MADISON, Wis. — Among the more than 540 provisions unceremoniously stripped from the state budget by Republicans on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee were proposals to address water contamination in communities across Wisconsin—including in JFC Republicans’ own districts.
Parents shouldn’t have to worry about the water their kids are drinking. That’s why Gov. Evers’ budget proposed bold action to address contaminants like nitrates and lead, as well as PFAS, in Wisconsin’s water supply. By rejecting provisions to address water contamination in Gov. Evers’ budget, Republicans on the JFC are ignoring the problem and failing their constituents.
See more on how Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee are ignoring water contamination in their own districts:
- Sen. Mary Felzkowski: Water quality testing revealed that 24 private wells in the Town of Stella outside of Rhinelander were contaminated with unsafe levels of PFAS. Sen. Felzkowski voted against an investment of over $2 million in PFAS testing, sampling, and monitoring capacity.
- Rep. Tony Kurtz and Sen. Howard Marklein: The DNR issued fish consumption advisories for fish in Castle Rock Lake and Lake Mohawksin after elevated levels of PFOS, a type of PFAS, were discovered in several species of fish. Sen. Marklein and Rep. Kurtz voted to strip PFAS water standards and testing from the state budget.
- Sen. Eric Wimberger: Marinette and Peshtigo residents are reckoning with the aftereffects of PFAS contamination in their water supply after it was revealed that chemicals from the Johnson Control Industries Fire Technology Center had contaminated the area’s drinking water for more than fifty years. Sen. Wimberger voted to strip regulatory criteria from the state budget that would help prevent future catastrophes.
- Sen. Pat Testin: Nelsonville residents are struggling to find solutions to nitrate pollution found in Portage County wells and are asking the DNR to step in to help provide clean drinking water. Sen. Testin voted to strip increased DNR funding that would provide the agency with the proper resources to address water contamination from the state budget.
