Sunday, July 12, 2015

Walker uses line-item vetoes to hit environment

Quickly scanned the pdf of Walker's line item vetoes, and spotted these consequences:

# 29 - - Eliminates dedicated state conservation forestry funding for a paper sciences program at UW-Stevens Point, and for programming at the Center for Cooperatives at UW-Madison (see related February posting). Bottom line: Stupid UW science.

# 67 - - Eliminates a mandatory and sweeping audit of WisDOT highway planning statewide. Bottom line: WisDOT escapes some needed scrutiny. (See recent, relevant Federal court rulings, here and here.)

#95 - - Eliminates WisDOT planning for signage noting a Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage Trail from Kenosha County at the Illinois border, west through Dane County to Iowa County. Bottom line: Tourists are not diverted away from the Dells, Packers Hall of Fame and Gift Shop.

#97 - - Rearranges already-diminished funding for Stewardship program by prohibiting the use of land sale revenues to purchase additional Stewardship lands. Current law designates that 50% of land sales funds pay down previous land purchase debt, the other 50% used to purchase new land. Bottom line: less land in the popular, long-standing bi-partisan public land access and habitat preservation program.

# 102 - - Reduces existing DNR grants to certain named non-profit conservation agencies, including Wisconsin Lakes, River Alliance of Wisconsin, and Gathering Waters., among others. Bottom line: conservation work at the grassroots obstructed.

On another matter:

# 89, as predicted, prohibits so-called payday loan companies from expanding services into traditional financial firms' turf. Bottom line: Big Finance's bottom line protected.

1 comment:

Betsey said...

Sick.