As most readers here know, one of the hidden provisions in Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s union busting bill concerns state-owned heating, cooling, and power plants. The emphasis in the stories I’ve read has been on the sale of those power plants, but read a little more carefully:
“[the department] may sell any state-owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount that the department determines to be in the best interest of the state.”