Defender, Summer 2012 by Clean Wisconsin

Defender summer 2012

we believe everyone deserves clean water and clean air

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A New Day for Wisconsin’s Waters

In many respects, 2012, to date, has not been kind to our lakes, rivers and streams. But June 11 ushered in a new day for Wisconsin’s waters. Article by Sam Weis & Amanda Wegner Photo by Amanda Wegner

A mild winter, short, intense rain showers early in the season, combined with extremely high temperatures this spring and summer have resulted in many lakes around the state experiencing algae blooms early and often. Madison, for instance, saw its first beach closing in early June due to a toxic blue-green algae bloom, and massive mats of algae now cover large expanses of the lakes. Large algae blooms diminish our enjoyment of lakes and drive away tourism dollars by closing beaches, creating foul smells and generally making it unpleasant to be in or around our waters. But Clean Wisconsin is excited to announce that work is moving forward to implement Wisconsin’s innovative phosphorus rules, which we helped pass in 2010. These rules hold the potential to not only clean algae-plagued lakes around Wisconsin, but could also become a model for cleaning lakes around the United States.

The problem

Unlike many other pollutants regulated under the Clean Water Act, phosphorus pollution largely comes from nonpoint sources, such as stormwater runoff and agricultural fields. Because existing water quality regulations largely fail to effectively address nonpoint sources, the impacts of these sources have continued to increase. In 2006, the EPA declared that 61% of See “New Day” page 5

More about our water work inside! Great Lakes update Be a water champion: Conserve! Sparkles the Water Spaniel

UPDATES: candidate education, Valley, frac sand, #100cars

Taking Charge &

TAKING ACTION

Actions you can take for clean water, clean air and clean energy

Help Clean Wisconsin, All Year Long Thanks to your financial generosity, we are able to work to protect Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocate for clean energy. An easy and practical way to support our work with minimal impact on your monthly budget is joining our monthly donor program. You can set up monthly contributions of any amount that recur automatically on our secure website or that we can run in the office. If you want to reduce your mail from Clean Wisconsin and support our campaigns year-round, become a monthly donor by visiting www.cleanwisconsin.org, clicking “Donate Now” and selecting, “I want to make a recurring donation.” Or, call or mail in your preferred monthly amount, Visa or Mastercard information, and full name and address and we can take care of the rest.

634 W. Main St., #300 • Madison WI 53703 Phone: 608-251-7020 www.cleanwisconsin.org Clean Wisconsin protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the State Capitol and holding elected officals and polluters accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members, supporters and coalition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin a wonderful place to live, work and play.

STAFF Executive Director Mark Redsten

Help Restore Full Funding to Focus on Energy Did you know that last year alone, Wisconsin residents saved $264 million in energy costs by using the Focus on Energy program to help make upgrades to their homes and businesses? And since 2001, Focus on Energy has saved Wisconsin businesses more than $212 million in annual energy costs. You can see why we are working extra hard to protect the funds for this important program! We think it’s time to turn up the heat on Governor Walker about important funding for Focus on Energy. Please call Governor Walker today at 608-266-1212 and ask him to restore full funding to Focus on Energy.

Development Director Becky Bains Accounting Manager Mary Coughlan Staff Scientist Tyson Cook Development Assistant Jake Immel Membership Coordinator Jenny Lynes

Make an Even Greater Impact! This past legislative session, we contacted our email Action Network members regularly as we learned of environmental rollbacks in policy and other threats to Wisconsin’s environment. You and the rest of our Action Network members responded: We sent nearly 50,000 messages to decision-makers last session and were able to restore some critical environmental protections and prevent horrible legislation from becoming law. While the session is over, you can still make an impact by encouraging your friends and neighbors to join our Action Network so they can also be informed as important environmental news and updates occur in Wisconsin. To sign up, tell your friends to email Jenny at jlynes@cleanwisconsin.org or simply have them add their name and email address on our homepage at cleanwisconsin.org. Thanks for spreading the word!

browse and bid! Through July 22, show your support for Clean Wisconsin by bidding on items in our Wonderful Wisconsin online auction! Go ahead. Browse, bid and bid again. Your winning bid sustains Clean Wisconsin’s work for cleaner water, breathable air, and so much more that makes Wisconsin a wonderful, beautiful place to live! Place your bids here:

Water Program Director Melissa Malott Director of Programs & Government Relations Amber Meyer Smith Water Resources Specialist Ezra Meyer General Counsel Katie Nekola Senior Policy Director Keith Reopelle Midwest Clean Energy Coordinator Sarah Shanahan Chief Financial Officer Roger Sneath Clean Energy Specialist Katy Walter Creative Director Amanda Wegner Communications Director Sam Weis

www.biddingforgood.com/CleanWisconsin

Staff Attorney Elizabeth Wheeler Office Manager David Vitse

BOARD Chair Carl Sinderbrand, Madison Vice Chair Margi Kindig, Madison Treasurer Gof Thomson, New Glarus Secretary Gary Goyke, Madison Calling all artists! Clean Wisconsin wants to see your photos, drawings, and other visual works of art that relate to our state’s environment. The winning submission will be printed in the fall issue of Defender. Email files to media@cleanwisconsin.org, or mail hard copies to 634 W. Main St. #300, Madison WI 53703. Please include your contact information. Happy creating! The Defender is owned and published quarterly by Clean Wisconsin, 634 W. Main St., #300, Madison, WI 53703, 608-251-7020. A one-year subscription membership is $35. Please direct correspondence to the address above. Volume 42, No. 3 Issue date: July 2012 ©2012 Clean Wisconsin. All rights reserved. ISSN # 1549-8107

Printed with soy ink on unbleached, recycled paper.

Belle Bergner, Milwaukee Phyllis Dube, McFarland Sue Durst, Verona Shari Eggleson, Washburn Luke Fairborn, Whitefish Bay Scott Froehlke, Montello Paul Linzmeyer, Green Bay Chuck McGinnis, Middleton Lucia Petrie, Milwaukee Board Emeritus Kate Gordon, Washington, D.C.

Summer 2012

Heating Up Valley By Katy Walter, Clean Energy Organizer

The number of unhealthy air days for Milwaukee County in 2012 has already surpassed those for all of 2011, and toxic air emissions from coal-fired power plants is one of the main causes of unhealthy air. The Cleaner Valley Coalition, a group of health, environmental and social justice organizations in Milwaukee, including Clean Wisconsin, is heating up its efforts to get We Energies to clean up the Valley Power Plant. This plant is located in the heart of densely populated downtown Milwaukee and is the only one of We Energies’ coal plants without modern pollution controls. Over the next several months, the coalition plans to educate thousands more community members, business leaders and government officials about Valley’s health and environmental impacts. The coalition will also reach out to business owners who support clean air and ask them join the Valley steam customers who already have pledged to call on the Milwaukee utility to clean up the plant. According to We Energies, the utility needed confirmation that the pipeline serving Valley would provide a sufficient supply of natural gas before any commitments could be made to upgrade the plant. That roadblock is now out of the way: the Public Service Commission has approved the pipeline upgrade, so there is no reason We Energies can’t make an immediate commitment to stop burning coal in the Menomonie Valley. The coalition won’t rest until We Energies announces a plan for cleaning up Valley as soon as possible to protect our health. We hope you’ll join us!

Visit cleanervalleycampaign.org to get involved

from the

Executive Director After months of battles in the Capitol, recall elections and political attack ads, Wisconsin has become known as a state bruised by deep political divides where neighbors and friends are pitted against one another. With the recall elections behind us, we now have the opportunity to step back and rediscover those things that bring us together instead of tear us apart. Mark Redsten It is not being a political battleExecutive Director ground state that makes Wisconsin special; it is the celebration of cheese, beer, bratwurst and the Green Bay Packers. It is getting out to enjoy a fish fry with friends and knowing your neighbor is always there to reach out a helping hand. It is a love of all of the things that make our state a wonderful place to live, work and play — the beautiful forests, beaches, state parks and thousands of lakes, rivers and streams. Those thousands of lakes, rivers and streams are the focus of this issue of Defender. With summertime in full swing, now is the time to enjoy a day soaking in the sun at the beach, wetting a line in your favorite fishing hole, paddling your favorite windy river, or doing any of number of other activities on Wisconsin’s wonderful waters. At Clean Wisconsin, we are driven by a commitment to clean water. We fight to protect pristine waters and fight even harder to restore those that fail to meet their full potential. With your help we have made great progress, even working to pass some of the most innovative clean water policies in the nation. In the coming pages, you’ll read about the important work we’re doing to protect Wisconsin’s waters for everyone to enjoy. From pushing clean water policies forward to working with communities to reduce pollution running into waterways, we’re doing some exciting work to help make sure you can continue to enjoy your favorite lakes, rivers and streams. Thanks for helping make that happen,

Frac Sand Update Wisconsin’s landscape contains a large amount of high-grade silica sand used in hydraulic fracturing (or fracking), a process for extracting oil and gas from shale deposits. As such, Wisconsin’s sand has become a valuable commodity and sand mining a growing concern over the past two years. Sand mining can emit dangerous air pollution including particulate matter, excess dust, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and silica. Silica dust, which can cause cancer and silicosis, a chronic, incurable lung disease, represents the greatest concern as it poses a serious risk to human health. However, no monitoring of the pollutant is required, so we do not know whether these mines send enough silica into the air to threaten the health of nearby residents. Wisconsin has experienced unprecedented growth in the number and size of silica sand mines in the state. With this growth comes a higher risk to public health, but the DNR and public still lack data on actual silica exposure in Wisconsin, creating a need for more air pollution regulation. Wisconsin has over 60 sand mining operations and 30 processing facilities in operation or under construction. In late June, Clean Wisconsin filed comments with the DNR on a permit application by U.S. Silica for a large industrial sand mine in Sparta; we asked the DNR to work with the company to make its voluntary silica monitoring data at the proposed facility publicly available. Making this data available is an important first step in ensuring that sand mining is done in a safe, responsible manner that protects the health of nearby residents.

Sparkles the Water Spaniel Trains Residents on Water Quality By Sam Weis, Communications Director

Clean Wisconsin is working closely with the Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust (Sweet Water) and Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network to educate residents in southeastern Wisconsin on how they can help clean up area lakes, rivers and Lake Michigan. As part of this effort, the coalition teamed with Kenosha-born stand-up comedian Jeff Cesario to create a set of entertaining TV ads featuring Sparkles the water spaniel training residents how to help clean our waters. In four 30-second spots, Sparkles focuses on the importance of picking up yard debris, picking up dog poop, using lawn fertilizer and chemicals responsibly, and preventing oil and fluids from leaking from cars. While the ads are only running in southeastern Wisconsin, Sparkles’ lessons are applicable across the state.

Learn more at cleanwisconsin.org/ respectourwaters

www.cleanwisconsin.org 3

Great Lakes Update

By Ezra Meyer, Water Resources Specialist

Rehabilitating the Great Lakes The EPA and other federal agencies have begun awarding grants funded by this year’s $300 million appropriation to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). This year’s GLRI includes funding for nutrient runoff reductions in hot spots around the Great Lakes, including Wisconsin’s Fox-Wolf River basin, Lake Michigan’s largest source of nutrient runoff, which flows into Green Bay. Clean Wisconsin has received funding to help launch a pilot project in the Green Bay area to implement the Watershed Adaptive Management Option, a state-level policy approach we designed with the DNR and other stakeholders to help implement Wisconsin’s new phosphorus rules. (See more on page 5.)

Asian Carp Development On June 29, Congress approved a measure requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to speed up its devel-

opment of a plan for keeping the Great Lakes free of Asian carp and submit that plan within 18 months. (In May, Corps officials had said they would submit a list of options for Congress and the public to consider by the end of 2013.) The newly approved legislation requires specific steps for preventing species migrations at 18 potential entry points, including Chicago-area rivers and canals. Thee measure, which was included in a highway funding bill, was signed by President Obama on July 6.

Implementing the Compact The Great Lakes Compact put critical protections on the books to keep the waters of the Great Lakes in the

basin and manage them sustainably for generations to come. Internal milestones in the Compact require the basin states to set policies that address key provisions, such as water conservation and efficiency requirements, water use baselines, reporting systems for ongoing water use, programs to manage out-of-basin diversions and more. With December 2013, five years after the Compact’s passage, marking the next big milestone, Wisconsin leads the other seven Great Lakes states in overall progress, thanks to the strong leadership of our DNR. Yet there is more work to be done. Wisconsin is also in the spotlight due to the first-of-its-kind application by the city of Waukesha to divert water outside the Great Lakes Basin under the Compact; whatever the end result is, Waukesha’s request for Lake Michigan water will set a precedent. This summer, there has been considerable press on negotiations among Waukesha and Milwaukee, Oak Creek and Racine, three coastal Lake Michigan cities that could potentially supply Waukesha with Lake Michigan water. The cities have raised some of the same questions that Clean Wisconsin and others, including our Wisconsin Compact Implementation Coalition partners, have regarding key aspects of Waukesha’s diversion proposal. The DNR’s review process is likely to last through the year, and we should see opportunities for public input on a draft environmental impact statement and a draft decision late this year or early next year. We must all stay vigilant as the Waukesha test case moves through these uncharted waters. What is key is that the Compact does what it was designed to do and ensures the long-term protection and sound management of the incredible but vulnerable Great Lakes. We will keep you abreast of important developments, particularly opportunities to make your voice heard in this process.

LESTER PUBLIC LIBRARY/Flickr

Revisiting Winter and the after effects today By Sarah Witman, Communications Intern

It was fabulous at the time, but unfortunately we are still feeling the impacts of this winter’s weird weather. While Wisconsinites saved on heating costs, we’re paying for it elsewhere. Emily Stanley of the University of Wisconsin Center for Limnology and her colleagues study the water chemistry and nutrients in Dane County’s Lake Mendota. What they found during a routine checkup of the lake in February took them by surprise. “We discovered that, in fact, there was a ton of algae under the ice,” she says. “Because enough light could get through the ice to allow the algae to do its ‘photosynthesis thing,’ if you drilled a hole into the ice to measure its clarity, in February it was about the same as it is in the center of the lake in June.” Although phosphorous runoff is the main source of algae, thin ice and a lack of snow coverage to block out sunlight gave the algae a major head start. Last winter’s warm conditions caused an influx of smelly, green algae all over the state. Algal blooms cause rashes and breathing problems, and even killed two dogs last year. Unfortunately, the hot weather helps it grow particularly well. Michael Notaro, associate scientist at the UW Center for Climatic Research, explains how gradual changes in climate over the past decade have shown a number of noticeable effects. “Northern Wisconsin, until recently, had a severe drought where the lakes actually got to Dust Bowl levels,” Notaro says. “We should have 4

more frequent days without precipitation, but on the days where it does rain … it just dumps these heavy downpours. So [it is considered] drought conditions because there are more days without any rain.” We have seen early springs the last several decades; birds migrate back to the state sooner and lakes melt a few weeks earlier than they did in the 1950s. Plants and crops are also apt to bloom too soon and be killed by a sudden frost before summer sets in, Notaro explained. Drought later in the year can be just as hazardous. “What we’re having this summer, with about a third of an inch [of rain] in the last month, the corn crops are really dry; the soil is really dry.” By the end of this century, trends show Wisconsin will continue to get wetter on the whole, but since temperatures will also increase, more evaporation will take place. This would cause our soil to dry out even more and lower lake levels. Data from the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey shows that in places like Dane and Monroe counties, groundwater levels are historically low. Hydrogeologist Madeline Gotkowitz attributes this to a lack of snowfall and snowmelt. She adds that while low water levels don’t necessarily mean anyone’s well will run dry, available groundwater resources are well below normal in many places, thanks to climate changes and the lack of snow. This winter we missed out on snowmen, ice fishing and more, and so far, from devastating floods in the north to a declared “moderate drought” in the south, the summer continues to show interesting developments. Being aware of changes in Wisconsin weather and climate helps us to better understand what is going on in other aspects of our state’s ecology year-round. Summer 2012

New Day, continued from cover assessed rivers and streams, 72% of lakes, reservoirs and ponds, and every wetland in Wisconsin was threatened or impaired. In more than a quarter of those water bodies, phosphorus levels or eutrophication, the process by which excessive amounts of phosphorus in the water leads to excessive algae growth and depletes oxygen in the water, killing fish and other organisms, was listed as the cause. And the problem has gotten worse.

Dane County Pilot On June 11, Dane County leaders announced the creation of a small-scale pilot project on the northwestern shore of Lake Mendota that uses adaptive management; Clean Wisconsin is a partner in this project. Through this project, we hope to clean Dane County’s lakes and show communities across the state that the phosphorus rules provide a cost-effective means to clean our lakes, rivers and streams. If successful, Wisconsin’s innovative phosphorus rules could become a model for states across the nation that are struggling with water quality issues.

The solution

Since the 1970s, the EPA has asked states to develop plans to reduce phosphorus pollution, and Wisconsin became one of the first to do so in late 2010 with the phosphorus rules. Created by a diverse stakeholder advisory group, members worked together to find a flexible, cost-effective policy solution to achieve water quality standards. As a leading member of the advisory group, Clean Wisconsin helped develop the phosphorus rules and continues to serve a pivotal role in determining how to practically implement these rules on the ground. The crux of these rules is their flexibility, particularly the rules’ Watershed Adaptive Management Option (adaptive management), the first of its kind in the nation. Traditionally, point and nonpoint sources have been treated separately; adaptive management allows point sources, like factories and stormwater treatment facilities, to work with farmers to achieve significant pollution reductions at a much lower cost. Point sources avoid expensive technologies that cost tens of millions of dollars and landowners receive financial assistance to make costeffective improvements that reduce pollution running off their farm fields. With the new Dane County project (see right) underway, these rules are now being put to the test. By working together and using what is learned in Dane County, we can all look forward to a future of clean water in Wisconsin.

Here’s a snapshot of this landmark initiative 16,000 acres here

Over 20 years... Traditional controls: $200m*

Adaptive management: $59m

Pilot: 2.5 years $3 million

Lake Mendota

1.9m pounds Reduction in phosphorus pollution *$200 million would be the cost to Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District alone; $59 million would be split among all stakeholders involved in the adaptive management plan

1. Tainter-Menomin In Practice, Around the State

2 5

While adaptive management is the most innovative tool in the phosphorus rule toolkit, there are other options under the rules to clean our waters, and Clean Wisconsin is launching or involved in several initiatives around the state. Successful implementation of the phosphorus rules, especially the adaptive management option, hinges on strong partnerships, and our work through the next year will largely focus on education and outreach to forge the required alliances and to support existing partnerships.

100% participation All communities & point sources have signed on

Clean Wisconsin was first introduced to the situation in the Tainter-Menomin Lakes watershed in 2011; we spent days there interviewing and filming concerned residents about the state of the lakes. In this watershed, those same residents are leading the charge to utilize the phosphorus rules and clean up their waters; for instance, Dunn County just passed the strongest shoreland zoning ordinance in the state, a critical first step to mitigating the situation here. Clean Wisconsin is providing support to local leaders, including assisting with the coordination of an educational conference and helping build an agricultural collaborative.

2. Green Bay The Fox-Wolf River watershed contains the largest concentration of both large farms and paper mills in the world; given the severity of its nutrient problems, this watershed is a high priority not only for Clean Wisconsin, but for the state and federal governments as well. It also presents unique challenges, and Clean Wisconsin has launched an effort to reach out to and educate stakeholders on how the phosphorus rules can be used in the Fox-Wolf. This outreach and education is just the first step in a multi-year project we have planned for this critical watershed.

3. Milwaukee Clean Wisconsin is a partner in the Sweet Water (Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust)

collaborative, which is working to transform water quality and overall watershed health in five major Lake Michigan-tributary watersheds in southeastern Wisconsin. Clean Wisconsin and our Sweet Water partners are using virtually every tool in the water quality toolbox; to manage excess agricultural runoff, we are looking at all available options under the phosphorus rules. To mitigate urban runoff and related impacts on habitat, water quality and recreation in the rivers and Lake Michigan, we are employing approaches such as green infrastructure (natural stormwater management practices), fish passage improvements, streambank stabilization, riparian habitat restoration and watershedbased permitting.

4. Racine We are investigating possibilities for implementing the phosphorus rules in the Root River Watershed. This watershed is threatened by urban and agricultural runoff, streambank erosion, sedimentation, industrial and sewage plant discharges, and excessive nutrients, all of which could be reduced with the flexibility of the phosphorus rules. Our initial work involves bringing stakeholders to the table and gathering the requisite information to determine the best approach for this important and popular watershed that flows directly into Lake Michigan.

5. Dane County See above, or check out our short video at http://bit.ly/danepilot.

www.cleanwisconsin.org 5

Under the Lens

Talking science with Tyson Cook, Staff Scientist

H2Know: Water conservation tips Some parts of the country are so dry that they have to pump water in from hundreds of miles away. Not us, though. We’re fortunate to have an abundance of fresh water, and our waters are a key part of the tourism industry that adds $16 billion to our economy each year. Since we’re so blessed, it may come as no surprise that despite our strong conservation ethic, we take our water for granted some times. However, our water is not an endless resource. In many parts of the state, such as the Central Sands, the Fox River Valley, and

Water Conservation Tips

• Check for leaks. Leaking toilets are water conservation enemy No. 1 since they can waste hundreds of gallons of water per day. • Turn off the water when you don’t need it. Faucets left on, such as while brushing teeth or shaving, can waste more than 2 gallons every minute. • Wash only full loads of laundry. Cutting back on washer use can save hundreds of gallons per month. • Replace your toilet with a high-efficiency model. New, efficient toilets can cut water use by 20% per flush, saving about 6 gallons per day.

southeastern Wisconsin, we have already seen the impacts of using more water than we have. In its latest report to the legislature, the interagency Groundwater Coordinating Council noted that in some places in the state “wells, springs, and wetlands have gone dry; lake levels have dropped; and streamflow has been reduced” because of too much water use. Luckily, water conservation measures are cheap and easy. In fact, most will save you time and money while saving water!

• The average Wisconsin household uses about 140 gallons of water per day, or 52,000 gallons per year. • The single biggest use of water in the home is the toilet, followed by the washing machine, faucets and showers. • About 55% of drinking water comes from surface waters, and 45% is pumped from the ground. • Two cups of every gallon of water pumped by a water utility is lost through water main leaks, overflows or other unaccounted-for ways.

• Install high-efficiency showerheads and faucets. Showers use roughly 20 gallons per day, but high-efficiency showerheads can cut water use by 40% even when compared to other new showerheads. • Use less electricity. Power plants are the single biggest user of fresh water in the state. Leaving a single standard (60-watt) lightbulb on uses the same amount of water as letting 20 faucets drip. Throughout the year, power plants use enough water through electricity generation to fill 5.75 lanes of an Olympic swimming pool for each house in Wisconsin. All together, we could fill over 250,000 of them! • Water your grass properly, as much of the water used for lawn care is wasted. UW Extension has great resources to help; visit http://learningstore.uwex.edu and search “lawn watering.”

profile of Legislative Leadership

• For more ideas, check out www.wisconsinwaterwise.org.

Water Use Facts

Rep. Sandy Pasch

22nd Assembly District, Whitefish Bay office phone: 888-534-0022 Rep.Pasch@legis.wisconsin.gov

Sandy Pasch currently represents Wisconsin’s 22nd Assembly district, which includes Milwaukee, Shorewood, Glendale, Whitefish Bay, Fox Point and River Hills. She serves as the Assistant Assembly Democratic Leader and chair of the Milwaukee Democratic Legislative Caucus. She is running for re-election in the newly drawn 10th Assembly District, which includes Shorewood and many areas of Milwaukee. She has been a practicing nurse since 1976 and has served for 15 years as an assistant professor of nursing at Columbia College of Nursing, instructing students in the fields of community health and mental health. In the Assembly, Pasch is the ranking member on the Assembly Committee on Public Health and Public Safety and the Joint Legislative Council. She also serves on the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economy and Small Business, and the Assembly Committee on Health. During her time in the Assembly, Pasch has been a leader in promoting and protecting Wisconsin’s public health and natural resources. This past session, she led the fight against the unprecedented attacks on Wisconsin’s long-standing conservation legacy. She stood up for clean air and water protections, promoted clean energy jobs, and worked to preserve our environment for future generations of Wisconsinites. Recognizing that Milwaukee has one of the world’s most precious natural resources in Lake Michigan, she authored a forward-thinking proposal that would have funded 20 new positions in the UW-Milwaukee Schools of Freshwater Science and Public Health. While this proposal did not come to fruition, funding these new faculty positions would have provided UW-Milwaukee with the resources it needs to prepare students for careers in public health, clean energy, and clean water technologies. As a member of the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economy and Small Business, she traveled the state in efforts to ensure that all stakeholders and community members — not just corporate mining interests — were able to have their voices and concerns heard and to prevent extreme changes to our state’s mining laws that would drastically have weakened our environmental and public health protections. Her legislative experience, combined with her background in the nursing field, give Pasch a unique perspective on the link between our environment and public health. A Clean Wisconsin member, Rep. Pasch has demonstrated her commitment to our issues, and we applaud her for being a strong champion for Wisconsin’s environment. Summer 2012

Candidate Education Update

Mike Mills, Design Air; Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee); Amber Meyer Smith

Candidates joined a tour of Helios SolarWorks after the Milwaukee briefing

Amber Meyer Smith; Chris Rockwood, 14th Assembly Candidate; Dave Boetcher, IBEW 159

Our clean energy candidate education briefings are off to a successful start. To date, we’ve been to Milwaukee and Green Bay, educating candidates on voter attitudes’ on clean energy and energy efficiency. It is our hope that in briefing these candidates on the economic and environmental impacts of clean energy and energy efficiency during their campaigns, they will champion clean energy and energy efficiency policy in the Legislature. Our candidate education work is not done. We will be meeting with candidates from Rock County and other areas around the state throughout this election season. A big thanks to those businesses who hosted our events and talked to candidates about clean energy and energy efficiency:

Steve Ostrenga Helios Solar Works Kent Borden E3 Efficient Energy Evaluations Steven Schonert Johnson Controls Amy Kox & Chip Bircher Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Randy Johnson US Lamp Greg Wells Lexington Homes Joe Nagan Home Building Technology Services

Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Allouez), Joe Nagan, Home Building Technology Services, and Keith Reopelle

Greg Wells, Lexington Homes; Randy Johnson, US Lamp; Jamie Wall, Candidate 8th Congressional; Joe Nagan

Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay) and Jeff Klonowski, EFI

Thank You to Everyone

who voted for Clean Wisconsin in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good program By Jake Immel, Membership & Development Assistant

This spring, Clean Wisconsin was chosen as a finalist in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Giveaway. Toyota’s annual nonprofit campaign spotlights 500 organizations throughout the country. Each day for 100 days, online voters choose one of five featured organizations to take home a brand-new Toyota vehicle. On May 16, Clean Wisconsin went up against four other deserving nonprofit organizations. Our voting day saw some fierce action as we were up against some formidable causes. In the end, the Lemhi County Humane Society received the highest percentage of votes and won a new Toyota Sienna! We came in third and received a $1,000 grant that will be put to valuable use in our water and energy programs. Even though Clean Wisconsin didn’t win, we brought positive and valuable attention to Wisconsin, as well as Clean Wisconsin’s important work. We would like to thank our 10,000+ Facebook fans for voting and spreading the word! Your continued support is amazing!

Check out the video we created for the contest at http://bit.ly/cw100cars