MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered the Democratic Radio Address highlighting initiatives in his 2023-25 biennial budget proposal to address the climate crisis, protect our natural resources, and bolster Wisconsin's workforce in high-demand fields like clean energy, conservation, forestry, and sustainability.

Hey there, Governor Tony Evers here.

The climate crisis is taking an undeniable toll on folks across our state—whether they live in the Driftless region, the Central Sands, the Northwoods, or in the hearts of our urban areas.

And our farmers and agricultural industries, communities of color, and low-income Wisconsinites have been among the most disproportionately affected.

It’s time to embrace a future where we don’t have to choose between mitigating climate change and protecting our environment and good-paying jobs and economic development—we can and must do both.

We know Wisconsinites are ready for bold and urgent solutions that stop treating these goals as mutually exclusive.

Since Day One, my administration has been working to tackle the climate crisis head-on, from joining the U.S. Climate Alliance and setting our state’s first carbon-free electricity goals to creating the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change and releasing the state’s first-ever Clean Energy Plan.

And my 2023-25 biennial budget proposal builds on this work by moving forward on implementing our clean energy plan, building out our electric vehicle charging infrastructure, ensuring every Wisconsinite has access to clean drinking water, conserving and protecting our state’s forests, strengthening the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, and proposing strategies to mitigate and prevent the effects of flooding and erosion in our state.

My budget also works to build the 21st-century infrastructure and workforce our state will need to compete and grow for years to come by making several investments in job training in high-demand fields like clean energy, conservation, forestry, and sustainability.

These efforts will help us not only improve the health and wellness of our families and our state today but build a sustainable, clean economy for the future.

So, as we celebrate Earth Day this weekend, let’s keep working to build the future we’ve promised our kids and that we want to see for our state.