Gov. Evers proposes millions for 'forever chemical' testing, cleanup in biennial Wisconsin budget

Laura Schulte
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

As "forever chemical" contamination continues to emerge across Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers wants to see the state designate funds to fight back against the substances. 

In his executive budget released last month, Evers recommended nearly $26 million in funding for testing municipal water systems, remediating contaminated sites, disposing of PFAS-containing firefighting foam, adding 11 employees to the Department of Natural Resources to study the chemicals and setting standards for the chemicals in water. 

Addressing chemical contamination in water across the state has been a priority for Evers, after declaring 2019 the year of clean drinking water. Since then, the DNR and other agencies, such as the Department of Health Services, have moved to identify and learn more about the major contamination in the state, putting together the PFAS Action Plan. The measures proposed in the executive budget follow the recommendations the committee made in December. 

PFAS are a family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products such as clothing and carpet, nonstick cookware, packaging and firefighting foam. The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining both in the environment and human body over time.

PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems, and altered hormone regulation and altered thyroid hormones. The compounds have been found in several places across Wisconsin, including Marinette, Peshtigo, Madison, Milwaukee and La Crosse. 

RELATED:What you should know about PFAS, or 'forever' chemicals, contaminating drinking water in parts of Wisconsin

But the DNR has been stretched thin on dealing with PFAS. Employees have been required to wear many hats to keep residents living in known contamination areas up to date, while also working to identify other communities at risk. 

The money, said Darsi Foss, administrator of the DNR’s environmental management division, will help the agency in several ways, starting with spreading the work across more employees with the new hires. 

The positions would likely be scientists, people to help with sampling water systems across the state, employees dedicated to keeping communities in the know and a wildlife position to aid in the study of how PFAS can settle in fish, deer and birds, which are then consumed by humans. 

"We need a lot of assistance in all of those areas," she said. "It does take additional resources, and we think 11 folks is important to make sure we can meet public expectations of us addressing PFAS." 

RELATED: After a record year in state park attendance, Gov. Evers proposes large hike in stewardship spending in his biennial budget

She said the grants to local governments — $10 million each year of the budget — would go a long way to help different cities around the state test their systems regularly and even provide residents with alternative drinking water sources if needed. 

Environmental groups across the state also applauded the proposed funding, saying it will be a good start in helping residents facing large contaminations. 

"It's long overdue," said Fred Clark, the executive director of Wisconsin's Green Fire. "It's probably not going to be enough to solve the problem, but will be enough to do sampling statewide and start to understand the scope of the problem." 

But there is also hesitancy about the funding. 

Sen. Rob Cowles, R-Green Bay, said he is concerned about whether enough is known about PFAS yet to require so much spending. While he understands there is robust scientific research about the variants of PFAS that come from firefighting foam, others are still being looked at and don't have a lot of information available. 

"How far do you go without having good evidence," he asked. "How much money do you spend? Firefighting foam is locked down, because we've spent a lot of time on it."

Cowles also noted that several of the provisions, while recommended by the Action Plan, were also part of past legislation that hasn't yet been acted on. He said that it's likely the Legislature will pull parts of the PFAS spending from the budget — like the money for collecting foam from fire departments — but then pass a bill providing money through the Legislature. 

"It will be considered policy even though there is money attached to it, because they're new initiatives," he said. "(The recommendations) deal with a lot of different, non-fiscal decisions. So it's highly likely they'll be taken out of the budget and then drafted as a bill." 

RELATED:Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce sues DNR over remediation standards for 'forever chemicals'

Legislators who represent districts affected by PFAS contamination are optimistic about the budget, though. 

Rep. Samba Baldeh, D-Madison, represents a portion of the city near the Dane County Regional Airport, where PFAS contamination has been an issue. He said the proposed spending on PFAS is a good start and a good investment for the state. 

"I think water and food are the most important things we put in our body," he said. 

Baldeh is confident that the measures can pass the Legislature and make it into the final budget because people statewide are concerned about contamination, not just in areas represented by Democrats. 

"If representatives are listening, they'll jump on this," he said. 

Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, also represents a district near the airport and sees the proposed spending as a highlight in the budget. She knows that the proposed spending will likely face pushback, but hopes it doesn't eliminate too much from the action plan. 

"It's something that all Wisconsinites deserve to have — clean water," she said. "We need to take action." 

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on Twitter at @SchulteLaura