The Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality met for its first public hearing on May 8 in Lancaster. The task force heard from several research and farm groups before taking public testimony. The Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology Study (SWIGG) started off the meeting with a discussion of their preliminary results released earlier this year. […]
EPA Releases Draft Interim PFAS Recommendations
Date Wed, May. 1, 2019 - 11:22am By Hamilton
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released draft preliminary guidelines for PFOA and PFOS. The interim recommendations follow EPA’s PFAS Action Plan announced earlier this year. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), including PFOA and PFOS, are manufactured chemicals that are found in many everyday products, including nonstick pans, cleaning products, paints, and firefighting foam. The interim EPA […]
DNR To Move Forward With Phosphorus Criteria Rulemaking
Date Thu, Apr. 18, 2019 - 3:57pm By Hamilton
On April 10, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Board gave its approval to move forward with a rule that would establish procedures for developing site-specific phosphorus criteria. DNR plans to submit the rule to Legislative Council and hold public hearings on the rule this summer. Current Wis. Admin. Code NR 102.06 establishes statewide phosphorus criteria. […]
Water Quality Task Force Discusses Agriculture & Groundwater
Date Fri, Apr. 5, 2019 - 1:31pm By Hamilton
The Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality met for the second time in Madison on April 3 to hear testimony from both farmers and conservation advocates on solutions to improve water quality in Wisconsin. The committee hopes to put forth bipartisan legislative recommendations on clean drinking water by this fall. The first presenter, the Wisconsin […]
DNR Proposes Changes to Air Permit Processes
Date Fri, Mar. 22, 2019 - 10:57am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is currently promulgating rules that would update DNR code related to air permitting processes (Wis. Admin. Code NR 406 and 407). The rulemaking includes provisions to create some additional permit exemptions, implement electronic reporting, clarify certain types of activity to which permits apply, and restrict administrative corrections to […]
Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality Meets to Hear Agency Testimony
Date Fri, Mar. 22, 2019 - 8:11am By Hamilton
The Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality met for the first time in the state capitol this week to hear testimony from state agencies on water quality issues throughout the state. The committee hopes to put forth bipartisan legislative recommendations on clean drinking water by this fall. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) briefed the […]
Gov. Tony Evers, Speaker Vos Announce Water Quality Initiatives
Date Fri, Feb. 22, 2019 - 8:48am By Hamilton
Both Gov. Tony Evers and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) have recently announced initiatives to address water quality in Wisconsin. Evers’s plan is in the form of specific budget and policy items, whereas Vos has created a task force to gather input and make recommendations to improve water quality in Wisconsin. Evers Initiatives After […]
Gov. Evers Joins Climate Alliance
Date Fri, Feb. 22, 2019 - 8:45am By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers has announced he will join the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of governors committed to addressing climate change at the state level. The Alliance seeks to uphold the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, from which the U.S. withdrew in 2017. Members of the Alliance aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to levels 26 […]
EPA Announces PFAS Plan
Date Thu, Feb. 14, 2019 - 11:55am By Hamilton
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its comprehensive PFAS action plan. The plan lists several short-term and long-term agency solutions to address PFAS in drinking water without implementing burdensome regulations on utilities and businesses. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are manufactured chemicals that are found in many everyday products, including nonstick pans, cleaning products, […]
EPA Won’t Regulate PFAS
Date Tue, Feb. 5, 2019 - 2:19pm By Hamilton
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will not regulate PFAS chemicals, according to a recent report from Politico. While EPA’s PFAS (specifically, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) plan has not yet been released, it is reported to leave PFAS off the federal water quality testing requirements for utilities under the Safe Drinking Water Act. However, the […]