Defender
Spring 2019 we believe everyone deserves clean water and clean air
Gov. Evers makes big investments in clean water & energy
(Photo by Barry Dale Gilfry/Flick)r
Budget committee aims to slash key provisions
Clean Wisconsin is strongly advocating for the governor’s clean water and energy priorities. There are many encouraging things in the governor’s budget. Below summarizes some of the biggest items.
WATER
Carly Michiels, Government Relations Director
Gov. Tony Evers introduced the 20192021 State Budget in late February this year, proposing big investments in programs for clean water and energy in Wisconsin—the biggest we have seen in many years.
One of the first things Gov. Evers did after inauguration was declare 2019 the “Year of Clean Drinking Water in Wisconsin.” His budget reinforces the year of clean drinking water by providing $70 million for numerous water initiatives. Gov. Evers’ budget makes vital investments to address the continuing health risks associated with nitrate
pollution in drinking water, reduce pollution from rural agriculture runoff, tackle emerging contaminants, and take on lead pollution. $40 million for lead pipe replacement Across the state there is an estimated 170,000 lead service lines providing drinking water to families, daycare facilities, and schools. The budget includes $40 million to replace lead service lines across the state, which will help provide access to safe drinking water and protect kids from lead poisoning. $19.5 million to address water pollution from agriculture This budget helps reduce impacts on our lakes, rivers, streams and drinking water from rural agriculture pollution. This pollution typically comes from water running off farm fields, and it requires collaborative, comprehensive solutions. These investments can be used for programs that help farmers reduce runoff from their fields, control soil erosion, manage waste and manure, and implement best management practices. The budget also adds five staff to the DNR’s program to oversee large farms called concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), increasing the program’s staffing by almost a quarter. These new staff positions will help this program, which oversees over 300 current CAFO permits, operate more efficiently and effectively. The positions will be funded by an increase in CAFO permit fees. The fee increase will make sure these large farming operations are paying their fair continued on Page 5
Water Quality Task Force needs to take bold action
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By Scott Laeser, Water Program Director
(Photo by Jacek Dylag/UnSplash)
Also in this issue
While Governor Tony Evers has declared 2019 the “Year of Clean Drinking Water” and proposed needed budget funding to address our drinking water challenges, the legislature is also taking on the issue. In January, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos launched the Task Force on Water Quality to investigate water quality issues statewide and come up with policy solutions. The bi-partisan Task Force is made up of 16 members of the Assembly and Senate. Speaker Vos created the Task Force shortly after the first round of testing in the Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology (SWIGG) Study found that 42% of the 300 wells tested across Grant, Iowa, and Lafayette Counties tested continued on Page 7
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