Hi, this is State Representative Sondy Pope with this week’s Democratic Radio Address.
Wisconsin is blessed in so many ways. Unlike other parts of the nation, we are blessed with abundant and clean water. With each passing day, it becomes clearer just how lucky we are. Which makes protecting our water for future generations even more critical.
For as long as I can remember, it was safe to turn on the kitchen sink, fill up a glass of water and take a drink. But recently, as too many people are discovering, whether it’s up in Door County or over near La Crosse, it might not be so safe, especially for our children.
Wisconsin taxpayers are already facing enormous costs to address PFAS contamination. Unfortunately, the Republicans who control the legislature have refused to do anything, allowing polluters to damage our water and evade responsibility. My democratic colleagues and I were willing to work with the republicans to take even small steps, but our efforts at finding any kind of compromise were unsuccessful.
Thankfully, Governor Evers and Attorney General Kaul recently filed a lawsuit against 18 companies who knew about the harmful impacts of PFAS but continued to use them. Some even took steps to protect their employees but not the public at large. It’s sad it had to come to this, but taxpayers shouldn’t have to bear the costs of these companies’ bad behavior.
