Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Because in WI, environmental degradation already underway

Promises. Empty promises.

Wisconsin DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp minimizes the elimination of the agency's crucial water division, rationalizes the elimination of science staff which she supported and overlooks already-weakened wetlands, shoreline, mining. manure control, parks' management, public land acquisition, pollution inspections and enforcement laws and procedures which Walker and the Legislature have systematically been easing.

Hence this story about Stepp pledging no changes to environmental standards leaves me unpersuaded:
DNR Board To Consider Reorganization Of Agency 
Environment Standards Won't Change As Part Of The Plan, Secretary Says
Walker moved Stepp to the secretary position from her private development business and status as DNR scold and gave her a team of corporate officials as top managers to implement "a chamber of commerce mentality" - - the same special-interest policy direction now managing the entire state government, including the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

One of the apparent winners in the reorganization is current air division director Pat Stevens, as the Journal Sentinel lists among the major proposed changes:
Merging air regulation, landfill regulation, many facets of water regulation and the Office of the Great Lakes into a single division. Air and water issues were previously operated in different units.
His resume includes senior positions with Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, a developer trade association and a road-builders' group.

The only standards that might not change at the DNR as a result of the 'reorganization'  are those that have already been effectively wiped out.

2 comments:

Rick Horowitz said...

Clearly manure control has been eliminated...

La Mer said...

Rick Horowitz "Clearly manure control has been eliminated..."

...and manure is now in control. srsly

I suggest a series of community drive-in movie showings of

http://www.cowspiracy.com/

projected onto the outside walls of CAFOs in Dane County,
which in 2007 were:

ABS Global, Inc.
1525 River Road
DeForest, WI 53532
Type: Beef

Blue Star Dairy Farms
7502 Patton Rd
DeForest, WI 53532
Type: Dairy

Daybreak Foods, Inc.
533 Tyranena Road
P O Box 800
Lake Mills, WI 53551
Type: Chickens

Kippley Farms
6137 CTY K
Waunakee, WI 53597
Type: Beef

Ripps Dairy Valley
6626 Ripp Dr
Dane, WI 53529
Type: Dairy

STATZ BROTHERS, INC.
6075 Skala Road
SUN PRAIRIE, WI 53590
Type: Dairy

Wagner Dairy Farm
7262 Schneider Rd
Middleton, WI 53562

according to this 2007 report. Scroll all the way through for information on landfills and leaking underground storage tanks,(possible sources of chromium-6.)

http://wi.water.usgs.gov/gwcomp/find/dane/index_full.html#top

Luckily, there are still good things happening elsewhere, like California:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/12/1411390/-Judge-Rules-State-Must-Do-Much-More-to-Curb-Agricultural-Pollution

"While the court agrees that implementation of management practices may be an acceptable means to achieve water quality standards...implementing management practices is not a substitute for actual compliance with water quality standards."

...and in Michigan where environmental groups requested a ban on crude oil piped underwater through the Mackinac Straits:

http://www.greeningdetroit.com/2015/07/15/schuette-wyant-call-for-ban-on-heavy-crude-in-the-mackinac-straits-pipelines-and-independent-studies-of-current-risks-and-future-options/