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Decision in WMC toxic spills lawsuit is a win for public health
Thanks to a recent Waukesha County Circuit Court ruling, thousands of Wisconsin residents whose private wells have been contaminated by toxic PFAS chemicals are sleeping a little better knowing they won’t lose access to the bottled water they rely on. The court’s ruling puts a hold on an April decision limiting the state’s authority to […]
Divide over hunting at Wisconsin Conservation Congress spills into annual convention
A monthslong dispute at the Wisconsin Conservation Congress bubbled up at the end of its annual convention last weekend as the pro-hunting voices largely in control of the body moved to quiet dissent. The incident created a dramatic finish to the annual convention in Oshkosh in which one delegate successfully had a vote negated over […]
Lawyer fees draw scrutiny as Camp Lejeune claims stack up
David and Adair Keller started their married life together in 1977 at Camp Lejeune, a military training base on the Atlantic Coast in Jacksonville, North Carolina. David was a Marine Corps field artillery officer then, and they lived together on the base for about six months. But that sojourn had an outsize impact on their […]
Kewaunee Co. dairy charged for overspreading manure has long history of spills, violations
The Kewaunee County dairy at the center of a criminal case brought this week by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) for overspreading manure on its fields and lying about it has a long history of manure spills and violation of state environmental rules, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) records show. On Monday, the DOJ […]
Evers and Kaul file lawsuit against PFAS manufacturers
Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul have filed a lawsuit against three Wisconsin manufacturers and 15 other defendants accused of “wrongful, deceptive, and tortious conduct” which directly resulted in PFAS contamination in Wisconsin. The lawsuit, filed in Dane County, argues that the defendants either knew or should have known about the detrimental effects […]
Environmental groups can file brief, but not join WMC lawsuit against hazardous contamination law
A Waukesha County judge will allow a group of environmental organizations to file a “friend of the court” brief in a lawsuit brought by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), the state’s largest business lobbying group, against the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The WMC lawsuit challenges Wisconsin’s “spills law,” which forces anyone who is responsible […]
GOP lawmakers wipe out parts of PFAS emergency rule
Republican lawmakers voted Friday to strip out portions of an emergency rule to regulate firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals — an action critics charged would gut the rule. Republicans on the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) said the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) rule went outside the bounds of the legislation […]
Wisconsin DNR Secretary Payne resigns after 10 months on the job
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Adam Payne submitted his resignation Friday to Gov. Tony Evers. The resignation, effective at the end of the day on Nov. 1, will leave the environmental agency without someone in its top post as it deals with the finalization of its proposed plan for managing the state’s wolf […]
Advocates from PFAS-affected communities say GOP bill gives polluters a pass
Clean water advocates in some of Wisconsin’s communities hit hardest by PFAS contamination say Republican-authored legislation to aid in the cleanup of the harmful “forever chemicals” contains too many poison pills to support. The legislation was initially introduced in May. After months of inaction, last week the bill’s authors, Green Bay Republican Sens. Robert Cowles […]
Wisconsin Republicans advance Senate PFAS bill over objections of Democrats, environmental groups
Republicans on the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy voted to advance a new version of a bill addressing PFAS contamination across the state despite the objections of Democrats and environmental groups worried about its effect on the state Department of Natural Resource’s ability to hold polluters accountable. The committee vote was held […]