Water Sector News
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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 and Eric Wimberger, introduced a major amendment to the bill and forwarded it out of committee a day later.
The bill is meant to be the vehicle through which $125 million in funding set aside in the state budget for PFAS cleanup will be spent — creating several grant programs aimed at covering costs to municipalities and landowners dealing with PFAS pollution. Since the bill’s introduction, Democrats and conservation groups have raised concerns that certain provisions undercut the Department of Natural Resource’s ability to hold polluters accountable. Meanwhile business groups have also objected to the bill, hoping to prevent the DNR from exercising too much authority.