By LEE BERGQUIST and PATRICK MARLEY

Madison -- Gov. Jim Doyle on Friday rejected claims that Wisconsin's coming climate legislation will hurt the state's economy.

He said a move to renewable fuels and green technologies will help the state.

At an event marking the installation of solar panels on the top of the State Capitol, Doyle said he hoped to unveil the Clean Energy Jobs bill in the next few weeks.

The legislation is expected to expand the use of renewable energy to 25% by 2025 by relying on sources such as wind and biomass from locations in and out of the state.

In 2007, Wisconsin derived 4% of its power from green sources. The share will increase to 10% by 2015.

The legislation would also relax Wisconsin's moratorium on constructing nuclear plants. Investment in energy efficiency would increase. Also, new low-carbon fuels standards would be imposed.

The legislation is based on recommendations from Doyle's Global Warming Task Force, which also suggested a preference for a national cap-and-trade program to cut emissions.

A coalition of business groups said this week that the bill will slow Wisconsin's economic recovery, cost jobs and represent an "enormous drag" on the economy.

Wisconsin has gradually lost its standing as a low-cost electricity provider in the upper Midwest. The coalition said that a shift to renewable energy sources and other mandates will drive up business costs.

"We cannot afford to make electricity more expensive if we want to remain competitive," the group said in a letter to Doyle, legislators and members of governor's Global Warming Task Force.

The coalition includes Wisconsin Manufactures & Commerce, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Wisconsin Builders Association and Wisconsin Paper Council.

But Doyle has his own base of support. In addition to environmental and conservation groups, the state's electric utilities and the state's largest company, Glendale-based Johnson Controls Inc., a maker of automotive batteries and energy efficiency systems, are backing Doyle's initiatives.

Supporters, including Rep. Spencer Black (D-Madison), said that without ratcheting up the use of renewable fuels, Wisconsin will continue to spend about $20 billion annually on fossil fuels produced out of state.

Said Doyle: "States that stick their head in the sand and pretend this isn't happening are states that five, ten, fifteen years from now are going to be looking around saying, 'How come we don't have a piece of that economy?' "

Doyle will join two other governors -- Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Chris Gregoire of Washington -- for the climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, which begin next week.

Doyle will attend the conference from Dec. 14-18. He will be joined by a small number of others in his administration, said spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner.

The trip will be paid for by the Climate Registry and Climate Action Reserve, two organizations involved in the fledgling carbon emissions market.

Doyle said he won't be joined by other businesses on the trip, but expects some companies from Wisconsin to be there.

Doyle, who said he will speak at the conference, said it's important to show that states are active in cutting carbon emissions, and that the problem isn't relegated to global leaders.

President Barack Obama said last month that the United States aims to cut global warming emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020, and by 83% by 2050.

The administration said U.S. reductions would need to be matched by commitments from fast-developing countries like China and India to reduce emissions.

The state legislation comes as Congress is wrestling with development of a national global warming bill, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives this summer and is pending in the Senate.

The bill would establish a national cap-and-trade system that would set a national limit on carbon emissions designed to shrink emissions over time.

Utilities and other emitters of greenhouse gases would be required to cut emissions or buy credits from companies that already have made cuts, or pay a penalty for higher emissions.

Thomas Content of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

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