MADISON – Senator Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto) released the following statement ahead of an Assembly Committee on Environment public hearing on Assembly Bill 130 and Assembly Bill 131, legislation he authored with Representative Jeff Mursau (R-Crivitz) to address PFAS contamination in communities across Wisconsin:
“The bills build on months of discussions and meetings with stakeholder groups and local leaders impacted by PFAS contamination over several years. This legislation will deliver relief to municipalities suffering from PFAS across the state, and ensures that innocent landowners and communities can clean up pollution they didn’t cause without being punished or forced into bankruptcy.”
After months of collaboration with the Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and stakeholders, the authors introduced an amendment to the bill this week.
“We are excited to have an agreement in principle with the Department while we continue to work with stakeholders on details to ensure these solutions can get across the finish line. Last session, the administration opposed protections for innocent landowners and the Governor chose to veto our PFAS relief bill, so I think we’ve come a long way.”
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 offers protections for landowners whose lands contain pollution that they did not cause.
