The study, done at the request of La Crosse County, is hypothetical and doesn’t address technological challenges.

“The impetus for this whole study was just to figure out whether producing our energy in-state would be beneficial to the economy and people and the environment of Wisconsin,” said David Abel, a UW energy researcher and lead author of the study.

“What we find is that it really is beneficial to all three.”

That’s consistent with the mission of COWS, which promotes environmental sustainability and social fairness.

“There are solutions that don’t actually involve these traditional things we think of as trade-offs between the economy or the people or the environment,” Abel said.

The study comes just as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., released an outline of the “Green New Deal,” a plan for juicing the U.S. economy while eliminating carbon emissions.

Abel said the lack of detail in the plan makes it difficult to assess, but he said it could be a boon for Wisconsin.

“We may stand the most to gain because of our lack of fossil resources,” he said.