Wisconsin lawmakers OK bill to tackle forever chemicals pollution, but governor isn’t on board
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin state Assembly passed a bill Thursday that would provide $125 million to help municipalities and landowners deal with pollution from so-called forever chemicals. But Governor Tony Evers is not on board.
The Senate passed the Republican-drafted legislation in November. The General Assembly followed suit on Thursday with a vote of 61 to 35, the final floor period of the House’s two-year term.
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are man-made chemicals that do not break down easily in nature. They are found in a wide range of products, including cookware and stain-resistant clothing, and were previously commonly used in aviation firefighting foam. The chemicals have been linked to health problems including low birth weight, cancer and liver disease, and have been shown to make vaccines less effective.
Municipalities across Wisconsin are struggling with PFAS contamination in groundwater, including Marinette, Madison, Wausau and the city of Campbell on French Island. Green Bay’s waters are also polluted.
The bill would create grants for cities, towns, private landowners and waste treatment facilities to test for PFAS in water treatment plants and wells and require studies on the chemicals. The bill does not use any money, but the measure’s lead sponsors, Sens. Eric Wimberger and Rob Cowles and Rep. Jeffrey Mursau, have said the dollars would come from a $125 million PFAS trust fund established in the current state budget.
But Evers has largely rejected the bill because it contains provisions that he says would limit the Department of Natural Resources’ ability to hold polluters accountable.
Under the bill, the DNR would require permission from landowners to test their water for PFAS and could not take enforcement action against landowners who spread PFAS in accordance with a permit or permit.
The agency would be responsible for remediation at contaminated sites where the responsible party is unknown or cannot afford the work. And landowners who allow the DNR to remediate contaminated properties at the state’s expense would be immune from enforcement action.
Evers directed the DNR in December to ask the Legislature’s Republican-controlled Finance Committee to release the $125 million trust fund to the agency, but Republicans continued to push the bill as a framework to spend the money to give.
The governor sent Wimberger and Cowles a letter Wednesday indicating he will not sign the legislation into law. With the General Assembly wrapping up on Thursday, there was no time to revise the bill. Unless Evers changes his mind, the measure is dead.
Assembly Democrats accused Republicans of failing to compromise and lamented the Legislature’s inability to make any substantive progress on PFAS.
“What is even more disappointing and unfair are the people who have been waiting for years for the Legislature to decide,” said Rep. Katrina Shankland. “How many sessions does it take to really get something done in the field of PFAS? Don’t know. I don’t have the answer… tomorrow, I think.’
Mursau countered that the DNR restrictions are necessary to ensure the agency does not hold landowners liable for pollution on their property that they did not cause. MP Rob Swearingen urged Evers to change his position and sign the bill.
“We need to stop playing these games because of (the bill) and PFAS contamination,” he said.