10 p.m. update: As predicted, the Wisconsin Republican Grand Old Pollution party's Legislative budget-writing committee deeply slashes Evers' clean water funding. Downplays groundwater pollution. Continues the DNR's crippling. Refuses to recreate its Science Bureau which ex-Secretary and Walker demolished. And hopes to further empower the big dairy CAFOs by assigning their 'regulation' to the more friendly state ag department, which was on Walker's to-do list.
-------------------------------------------
WI special interests expect certainty and the pollution party is there to help.
Regardless of the GOP's studious disregard for mounting dairy closures and oversupply which has been the party's carefully-constructed policy:
Runoff from an animal feeding operation in CAFO-heavy Kewaunee County.
-------------------------------------------
WI special interests expect certainty and the pollution party is there to help.
Regardless of the GOP's studious disregard for mounting dairy closures and oversupply which has been the party's carefully-constructed policy:
Of course, Walker's priority is serving the big dairy operators' agendas, including environmental deregulation, that would help them increase their market share:
State records show that one day before Walker’s October speech in Trego, in northwestern Wisconsin, the governor’s office received detailed plans from the Dairy Business Association on legal requirements and strategic options to move the program.
I'd noted those depressing, going-out-of-business trends in Wisconsin, here and also here:
And regardless of how long people in the manure zones have waited for clean water:Walker no friend to Wisconsin family farmers. Or their water.
Nancy Utesch, a long-time Kewaunee County clean water activist, sent along some comments and an update some months ago:
-------------------
We in Kewaunee County share a commonality with Juneau County residents who are being poisoned through agricultural practices.
We asked the US Environmental Protection Agency for an investigation into the cause and source of well water contamination in our 2014 Safe Drinking Water Act petition, but the EPA has yet to address it.Walker gave Big Dairy a pass, so many Wisconsinites still drink contaminated water - - and GOP legislators just might keep the taps running brown:
Big dairy operations urge GOP to block fees for Tony Evers' clean drinking water plan
A lobby group representing the state's largest dairy operations on Tuesday urged lawmakers to reject Gov. Tony Evers' budget proposal to increase fees that pay for state regulators who protect drinking water from farm pollution.
Runoff from an animal feeding operation in CAFO-heavy Kewaunee County.
"Now is not the time to nearly double the current $345 annual CAFO permit fee or implement a massive new five-year renewal fee on CAFOs." Lol. Millionaire farmers who pay no taxes might have to cough up less than $700 every 5 years to stay in business! Boo-hoo-hoo.
ReplyDeleteExactly. If you're getting a CAFO permit, you're not exactly Ma and Pa Kettle. You're more likely to be driving Ma and Pa out of business while poisoning the water of them and their neighbors.
ReplyDeleteThe GOPs couldn't act more bought-off if they tried.