When Alberta Darling Cares About The Environment - - And An Antidote

Few Wisconsin officials could use the word "environment" three times in one paragraph about state politics without real concern about the real environment - - while also itching to push through bills to dredge streams, or send mining waste into them while and giving away more controls over public waterways via Special Bill 24 - - but our own very Walker water-carrier and State Sen. Alberta Darling, (R-River Hills), manages it:

"We have been in a state of chaos since February, and especially since June with the recalls. It's not an environment to do the people's business. It's not an environment for bipartisan collaboration. It's not a good environment for solutions. 

Now here are a few tips from the Sierra Club about how you can really protect the environment - - though it is perhaps different than what's on Alberta's list:

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DEMAND ANSWERS FOR SAFE DRINKING WATER: WE ENERGIES' COAL ASH SPILL 
On Monday, October 31, 2011, a partial retaining bluff collapsed at the We Energies Oak Creek Power Plant, sending 2,500 cubic yards of toxic coal ash into Lake Michigan. This collapse comes just weeks after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from protecting Americans from coal ash.  Unfortunately, the Department of Natural Resources and We Energies have failed to keep the local community informed about their plans to protect natural resources and drinking water. 

Please help us bring attention for the need for a real response to this urgent issue. 

Contact the DNR today to demand daily briefings and online updates for local communities, increased sediment and drinking water monitoring and reporting, and requiring that We Energies use a viable control method and develop a timeline to contain and remediate the coal ash plume.

The potential for this disaster to spread is a real concern given the recent storms.

Key Facts:

• Wisconsin generates 1.4 million tons of coal ash every year, about 10% of the 131 million tons of coal ash generated nationwide. 
• Coal ash contains mercury, arsenic, lead, and chromium, known to cause cancer, nerve damage, and other serious health problems.  Selenium from coal ash is linked to fish mutations. 
• Coal ash from Oak Creek has already contaminated water in Southeast WI, forcing We Energies to supply drinking water to the residents of Caledonia, Wisconsin. 

Mary Anne Hitt, Director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign provided the following response to the accident: "This spill in the Great Lakes is a tragic reminder of why the status quo is not good enough. Just weeks ago, at the urging of We Energies and others in the coal industry, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to block the EPA from enacting strong national protections, thereby allowing states to continue the status quo that led to this disastrous collapse."

Ways to Take Action:

• Contact the DNR today (Pat Stevens, Air & Waste Div. Mgr., 608-264-9210 & Ken Johnson, Water Division Mgr., 608-264-9678) to demand more public outreach better oversight of We Energies' clean-up efforts.
• Contact Senator Kohl and urge him to OPPOSE the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act, (S.1751).  This tragedy is a painful reminder about why the EPA must have the authority to protect the public from toxic coal ash pollution.  The Senate must do everything it can right now to empower the EPA, rather than undermining their ability to protect us from corporate polluters. 
• Attend Sierra Club's Southeast Gateway Group meeting, November 17, UW Parkside's Tallent Hall 901-923 30th Ave, Kenosha, WI. (map) State Rep. Cory Mason will be on hand to provide information and listen to your concerns.

For more information and updates, check our coal ash webpage.  Thanks for doing everything you can to demand safer drinking water for Lake Michigan.

POLLUTERS OVER PEOPLE UPDATE

Thanks to hundreds of you who attended the October 26 public hearing and sent messages to your legislators to stop the Polluters over People bill, Special Session AB / SB 24.  Thanks also to those of you who traveled to the mining hearing in Hurley the following day. 

Legislators have taken notice. No votes have been taken to date, while other harmful bills we expected to see have been delayed.  But the fight isn't over yet.  Help us keep on the pressure on to stop the Polluters over People bill! A vote on SS SB 24 could occur in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee as early as November 14.  Call your State Senators today to urge them to oppose this bill, even if you've previously sent an email. 

The message is simple: "Please oppose Special Session SB 24, because this far-reaching bill can't be fixed.  It threatens air, water, and public participation in local development proposals statewide, and changing permits for prospecting and low hazard dams paves the way for irresponsible mining in northern Wisconsin."