[Updated from 10/17/15] A powerful truth about environmental protection in Wisconsin - - actually about how law and public policy favors pollution over protection- - was spoken last week in Ashland, so let's help broadcast that message.
Major props to the League of Women Voters for Ashland and Bayfield Counties and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, (GLIFWC), for their program about the origins and implications of long-standing treaties negotiated among the US Government and several Ojibwe tribes that guarantee tribal members off-reservation hunting and fishing rights in territory ceded by the tribes to the government in Northern Wisconsin.
There is a need for greater information about, and respect for, these treaties. They were central to creation of the United States as we know it, and transferred enormous wealth away from the tribes, yet these signed agreements were abused during subsequent battles over walleye fishing, and more recently by corporate influence inserted by politicians into iron mining bill-writing, and which were in the news again recently when a federal court upheld the tribes' rights to hunt deer at night.
And one short statement by GLIFWC official Philomena Kebecin in a solid story about the Ashland meeting succinctly summarizes the pollution-enabling status quo in Wisconsin since conservative, pro-corporate politicians statewide and now also running a deeply distorted Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - - as noted here as Walker was about to take office - - have systematically tilted law and process in favor of iron mining, oil pipeline operators, developers, shoreline encroachment, wetlands-filling, frac sand mining, airborne manure spraying, groundwater pumping, weak enforcement actions, timber cutting, public land sales, massive animal feeding operations, Big Ag, even campaign contributors from the earliest days of Walker's tenure straight through to the present.
Said Ms. Kebec, truth-teller:
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, it would not have a DNR run by the former developer Cathy Stepp, chosen by Scott Walker for her "chamber of commerce mentality," and who recently refused in partnership with the Wisconsin Attorney General to follow a judge's order to limit the number of additional thousands of cows to be added legally to a major dairy operation already associated with pollution.
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, it would not have delayed by 20 years the elimination of waterway-choking phosphorus pollution, and would have addressed an expanding dead zone in Green Bay caused by phosphorus-rich polluted runoff.
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, it would not have lined up the taxpayer-paid resources of the Governor's office, the Attorney General's office, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and the DNR against proposed federal clean air rules.
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, the PSC would not followed Walker's anti-wind power stance, nor would the agency have recently allowed Wisconsin utilities to add new fees on solar installations,
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, the DNR would not have given the proposed expansion of the North-South Enbridge tar sand oil pipeline Number 61 an intentionally minimal review - - especially given the company's calamitous pollution record - - nor would the Legislature have approved a last-minute amendment to the state budget this summer blocking Dane County from requiring the company to obtain additional pollution insurance.
Because as Ms. Kebec said - - and, really, put this on a poster:
Major props to the League of Women Voters for Ashland and Bayfield Counties and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, (GLIFWC), for their program about the origins and implications of long-standing treaties negotiated among the US Government and several Ojibwe tribes that guarantee tribal members off-reservation hunting and fishing rights in territory ceded by the tribes to the government in Northern Wisconsin.
There is a need for greater information about, and respect for, these treaties. They were central to creation of the United States as we know it, and transferred enormous wealth away from the tribes, yet these signed agreements were abused during subsequent battles over walleye fishing, and more recently by corporate influence inserted by politicians into iron mining bill-writing, and which were in the news again recently when a federal court upheld the tribes' rights to hunt deer at night.
And one short statement by GLIFWC official Philomena Kebecin in a solid story about the Ashland meeting succinctly summarizes the pollution-enabling status quo in Wisconsin since conservative, pro-corporate politicians statewide and now also running a deeply distorted Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - - as noted here as Walker was about to take office - - have systematically tilted law and process in favor of iron mining, oil pipeline operators, developers, shoreline encroachment, wetlands-filling, frac sand mining, airborne manure spraying, groundwater pumping, weak enforcement actions, timber cutting, public land sales, massive animal feeding operations, Big Ag, even campaign contributors from the earliest days of Walker's tenure straight through to the present.
Said Ms. Kebec, truth-teller:
“Environmental law is really about how much pollution we’re going to allow,” she said. “It’s not about protecting the environment. It’s about the amount of pollution that’s acceptable to be dumped into this particular river or going up in a smokestack. How many pounds of mercury are we going to put up in the air and pig sludge that’s going to go into Fish Creek. That’s what environmental law is about.”That is so true.
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, it would not have a DNR run by the former developer Cathy Stepp, chosen by Scott Walker for her "chamber of commerce mentality," and who recently refused in partnership with the Wisconsin Attorney General to follow a judge's order to limit the number of additional thousands of cows to be added legally to a major dairy operation already associated with pollution.
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, it would not have delayed by 20 years the elimination of waterway-choking phosphorus pollution, and would have addressed an expanding dead zone in Green Bay caused by phosphorus-rich polluted runoff.
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, it would not have lined up the taxpayer-paid resources of the Governor's office, the Attorney General's office, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission and the DNR against proposed federal clean air rules.
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, the PSC would not followed Walker's anti-wind power stance, nor would the agency have recently allowed Wisconsin utilities to add new fees on solar installations,
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, the DNR would not have given the proposed expansion of the North-South Enbridge tar sand oil pipeline Number 61 an intentionally minimal review - - especially given the company's calamitous pollution record - - nor would the Legislature have approved a last-minute amendment to the state budget this summer blocking Dane County from requiring the company to obtain additional pollution insurance.
Because as Ms. Kebec said - - and, really, put this on a poster:
“Environmental law is really about how much pollution we’re going to allow,” she said. “It’s not about protecting the environment. It’s about the amount of pollution that’s acceptable to be dumped into this particular river or going up in a smokestack. How many pounds of mercury are we going to put up in the air and pig sludge that’s going to go into Fish Creek. That’s what environmental law is about.”Which is why grassroots and non-profit organizations like the GLIFWC, conservation groups and other advocates - - a perfect example is the coalition trying to ensure clean water in Kewaukee County over the DNR's obstructionism - - have to fight so hard not only against special interests but the state itself to ensure access to clean water and air and environmental access and rights guaranteed in the Wisconsin State Constitution, but under constant, private-sector attack.
If Wisconsin were really interested in environmental protection, Milwaukee would never have been allowed to dump all its pee in Lake Michigan. We'd have done something smarter, like Chicago, and reverse the flow of rivers to send Milwaukee's pee to the Mississippi River so they could pump it out at St Louis and make Budweiser swill out if it.
ReplyDeleteThis is the best article I've read in describing the struggle to protect Wisconsin's environment. Much gratitude to our Wisconsin natives' for their endeavors in engaging in the legal battles and in speaking out for our land, waters, wildlife and the air we breathe! Main stream media has issued hardly a whisper in exposing the many facets of this battle as they too are owned and bow to their oligarchic management.
ReplyDeleteThanks James for Your ongoing vigilance and documentation!
To Anon Oct. 17 - - Milwaukee does not dump its pee in the Lake. Through the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, it captures, cleans and discharges high-quality wastewater as legally permitted into the Lake. The district prevents the scores of annual overflows that happened regularly during major storms prior to the construction of the deep storage tunnel, and, of late, a series of detention ponds, shoreline improvements along rivers, etc.The district is one of the major environmental protection assets in the state.
ReplyDeleteTo Anon 8:24 a.m. Thank you. We're all in this together. I appreciate your readership.
ReplyDelete