OAK CREEK, Wisconsin (WISN) — The proposed construction of a new natural gas power plant is sparking protest in Oak Creek. Outside a Public Service Commission hearing at the Oak Creek Community Center Tuesday, environmental activists said the time for any new fossil fuel plants has passed.

“If this plant is approved by the public service commission, we will see higher rates of asthma, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and developmental issues in children,” said Julia Alberth of Healthy Climate Wisconsin. “If the plant is approved, those risks will land right here in our backyard.”

We Energies has applied to the PSC for approval of a $1.2 billion natural gas-fired electrical plant to be built at the site of its current coal plant in Oak Creek on the shore of Lake Michigan.

“Years from now, we may come up with a better alternative fuel source, but right now, this is the best way to reduce our carbon footprint going forward,” said Oak Creek Mayor Dan Bukiewicz outside the hearing.

He said he’s seen little opposition in the community, with many nearby residents saying they welcome the end of the trains carrying coal to the existing plant.

“Right now, it’s coal-fired. We all know coal is not the best choice. Gas is the only other alternative out there. If we could do it all renewable, we would,” Bukiewicz said.

Inside the hearing, opponents told Public Service Commissioners that renewable energy is the only way forward.

“We bear the cost of those consequences with both our health and the price we pay for energy,” testified Tom Rutkowski, a member of the Racine County Board of Supervisors. “Conversion of the south Oak Creek plant to natural gas will lock us in to another fossil fuel for decades at a time that energy sources are rapidly evolving.”

While We Energies says they are opening wind and solar farms, there’s a growing need for a stable power supply.

“We need these plants because as we add more renewable energy, the sun doesn’t always shine, the wind doesn’t always blow, and so these plants will be there to fill these gaps when that’s not happening,” said We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway outside the hearing.

“We are planning to retire a coal plant later this year. If this were to not move forward, we might have to reconsider running that old coal plant,” Conway said. “We don’t have an option of whether or not we can keep the lights on. We have an obligation to our customers to support reliability, and by the way, we know the majority of our customers support this commonsense approach.”

If it meets state approvals, construction is set to begin in late 2025, with completion approximately two years later.