I’m State Senator Eric Wimberger from the 30th Senate District in Northeast Wisconsin.
Last week, I championed a motion to create a dedicated $125 million PFAS Fund in the state budget.
PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals” are a group of chemicals linked to environmental contamination. PFAS are widely used in products that protect against heat and grease and can be found in cookware, clothing, paper and food packaging to only name a few.
Recently, I independently investigated and exposed the DNR approved practice of spreading PFAS-laden biosolids onto farms, which can depreciate land values and force costly remediation regardless of whether the landowner caused the contamination in the first place.
Despite my repeated attempts to convince the Evers administration to stop, the DNR continues to permit the spread of PFAS onto farms, and wells throughout the state are actively being irreversibly contaminated.
The Republican-led Joint Finance Committee is fighting back over the DNR’s mismanagement by setting up this fund. This will be the only dedicated PFAS-centered state appropriation to address emerging needs. It’s good for public health.
As our work on the state budget continues, our commitment to improving the health, safety and wellbeing of our state and its residents remains strong.
Video: https://youtu.be/0h3e5nbBTu4