MON AM News: Wisconsin Grocers Association slams Harris’ proposed price gouging policy; Alliant touting contribution to MISO solar record

August 26, 2024

— The Wisconsin Grocers Association is slamming Vice President Kamala Harris’ policy proposals on price gouging as “misguided,” arguing they “run counter to economic history.”

Harris, who last week accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination as presidential candidate, has pledged to address the high cost of food through a federal ban on corporate price gouging. U.S. food prices have risen by 25% between 2019 and 2023, according to a USDA report.

In a recent speech detailing her economic plan in North Carolina, Harris said “believe me, as president, I will go after the bad actors.”

In a recent release, the WGA noted Wisconsin already has a price gouging law, arguing the proposed ideas “demonstrate a puzzling approach” to economic policy.

“There is no evidence to suggest this is a common practice in the grocery business,” the group wrote. “Why? Because grocers who already work on razor-thin margins, can’t arbitrarily raise prices. Their customers will go down the street to a competitor who has a lower price.”

The organization says the “economic shock” of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly disrupted the grocery business, as inflation exceeding 9% led to higher costs at every point of the supply chain. That includes growers, producers, manufacturers, suppliers, transportation and more, the release notes.

Those increases are now “baked into the cost of products” on grocery store shelves, according to the WGA, which also highlights the impact of workforce disruptions and higher related costs.

A policy overview from the White House on the “Biden-Harris Lowering Costs Agenda” notes grocery chains are making “record profits,” and says the administration is “successfully calling on grocery chains to lower grocery prices.”

The document touts efforts to boost food assistance for low-income families, strengthen supply chains to reduce food prices as well as “cracking down” on price gouging and promoting competition in agriculture.

But the WGA argues marketplace interventions “tend to raise prices,” pointing to the cost of complying with new regulations.

“Politicians, for all their campaign rhetoric, can’t just wave a wand and reduce grocery prices,” the group says. “These types of policies would almost certainly have the opposite effect of what they intended.”

See the WGA release and see coverage of last week’s Democratic National Convention at the WisPolitics Convention Corridor.

— Alliant Energy is touting its contribution to a recent regional solar energy generation record.

The Madison-based utility on Friday announced the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, hit a record high for solar energy generation with more than 6,800 megawatts on Wednesday.

With about 1,050 megawatts of that total, Alliant Energy made up 15% of the solar energy production for the MISO region, which includes 15 states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. MISO coordinates energy resources for more than 45 million people across its service territory, according to the release.

Alliant is the state’s largest owner and operator of solar energy generation, having put eight new projects into operation in late 2023. Last week’s release notes the company’s solar sites across Wisconsin and Iowa generated enough electricity on Wednesday to power about 400,000 homes for a day.

David de Leon, the company’s senior vice president of operations, says the new solar record “showcases our forward-looking approach to project development and understanding the long-term benefits our customers will see from renewable projects.”

See the release and find more information about Alliant’s solar resources.

See an earlier story detailing renewable energy progress in the state.

— Students at UW-Eau Claire are developing an AI model for extracting key information from colonoscopy reports.

Undergraduate researchers Brayden Mau and Alex Rolli have been working with Rahul Gomes, an associate professor of computer science at the university, as well as Mayo Clinic Health System on the project. It began in February with an idea from Dr. Sushil Garg, a local gastroenterologist with the health system.

In hopes of reducing doctors’ workload using AI technology, Mau and Rolli used machine learning software to compress a large, complex model into a smaller, more simple one, according to the release. This resulted in a “condensed” version of a colonoscopy report that makes it easier for physicians to find “vital information” needed for diagnosis.

They’re now validating their model before moving to create a user interface for both doctors and patients.

Sarah Harper, operations manager for the health system’s AI and biomedical informatics team, says the students’ work is making a “meaningful difference” in its community practice.

“It’s been great for these physicians who have these innovative ideas but didn’t have access to that engineering expertise until Alex and Brayden came along to take their idea and translate it into reality,” Harper said.

Mau, a third-year computer science major from the Appleton area, says the project has given him hands-on experience with applying what he’s learning in the health care field.

“It’s not really something you can teach in class,” he said in the release. “I feel like it’s a very important step in just learning more about the computer science field.”

See more in the release.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— The Indigenous Business Group will be hosting its third annual Indigenous Biz Con at the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee in mid-October.

The group, based in Cambridge, Wis., on Friday announced details for the event, taking place Oct. 14-15. The theme for this year’s event is “Revitalizing traditions, Driving innovation,” with a focus on driving economic success for indigenous communities.

The convention coincides with Indigenous Peoples’ Day and features a Native vendors marketplace, industry-focused seminars, a ceremonial drum performance and more.

Rob Pero, co-founder of the Indigenous Business Group and member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, says “this is the conference where deals get closed.”

“Our goal with Indigenous Biz Con is to build community and provide a space to create meaningful relationships and elevate Native voices,” he said in a statement.

See the release and register here.

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