Tuesday, October 4, 2016

WI DNR, a/k/a the taxpayers, to pay for DNR nonfeasance

I'd noted from time to time that public advocacy attorneys at private expense have been picking up the public health slack sacrificed
File:Confined-animal-feeding-operation.jpg
by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as Scott Walker withdraws his dumbed-down "chamber of commerce mentality" agency from its public health regulatory role.

So it's a good sign that the courts are beginning to recognize this unfair cost-shifting by ruling in one of these recent cases that the DNR has to pay the public advocates' legal bills:

A Dane County judge has directed the Department of Natural Resources to pay nearly $45,000 in legal fees to two conservation organizations in a case involving a large dairy farm expansion in northeastern Wisconsin. 
Dane County Circuit Judge John W. Markson ruled on Friday the DNR should pay Clean Wisconsin and Midwest Environmental Advocates $44,985 for their legal work for fighting plans by Kinnard Farms Inc. to add more than 2,000 cattle to their dairy herd in Kewaunee County.
And that sum pales in comparison to legal fees paid out over Walker's malfeasance

3 comments:

Jake formerly of the LP said...

On a related note, The Dairy Business Association (aka Big Ag) endorsed numerous Republicans all over Wisconsin for the state Legislature. But they were notably silent in giving two incumbent GOP legislators their "seal of approval" for their assistance in allowing them to pollute.

Assembly District 1- Joel Kitchens (Door and Kewaunee County)

Assembly District 72- Scott Krug (Central Sands, site of massive proposed CAFO).

Hmmm, why would the Big Ag guys not want to admit they support those guys before an election? You don't think they want to avoid having local voters think about these issues and wonder how their "representatives" allowed this sh*t to happen, would they?

Anonymous said...

DBA didn't endorse these guys because endorsement in those districts would have been the kiss of death for those candidates.

Jake formerly of the LP said...

Correct! They don't want the people affected by this pollution to know that their "reps" and the rest of WisGOP let it happen. And will continue to let it happen