(Madison, WI) – Last week, a three-judge panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from reclassifying the area from Kenosha to Sheboygan, and west into Waukesha, to “serious nonattainment” for ozone standards.
Rep. Allen released the following statement:
As Chairman of the Assembly Committee on State and Federal Relations, I have been deeply concerned by the draconian reclassification that the EPA was preparing to impose. Wisconsin businesses and employers have been nonsensically targeted by costly and excessive federal mandates to resolve a problem we did not create.
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and EPA show the majority of ozone pollution originates from emissions outside our borders. Punishing Wisconsin industry and workers for issues caused by our proximity to Lake Michigan and neighbors to the south defied common sense. I’ve heard it speculated that we could bulldoze every factory and home in the area, replant trees and grass, and still be in nonattainment. This decision is a short-term win for common sense.
The Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce should be applauded for its leadership on this issue. This is a win, but it is not over. I look forward to working with stakeholders at the state and federal levels to pursue solutions that safeguard the economy and environment.
