For Immediate Release – May 9, 2025

Contact – info@hotgovernment.com

MADISON, WI — As states across the Midwest take bold steps to protect consumers and encourage competition in energy infrastructure, Wisconsin lawmakers appear to be moving in the opposite direction.

Montana recently banned Right of First Refusal (ROFR) laws, joining a growing list of states rejecting utility monopolies’ grip on transmission projects. In Minnesota, lawmakers are actively working to kick ROFR out, advancing legislation to repeal the anti-competitive provision that allows incumbent utilities to block challengers from building new transmission lines.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin is considering Assembly Bill 174, also known as the Wisconsin Energy Reform Act (WERA) — legislation that would cement ROFR into state law. Instead of embracing competition and lower costs for ratepayers, WERA grants utility giants first dibs on building transmission projects, without having to compete on price, performance, or innovation.

The dangers of such laws are not hypothetical. An energy bill in Ohio led to $60 million in bribes and the eventual conviction of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder in one of the biggest corruption scandals in state history.

It’s time for Wisconsin to pay attention to its neighbors — and to history. ROFR is bad policy. Other states are backing away. Wisconsin should too.