Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Alliant Energy Corporation (Alliant) demonstrates a mix of positive and negative positions on US climate policy, with evidence of advocacy at the federal level and across several states including Iowa and Wisconsin. The company appears to have limited top-line messaging and strategically advocates for the long-term role of fossil fuels. Alliant CEO John Larsen serves as an Advisory Director for the American Gas Association, a highly obstructive industry association that continues to oppose building electrification policy.
Top-Line Messaging on Climate Policy: Alliant appears to have limited top-line messaging on climate policy. Although Alliant joined the We Mean Business Coalition in April 2021 to advocate for net-zero emissions by 2050 and US re-entry to the Paris Agreement, the company made statements in its November 2024 climate report that appeared to advocate for a less urgent response to climate change. In its Corporate Responsibility Report published in September 2024, Alliant did not clearly specify a position on the need for government regulation to address climate change.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policy: Alliant appears to engage with a mix of positive and negative positions on climate-related policies. In a September 2024 blog, the company advocated for the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s solar energy incentives. Previously, Alliant signed a January 2022 joint letter organized by the American Clean Power Association that advocated to Congressional leadership to support the clean energy tax credits in the Build Back Better Act. However, the company appears to consistently oppose state-level solar energy policies: recent examples include February 2024 opposition to Wisconsin Assembly Bill 258 on developing community solar programs, as well as February 2023 opposition to Iowa Senate File 332 on establishing a shared solar net metering cooperative program in the state.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Alliant appears to demonstrate a mix of positive and negative positions on the transition of the energy mix, broadly supporting electrification while strategically opposing specific federal-level decarbonization policies. The company appears to support the electrification of transport and buildings, as evident in statements on its corporate website accessed in April 2025. However, Alliant has persistently opposed the Biden administration’s energy-related proposals. For example, with the Class of ‘85 Regulatory Response Group, the company submitted May 2024 comments advocating against the stringent regulation of carbon emissions from existing gas-fired power plants, as well as December 2023 comments and August 2023 comments suggesting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was acting beyond its legal boundary in proposing carbon standards for fossil fuel power plants. Alliant also submitted individual comments in August 2023 against the proposed power plant carbon standards that endorsed the position of Edison Electric Institute, which strongly opposed the proposal and questioned its legality. The company similarly criticized the Biden administration’s National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Phase 2 Revisions, stating in September 2023 comments with the Cross-Cutting Issues Group that the proposed “definition of ‘environmental justice’ proposed by CEQ would encourage a challenge to virtually any project involving a NEPA review.” Alliant also opposed the implementation guidance for the Inflation Reduction Act’s clean hydrogen tax credit, submitting February 2024 comments that criticized the ambition of the proposed hourly matching and incrementality requirements. At the state level, Alliant has advocated for preemption legislation to block local measures aiming to reduce fossil gas: this includes May 2023 advocacy for Wisconsin’s Assembly Bill 45 as well as February 2021 advocacy for Iowa’s Senate File 455, the state’s gas ban preemption bill that was subsequently signed into law.
Industry Association Governance: Alliant discloses its industry association memberships on its corporate website, but has not provided further details on each organization's climate change policy positions. CEO John Larsen serves as an Advisory Director for the American Gas Association, which engages on US climate policy with highly negative positions and strategically opposes building electrification policy. Alliant is also a member of Edison Electric Institute, which legally challenged the Biden administration’s power plant carbon standards.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q2 2025.