipment to reduce 72,300 tons per year of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and 32,600 tons per year of nitrogen oxide (NOx) every year. The settlement covers five Wisconsin Electric plants, four in Wisconsin and one in Michigan, consisting of a total of 23 electrical generating units.

Proposed Coal Plants

 * Oak Creek Units 1 & 2

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Existing U.S. Coal Plants
 * Wisconsin Energy
 * United States and coal
 * Wisconsin and coal
 * Global warming
 * Coal
 * EPA Coal Plant Settlements