Governor's task force hears Green Bay public engaged in new energy solutions By Anna Krejci News-Chronicle Members of the Governor's Task Force on Energy Efficiency and Renewables, formed in September, held a video conference in Green Bay on Tuesday. Representatives from energy-efficiency programs, utilities using alternate forms of energy and area public schools and universities were among those who attended. Task force members were looking for input on how to implement new environmentally friendly standards. Representatives from a Madison-based company, Madison General Fuels, Inc., were in the area on business and attended part of the video conference. Lee Jesse, president of Madison General Fuels, Inc. said the fuel the company sells for use in industrial boilers is made of material that would be headed for the landfills. The fuel is mixed with coal. "Whatever percentage of this material they add, they reduce all their bad emissions by a proportional amount," he said. He said he is interested in the task force's study of a proposed requirement that state facilities buy 10 percent of their energy from renewable resources by 2006 and 20 percent by 2010, saying it could positively impact the company. Dr. John Katers, a faculty member in the Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, submitted comments to the task force, saying interest among students in renewable energy courses at the university has grown. He advocated that the next biennial state budget protect funds of the Focus on Energy program. He wrote to the task force that new systems of renewable energy on campus would not have been possible without funding from Focus on Energy and Wisconsin Public Service. He said he is also concerned that the state is losing some of its graduates interested in renewable energy systems to other states. He said three of his former students are working out of state in the renewable energy field. Comments about the funding for the programs were made at a time when $47 million designated for advancing renewable energy programs and supporting energy conservation were moved to support government operations in the general fund, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on Monday. The video conference with the task force in Green Bay was one of four held across the state. The task force is expected to use public input when it makes recommendations next month.