Tiffany and Crowley offer sharply different energy plans in Wisconsin governor race

# Overview

The two major-party gubernatorial candidates in Wisconsin lay out different priorities for the state's energy future. Republican Tom Tiffany centers his plan on affordability, reliability and preserving existing generation, while Democrat David Crowley focuses on stricter rules for data centers and renewable energy standards tied to new development.

# Tiffany's platform: cheaper rates and keeping plants online

Tiffany says Wisconsin's energy policy has put government mandates ahead of ratepayers. His proposals in summary:

• Lower the guaranteed profit rate utilities can earn.
• Stop closing power plants to preserve existing generation capacity.

• Embrace new nuclear power to meet rising demand over the next four years.

Tiffany has publicly criticized Gov. Tony Evers' PSC for approving what he describes as more than $2 billion in utility rate increases, and he highlighted potential additional 14% increases for We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service. He framed his plan as prioritizing affordability and reliability for families.

# Crowley's platform: stricter rules for data centers and renewable mandates

Crowley's approach targets the growth of data centers and their demands on the grid. His proposals include:

• Banning non-disclosure agreements for data center projects.
• Requiring data centers to use 100% renewable energy.
• Requiring data centers to pay 100% of the costs for associated infrastructure and grid upgrades.

# Points of contention between the campaigns

The campaigns have traded specific critiques:

• Crowley says Tiffany has never introduced legislation regulating data centers in Congress, has not backed a moratorium on them, and supports keeping aging coal plants online to power data centers.
• Tiffany counters by accusing the PSC under the current governor of rubber-stamping rate increases and says Crowley would continue mandates that raise utility bills.

# Context on PSC ethics and transitions

Tiffany's cooling-off proposal follows the recent career path of former PSC commissioner Rebecca Valcq. Valcq resigned in February 2024, was hired by Alliant Energy about six months later, and became the company's president in December 2025. Tiffany uses that sequence to argue for restrictions on commissioners taking private-sector roles tied to the utilities they regulated.

# What this means for voters

Decisions about energy policy here focus on trade-offs that will affect utility bills, local development and how the state balances reliability with climate or land-use goals. Tiffany's proposals aim to restrain utility costs and preserve existing generation, including coal and nuclear. Crowley's proposals aim to shift development costs to private developers and push new load — notably data centers — toward renewable power and financial contributions to state energy programs.

Both approaches center on ratepayer impact but propose very different mechanisms: market and regulatory constraints on utilities and commissioners on one side, and tight conditions on new large energy users on the other.

# Bottom line

The governor's race is presenting voters with a clear contrast: a Republican plan focused on immediate affordability and keeping existing generation operational versus a Democratic plan that targets new large energy users and ties development to renewable energy and cost recovery. Each plan will have different implications for utility regulation, grid upgrades and how the costs of new electricity demand are allocated.