Walker-special interest tag team enables water pollution

The water pollution crisis in rural Wisconsin cries out for fundamental public and safety health action, but while the Walker administration has helped intensify the problems it can't or won't even provide the bottled water it promised for the hardest hit area.

So when you hear about wells near big dairy and ag operations in Wisconsin suffering persistent pollution - - especially in Kewaunee County - -  

Study chronicles extent of pollution in Kewaunee County waterways

 - -  remember that powerful politicians and their special-interest friends are proving that things happen for a reason.

Environmental inspections drop in Walker's first year

In fact, the Walker administration's documented avoidance of its obligations under the US Clean Water Act were so egregious, and communicated in writing so clearly by the US Environmental Protection Agency, that there have been formal calls and petitions dating to 2015 for a federal takeover to honestly address the problem.

Breaking news: Legal demand that WI follow US water law

Sidebar: As you read this post, ask yourself if you believe this?

DNR ready for Foxconn

While the truth is:

Walker to sacrifice DNR, PSC, WisDOT integrity for 'Wisconn' 

Regardless, back to the manure pollution story, as Walker's 'chamber of commerce mentality' Wisconsin DNR management hasn't hidden its pro-polluter practices as the years went by, this 2/16 story indicated.

At GOP's urging, DNR floats less scrutiny for polluters

And just a week later, I posted this blog item:

2 miles of flowing manure freshens Wi-mega dairy debate 

After years of looking the other way, the State Legislature finally got involved, a non-partisan study was carried out, and the results released last year were distressing, though not surprising.

State audit finds DNR ignoring own rules on water pollution

And what happened when the DNR later proposed some rule changes to put some controls on manure spreading?

After Scott Walker's office alerts farm lobby, clean water regulations scaled back

Now fast forward to this week.  Same issue - - groundwater pollution produced at the big animal-feeding operations - - and the headline I put on a blog post contained told the same disgusting story.

WI's dairy lobby fights new manure control rules 

The dairy industry lobby which represents the some of the largest Wisconsin cattle-feeding operations known as CAFOs says 'no' and 'litigate' to a modest Wisconsin DNR effort to keep the drinking water clean: 

The lawsuit filed in Brown County Circuit Court by the Dairy Business Association, of Green Bay, centers on how the DNR implements new regulations as some dairy farms now have thousands of cows in confined animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs.

A setback for people in Kewaukee County, who have seen too much of this: