Hey there, folks! Governor Tony Evers here.
Whether it’s kids in the classroom, families at home, or our farmers and agricultural industries, Wisconsinites’ health and well-being depend on access to clean, safe water.
Folks should be able to trust that the water coming out of their tap is safe, but we know that’s not the case in far too many communities.
Over two years ago now, I was proud to sign a budget that provided the first real, meaningful bipartisan investment to fight PFAS with a $125 million commitment.
Unfortunately, that $125 million sat in Madison unspent for over 1,000 days while families and communities suffered because Republican lawmakers refused to release them.
But I promised the people of Wisconsin I’d never stop fighting to ensure Wisconsinites have clean water, free of PFAS, lead, and other harmful contaminants.
This week, after seven years of working to get to this moment, I was happy to finally deliver on that promise.
This week, I signed two bills to finally release that $125 million to fight PFAS statewide.
Together, these bills deliver on our promise to continue addressing PFAS contamination and ensure safe, clean water by investing nearly $80 million to support local communities fighting PFAS.
We’re also helping private well owners clean up contaminated wells with a $35 million investment.
These bills also provide emergency bottled water for folks whose water is contaminated, protects innocent landowners, and creates new opportunities for the DNR to support PFAS mitigation.
This is a big deal, folks. This will provide real relief to help families and communities tackle the pressing threat of PFAS in local wells, municipal water systems, and more.
These bills are the result of years of advocacy by my administration, as well as months of negotiations between my office and Republican lawmakers.
While it should have happened a whole heckuva lot sooner, I’m proud that we were able to work together with Republican lawmakers to finally get this done.
Thank you.
