(MADISON)—Today, Senator Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) issued the following statement:
“Over the weekend, thousands of residents in Walker’s Point, Lincoln Village, and Bayview experienced a power outage due to the release of mylar balloons. Several WE Energies customers reported that their power was out for hours during the heat of the day.
“This recent outage adds to the approximately 120,000 WE Energies customers who have seen power outages in the last few years caused by the release of Mylar balloons.
“Because of the damage that balloon releases cause to our environment and critical infrastructure, I have introduced Senate Bill 360, which would apply the same penalty as littering to the release of ten or more Mylar balloons. I am hopeful that this will help bring attention to the challenges caused by the release of balloons, and improve enforcement of this form of littering.”
Senate Bill 360 would:
- Prohibit the release of 10 or more mylar balloons
- Set the penalty for a violation at $500, which is the same penalty for littering
- Create exceptions for indoor releases and releases for scientific purposes
