Environment
Clean-up effort at Jackson County frac mine spill
A clean-up effort is underway after a frac sand mine pumped some 400,000 gallons of sediment into Jackson County’s Curran Creek. The creek, which also flows into the Trempealeau River, has been receiving treatment from the mine’s owner, Wisconsin Proppants, since a pump malfunctioned on August 3. “Wisconsin Proppants is in the midst of gently […]
Working for clean energy in a divided state
Before she was elected as a state legislator in 2012, Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point) worked for the Midwest Renewable Energy Association doing solar-site assessment training across seven states as part of a U.S. Department of Energy grant. Since taking office, Shankland has been introducing clean-energy bills in each session, not one of which has […]
Environmental groups sue over Endangered Species Act
Seven environmental groups including the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians, and the Natural Resources Defense Council have united behind a lawsuit against the Trump Administration. Filed by Earth Justice on the collective’s behalf, the lawsuit accuses the president’s new regulations of weakening the Endangered Species Act (ESA). “In general, the endangered species […]
State Treasurer Godlewski sees green in climate-friendly investments
State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski views her role overseeing Wisconsin’s oldest state agency–the obscure and vaguely named Board of Commissioners of Public Lands (BCPL)–as a natural avenue to pursue her green progressive vision for Wisconsin. The name, she says, makes the small agency founded in 1848 sound like a mini-Department of Natural Resources. It’s far enough […]
DNR warns “incidental loss” of threatened reptile species
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has issued a notice that a La Crosse County bridge project may cause the “incidental taking” of two threatened reptile species. The wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) and the eastern massasauga rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus) both have populations near the bridge project. According to a DNR press release, an “incidental taking” […]
For some dairy farmers, the future is smaller
One afternoon, when he was 2 years old, Michael Monthey wandered off to the dairy barn at his uncle’s farm near Portage. He got happily stuck there. His mother liked to tell the story. Fascinated by the large, lumbering creatures, “I just wouldn’t leave,” he says. Now Monthey is training with an eye to possibly […]
Gov. Evers, activists tackle climate change
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has signaled his support for tackling climate change with an executive order. The recent action sets a goal for Wisconsin to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050. It also orders the establishment of an Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy. “This is a game-changer for Wisconsin on multiple fronts,” said […]
Environmental coalition takes on Trump coal push
Clean Wisconsin is joining nine other environmental groups to challenge the Trump Administration’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. A lawsuit filed by the collective argues the president’s policy “unlawfully sidesteps the Clean Air Act by relaxing emission standards.” The court action, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court, comes as 22 Democratic-led states sue the […]
Hearings focus on rules for CAFOs
Hearings begin today on proposed revisions to state rules affecting CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) and similar large scale livestock facilities, and they promise to generate opposition from farm operations the rules target, support from environmental and small farm groups — and demands for even stricter regulation of the operations. The state regulations under review […]
Avoid taking a swig of this water
There is abundant evidence that Southwest Wisconsin has concerning levels of drinking water contamination. In early August, researchers conducting the Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater & Geology (SWIGG) Study found that more than nine out of 10 wells in Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties, that tested positive for coliform bacteria in prior sampling rounds, contained fecal matter […]
Frac sand mine spill polluting creeks, rivers in Jackson County
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continues to investigate a frac sand mine in the town of Curran, owned by Wisconsin Proppants, which spilled sediment that is now contaminating waterways in Jackson County. Since the spill on Aug. 3, the Curran Coulee Creek and other streams which flow into the Trempealeau River have been choked […]
Sen. Baldwin meets with tribal leaders on climate
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin travelled to northern Wisconsin to meet with members of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa on Wednesday, to discuss the impacts of climate change on tribal land. “Extreme storms and severe flooding have threatened the location and abundance of wild rice on the Lac du Flambeau reservation,” Sen. […]