Walker's 8-year-war on Wisconsin's environment: Part 6: Waters harmed, 2011-13.
This 21-part retrospective series I'd promised will run with daily updates, ending prior to the Nov. 6 election. This is Part 6; a link to the previous day's posting is at the bottom of each installment.
This installment includes a summary of Walker's special-interest water-carrying through 2013, focusing on damage done to wetlands, shorelines, the state constitution's now-weakened Public Trust Doctrine, sustainable groundwater pumping, the popular Knowles-Nelson public lands stewardship fund, and many others.
Not even a subsequent 2011 letter from federal officials citing a jaw-dropping 75 "omissions and deviations" in Wisconsin's management of the US Clean Water Act has slowed the flow of proposals or actions by the Governor, state agencies and the Legislature to:
* End some environmental reviews for some major development projects.
* Change laws to ease building in wetlands, including waterways protected for their scientifically significant status. The bill was drafted with active input from Wisconsin building interests; Walker signed it to a standing ovation at a convention of Realtors.
* Allow mega-dairies to expand without serious regard for the watertable, and exempt some new high-capacity wells (100,000 gallons+ daily) applicants from assessing those wells' cumulative water draw effects. Imagine the authorities saying developers could add as many 10-story parking ramps as they wanted without studying the impact on traffic.
* End the ability of municipalities to establish construction site runoff regulations stronger than state standards, and overall enforcement transferred to the DNR - - an agency now run with a "chamber-of-commerce mentality" intentionally installed there by Gov. Walker.
* Deeply cut funding for a long-standing and bi-partisan open space acquisition program - - the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund - - and require the DNR to sell 10,000 acres of land - - land that retains moisture, prevents flooding, filters water, and sustains fish and wildlife.
* Despite the need for erosion controls, open shore land to greater development.
* Enable unprecedented mountain-top removal in the pristine, northern Penokee Hills for a very deep, very wide open-pit iron ore mine that could run for 4.5-to-22 miles near the headwaters of the Bad River, streams and lakes near Lake Superior. (Some subsequent information, here.)
The mine would be upriver from public drinking water supplies and close to wild rice producing estuaries central to the survival of the Bad River Band of Ojibwe (Chippewa), and would produce, despite scientific testimony and other warnings, millions of tons of acid-yielding waste rock set to be dumped with state approval directly into streams and wetlands.
Where in this roiled political and natural environment is the respect for the Public Trust Doctrine, and for the State Supreme Court's water warning nearly a half-century ago:
This installment includes a summary of Walker's special-interest water-carrying through 2013, focusing on damage done to wetlands, shorelines, the state constitution's now-weakened Public Trust Doctrine, sustainable groundwater pumping, the popular Knowles-Nelson public lands stewardship fund, and many others.
* December 20, 2013:
Wisconsin's Water CrisisIn the name of job-creation, Walker pushed the Legislature to adopt a bill short-circuiting the formal, routine review of a wetland filling permit application from a Green Bay-area developer (and Walker campaign contributor) to facilitate the construction of a national fishing equipment mega-store.
Not even a subsequent 2011 letter from federal officials citing a jaw-dropping 75 "omissions and deviations" in Wisconsin's management of the US Clean Water Act has slowed the flow of proposals or actions by the Governor, state agencies and the Legislature to:
* End some environmental reviews for some major development projects.
* Change laws to ease building in wetlands, including waterways protected for their scientifically significant status. The bill was drafted with active input from Wisconsin building interests; Walker signed it to a standing ovation at a convention of Realtors.
* Allow mega-dairies to expand without serious regard for the watertable, and exempt some new high-capacity wells (100,000 gallons+ daily) applicants from assessing those wells' cumulative water draw effects. Imagine the authorities saying developers could add as many 10-story parking ramps as they wanted without studying the impact on traffic.
* End the ability of municipalities to establish construction site runoff regulations stronger than state standards, and overall enforcement transferred to the DNR - - an agency now run with a "chamber-of-commerce mentality" intentionally installed there by Gov. Walker.
* Deeply cut funding for a long-standing and bi-partisan open space acquisition program - - the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund - - and require the DNR to sell 10,000 acres of land - - land that retains moisture, prevents flooding, filters water, and sustains fish and wildlife.
* Despite the need for erosion controls, open shore land to greater development.
* Enable unprecedented mountain-top removal in the pristine, northern Penokee Hills for a very deep, very wide open-pit iron ore mine that could run for 4.5-to-22 miles near the headwaters of the Bad River, streams and lakes near Lake Superior. (Some subsequent information, here.)
The mine would be upriver from public drinking water supplies and close to wild rice producing estuaries central to the survival of the Bad River Band of Ojibwe (Chippewa), and would produce, despite scientific testimony and other warnings, millions of tons of acid-yielding waste rock set to be dumped with state approval directly into streams and wetlands.
Is this rush to make water law and policy changes rooted in good science? Common sense?
* When asked why the Ojibwe were not provided a seat at the table when the mining bill was drafted behind closed doors with company participation, two key Assembly members said the tribe's input wasn't feasible or required.
When a fifth-generation Mellen farm family living near the mine's proposed blasting and open-pit excavation area expressed to visiting State Sen. Glenn Grothman, (R-West Bend), its concern that mine operations would cause their well to drain away, Grothman said they should trust the mine operators to caulk for that.
Worse, these legal and policy changes to water policy and law are taking place against a backdrop of other troubling, visible water emergencies and risks being ignored:
* When asked why the Ojibwe were not provided a seat at the table when the mining bill was drafted behind closed doors with company participation, two key Assembly members said the tribe's input wasn't feasible or required.
When a fifth-generation Mellen farm family living near the mine's proposed blasting and open-pit excavation area expressed to visiting State Sen. Glenn Grothman, (R-West Bend), its concern that mine operations would cause their well to drain away, Grothman said they should trust the mine operators to caulk for that.
Worse, these legal and policy changes to water policy and law are taking place against a backdrop of other troubling, visible water emergencies and risks being ignored:
* Lake Michigan is plagued by destructive invasive species and remains at persistent low water levels that negatively impacting commercial shipping and recreational boating.
* Wisconsin surface waters are vulnerable to reduced volumes from warming temperatures that accelerate evaporation.
* Wisconsin surface waters are vulnerable to reduced volumes from warming temperatures that accelerate evaporation.
* The Little Plover River - - once a reliable angling gem in Central Wisconsin - - has run dry. It is affected by the rapid increase in high-capacity agricultural wells sited nearby, and is listed nationally as a most-endangered waterway.
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| The Little Plover River often runs dry. Large farms nearby pump groundwater which supplies the river. (River Alliance of Wisconsin photo) |
* Three separate and substantial 2012 fuel spills from pipeline breaks have fouled land and water near Grand Marsh, in Adams County, in and around Jackson and its wildlife marsh in Washington County, and the edge of Mitchell Airport and a creek close to Lake Michigan.
Where in this roiled political and natural environment is the respect for the Public Trust Doctrine, and for the State Supreme Court's water warning nearly a half-century ago:
A little fill here and there may seem to be nothing to become excited about. But one fill, though comparatively inconsequential, may lead to another, and another, and before long a great body of water may be eaten away until it may no longer exist. Our navigable waters are a precious natural heritage; once gone, they disappear forever.Here is a link to Part 5 updated from October 18, 2018
1 comment:
Also seems a good time to remind people that Walker proudly accepted the endorsements of the pro-pollution Dairy Business Association, Farm Bureau Federation and Corn Growers this week.
Good article in WPR today on how they still can't drink the tap water in Kewaunee County these days. Maybe they shouldn't vote Walker and GOP by 20 points this time.
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