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Yes.

Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order on Aug. 16, 2019 that created the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy. It was charged with “ensuring all electricity consumed within the State of Wisconsin is 100 percent carbon-free by 2050.” 

The order required the office to create and implement a clean energy plan — designed to combat climate change — in collaboration with other state agencies and nongovernment stakeholders.  

The OSCE released that plan in April 2022. It called for increased funding and support for clean energy and low- and no-emissions vehicles, updated state building codes and strengthened energy efficiency standards.

Executive orders are “directives issued by the governor based on the governor’s constitutional or statutory power and have the force of law,” according to the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Recent Wisconsin governors have increasingly used executive orders to govern state agencies without using legislative processes. 

Sources

Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy: Executive Order 38: Relating to clean energy in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy: Clean energy plan

Wisconsin Public Radio: Evers’ budget proposes significant investment To address climate change, protect public lands

Wisconsin State Legislature: The use of executive orders in Wisconsin, 1965–2021

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Jacob Alabab-Moser joined as Wisconsin Watch’s fact checker in September 2022, as part of the effort by The Gigafact Project in partnership with different state-level news outlets to combat misinformation in the 2022 midterm elections. Jacob has several years of experience as a fact checker and research assistant at a variety of organizations, including at The Gigafact Project. He holds a BA from Brown University and is pursuing a MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science.