Ron Johnson Opposed Milwaukee Canal Cleanup, Other WI Water Programs

Wisconsin GOP Senator, clean water opponent and master of irrelevancy Ron Johnson was one of only seven US Senators to recently vote "nay"on federal funding for a host of water quality projects nationally, including cleaning up the Burnham Canal on Milwaukee's Southside.

For the record:

Sen. Tammy Baldwin's office says the package will benefit the Neenah Foundry plant in Neenah, which makes drinking and wastewater infrastructure accessories and products. It also allows the City of Milwaukee to move forward on restoring the Burnham Canal and transforming it into a wetland. Other funds will go toward funding a Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund to be shared by Duluth and Superior, Green Bay and Milwaukee... 

Wisconsin Farm Bureau President Jim Holte says his group is pleased with the bill's passage because it encourages the sustainability of Wisconsin's agricultural export programs... 

Meanwhile, only seven Senators voted against the legislation, including Wisconsin's Ron Johnson. He says there are a number of provisions in the bill that he liked, but said since the entire draft was lacked with 'adequate reform and an effective prioritization process' he could not support it. 

"The important provisions did not outweigh the bill's serious flaws," Sen. Johnson said. "In addition to increasing government spending far in excess of the deal that President Obama and Congress agreed to in December, the bill did not adequately reform a broken system that fails to effectively prioritize federal spending and Army Corps of Engineers projects."