Republicans who control the Wisconsin state Senate voted Tuesday to fire a state utility regulator because he supports setting energy rates according to customers’ ability to pay and opening up the solar energy sector, the Associated Press reports.
The Senate voted 21–11 to reject Public Service Commissioner Tyler Huebner’s confirmation. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointed him to the commission in March 2020 and again in March 2021. Huebner previously served as executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a nonprofit organization that advocates for renewable energy.
The commissioner is the latest in a line of gubernatorial appointees the Senate has fired over the last five years.
Republican Sen. Julian Bradley, a member of the Senate’s utilities committee, said the vote wasn’t political, pointing out that the Senate has confirmed scores of Evers appointees since the governor took office.
