Madison’s Monopoly Utility, MGE, has according to this isthmus column [1.8MB PDF] by Chamond Liu, served it’s local customers by:

• MGE’s electric rates are the highest in the state.
• $348,634 in political contributions. (!)
• $150,000 from MGE is itemized in an indictment against a Wisconsin state senator who sponsored no-bid legislation requiring the UW to “negotiate” with MGE for this power plant.
• UW System President Katherine Lyall owned, as of January 2003, 14539 shares in Alliant Energy, the company responsible for building the MGE Plant.

MGE should, simply on the basis of their lobbying and high rates, be excluded from any UW projects. It really does not make sense for such a small utility to exist any longer….. (at ratepayer expense).
Fore (friends of responsible energy) Madison has quite a bit of information on this issue.
I’ve written about MGE’s high rates and routing cash through the Kansas Democratic Party (!) before.