MADISON – Senator Eric Wimberger (R-Gillett) released the following statement after the Wisconsin State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 130 and Assembly Bill 131, the landmark legislation he authored with Representative Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz) to direct funding from the PFAS Trust Fund to create new programs and protections to help communities combat PFAS contamination across Wisconsin:
“Today’s vote in the Assembly is the result of compromise and negotiations between the Legislature, the Governor, and impacted communities from across Wisconsin. With this vote we’re one step closer to getting victims of PFAS the protections they deserve and communities suffering from PFAS the help they need to clean up this mess.”
Assembly Bill 131 creates new PFAS-specific grant programs to help communities get the resources they need to address contamination while providing new protections for victims of pollution. Assembly Bill 130 funds these new resources and initiatives.
Amendments to the bills, introduced through cooperation between the Legislature and Governor Evers, secure protections for innocent landowners who contain PFAS through no fault of their own, as well as direct portions of the PFAS Trust Fund to support local communities’ efforts to fight PFAS, expand the Well Compensation Grant Program, and provide bottled water for private landowners when PFAS is discovered on their property.
