MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today urged the state’s budget committee to release $10 million from the state’s PFAS Trust Fund to help provide safe, clean drinking water to families and communities impacted by contamination from Tyco Fire Products LP’s (Tyco) Fire Technology Center (FTC). The Evers Administration today formally requested the Wisconsin State Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) release the approximately $10 million payment that Tyco made as part of the June 2026 settlement agreement that resolved State of Wisconsin v. Tyco Fire Products LP, which marked one of the first efforts to hold polluters accountable for PFAS contamination caused in Marinette. Once released to the DNR, the funding will be used to provide clean, safe drinking water to those who have had their water polluted by PFAS contamination in the area, as well as testing and replacing contaminated wells and installing treatment systems.

“Every Wisconsinite deserves to have clean, safe water to drink, and for the past seven-plus years, my administration and I have been working to fight these forever chemicals that are affecting the health and well-being of kids, families, farmers, livestock, crops, and communities all over Wisconsin,” said Gov. Evers. “I’m proud of our work to create the PFAS Trust Fund, which is available to help ensure the state can support Wisconsinites in getting contaminants like PFAS out of their water for good. The DNR’s plan to spend these funds was developed in collaboration with local leaders and through listening sessions to ensure these funds are put to good use and address the urgent needs of the impacted communities. I urge lawmakers to act quickly and approve our request by releasing these funds as quickly as possible so we can continue this fight and ensure Wisconsinites have clean drinking water.”

Gov. Evers has spent much of his time in office leading the state’s fight against so-called “forever chemicals” like PFAS. Under his leadership, the Evers Administration has aggressively pursued PFAS polluters for contaminating Wisconsinites’ water and natural resources across the state, including filing several lawsuits aiming to prevent taxpayers from footing the bill to clean up widespread contamination and to hold polluters financially responsible for the costs instead. During the governor’s first term in office, the Evers Administration referred Tyco for charges for failing to report, investigate, and remediate PFAS discharge at and around the Tyco Fire Technology Center in Marinette, alleging the company violated the state’s hazardous substance Spills Law.

Following the court’s approval of the settlement in June, the DNR offered listening sessions and other opportunities for the impacted community to provide input on how they would like the funds to be used, with consideration that any funded activities will be complementary to the actions that Tyco is required to take through the settlement. Based on the community’s input, a top priority will be to use the funds to provide safe drinking water to residents with private wells affected by PFAS in and around the Expanded Site Investigation Area (ESIA). The funds will be used to support testing of private wells for PFAS, installing water treatment and/or a new private well for wells impacted by PFAS, and paying for long-term care for treatment systems, as funding allows.

“DNR staff met directly with community members to hear feedback for how to use the $10 million,” said DNR Secretary Hyun. “The DNR supports the community’s priorities of safe water and wants to move quickly to get financial and technical support to those who need it.”

Tyco’s required settlement payment has been deposited into the state’s PFAS Trust Fund, meaning it is now available to be distributed to the DNR to be used. The Evers Administration today requested that the Joint Committee on Finance make the funds available for immediate use, and the DNR will continue to keep the community informed throughout this process and will consult with the community after the money is released. Updates will be shared through the PFAS Contamination in Marinette and Peshtigo Area subscription list as well as on the DNR’s website.

“The Remediation and Redevelopment program staff are ready to assist private well owners in the Expanded Site Investigation Area,” said Environmental Management Division Administrator Bart Sponseller. “Community members were clear that it is important to use the settlement funding to help those in the ESIA.”

In addition to the $10 million settlement payment deposited into the PFAS Trust Fund to help clean up future PFAS contamination—one of the largest settlements stemming from a DNR referral in state history—Tyco must provide clean drinking water for certain Marinette-area residents and must address PFAS discharges from Tyco’s FTC. The agreement also requires Tyco to continue providing for replacement wells within a defined area, conducting monitoring and reporting for PFAS contamination, and continuing to implement measures toward long-term remediation of the area.

Importantly, the settlement announcement is the result of one lawsuit, with more lawsuits pending against polluters. The lawsuit settlement announced in June, for example, does not impact a massive, separate lawsuit that was also filed during Gov. Evers’ first term in 2022 against Tyco, Chemguard, 3M, DuPont, and several other defendants for allegedly wrongfully, knowingly, and deceptively contaminating natural resources with PFAS across Wisconsin, which remains active and ongoing.

Gov. Evers earlier this year enacted the state’s first-ever comprehensive PFAS bill, which will provide over $125 million to help address PFAS contamination and ensure Wisconsinites in communities across the state will have access to clean water.

Gov. Evers spent years working across the aisle with Republican lawmakers to negotiate and usher two bipartisan bills, Assembly Bill 130, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 200, and Assembly Bill 131, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 201, which, together, facilitate the release of the $125 million in stalled PFAS investments that had sat unspent in Madison since the signing of the 2023-25 Biennial Budget in July 2023. With the addition of the requested settlement funds announced today, the Evers Administration remains committed to supporting communities in PFAS mitigation and ensuring clean, safe drinking water for all. 

An online version of this release is available here.