Do We Want Clean Air And Water, Or Is Life-Threatening Pollution Acceptable?

There is the predictable wailing among the 'sky-is-falling' crowd about the burdens of meeting new clean air and water standards that will get more mercury and fine particulate matter (soot) out of our air, water, lungs and fish fries.

How many of the apologists for existing levels of air and water pollution were clucking at the images of the dirty water and grey skies in Beijing during the Olympics, but are willing to accept levels of pollution here that could be reduced?

You'd think these new standards and rules, and the health benefits they are based upon, would be met with universal praise and relief, since mercury and particles from tail piles and brake linings and diesel engines don't discriminate by politics when they get into one's respiratory and circulatory systems.

Actually, they do, as asthma rates are higher in central-city neighborhoods near freeways, and low-income populations, including immigrants, tend to over-consume tainted fish in waterways near coal-burning power plants.

But we all breathe the air and drink the water, so why not ensure that these public resources - - and that is what they are, public resources - - are kept clean and safe?

[Updates: In an editorial to appear in the Thursday paper, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel agrees, recognizing the mutuality of a matter like clean air, but Assembly Republicans Wednesday blocked the mercury rule in committee. Nice.

Reports One Wisconsin Now's Robert Doeckel: "Assembly Republicans blocking the needed rules, which have already successfully been adopted in Minnesota and Illinois, include: Garey Bies, Scott Gunderson, Terry Moulton, Jeffrey Mursau, Lee Nerison, Jim Ott and Mary Williams. All Democratic members of the committee voted against blocking the rule. Republican Dan LeMahieu was absent."]

The safety and longevity of grandchildren and parents and friends and co-workers are important and worth protecting regardless of where they live, play in the park, jog or sit down for a meal of Wisconsin-caught fish.

A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association had this conclusion about exposure to fine particulate matter:

"Long-term exposure to combustion-related fine particulate air pollution is an important environmental risk factor for cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality."

Shall we pretend the science doesn't exist, or will be get busy and deal with the problems?

Committing governments and industry to aggressively cleaning the air and water shouldn't be a partisan battle, a fight between environmentalists and business, or a struggle pitting left vs. the right.

It's an opportunity to bring about a cleaner, healthier Wisconsin.

Bush EPA Rule Illegally Allowed Air Pollution, Court Rules

The federal appeals court in the District of Columbia has ruled that the Bush administration, through an improper US Environmental Protection Agency rule, illegally permitted too much air pollution in states that wanted more air quality monitoring.

It's the Environmental Protection Agency, not the Environmental Pollution Agency, you know?

Debunking Oil Myths From Limbaugh, And Other Swift-Boaters

Here's a readable debunking of the election-year myths out there about oil being fomented by conservatives.

GM To Bring Out Hybrid Cadillac Escalade

And you wonder why GM keeps losing market share to Toyota?

A $71,600 hybrid that gets 21-21 m.p.h gallon city/highway?

Stop the madness.

US Department Of Energy Says Proper Tire Pressure Worth 12 Cents A Gallon

As I checked out my tires today, I thought what a silly idea it was for Barack Obama to suggest that properly inflating your tires could save money and gas - - multiplied millions of times by the number of vehicles in America.

Imagine touting what the US Department of Energy has on its website.

Or what George H. W. Bush was pushing during his presidency.

Yeah, what a goofy idea.

EPA Says Green Bay, Madison, Milwaukee And Waukesha All Flunk Particulate Air Quality Standards

As I had been telling you on this blog since Friday, federal officials were getting ready to name expanded areas in the state that do not meet new air standards for hazardous particulate matter in the air we all breathe, and the list is coming out now:

Among the major population centers and their counties that are adding to the dirty air problems in Wisconsin - - Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Waukesha, among others.

Says the Associated Press:

'The Environmental Protection Agency said its review found Brown, Columbia, Dane, Racine, Waukesha and Milwaukee counties have unacceptable levels of fine particulate matter in the air or contribute to problems in neighboring areas."

That's a significant portion of the state and its population, and throws into stunning relief the state and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce efforts to get the feds to roll back air quality standards in the heavily-populated Milwaukee region - - an existing non-attainment air quality area.

[Update: Dane County announces a plan to combat particulate pollution. Details here. Since three of these counties - - Waukesha, Milwaukee and Racine are in their respective regions, both SEWRPC and the M-7 collaborative should immediately craft plans similar to that announced Tuesday in and for Dane County.]

The growing dangers presented by growing areas of non-attainment in Wisconsin also underscores the contradiction in state planning and spending that will add 127 miles of new highway lanes to the southeastern Wisconsin freeway system, where more diesel engines, and brakes on vehicles of all kinds, will throw harmful particles into the air and deep into your lungs.

$1.9 billion in added highway building and new lane expansion is scheduled to begin in January, for eight years on I-94 right through Milwaukee and Racine Counties, to the Illinois state line.

Related interstate rebuilding and expansion projects will also extend from the Jefferson County line east to and across Waukesha County and into Milwaukee County, eventually hooking up to the expanded Marquette Interchange.

Does anyone think building more highways reduces air pollution?

Given the state's progress towards alternative-source power research and generation, Wisconsin could be among the nation's leaders in pollution and greenhouse reduction if not for the political clout of the highway lobby.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has included this language in recent air quality alerts it issued due to unsafe levels of particulate matter:

"These fine particles come primarily from combustion sources, such as power plants, factories and other industrial sources, vehicle exhaust, and wood fires.

"The Air Quality Index is currently in the orange level, which is considered unhealthy for people in sensitive groups. People in those sensitive groups include those with heart or lung disease, asthma, older adults and children.

"When an orange advisory for particle pollution is issued, people in those groups are advised to reschedule or cut back on strenuous activities.

"People with lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, and heart disease should pay attention to cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath or respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and discomfort when taking a breath, and consult with their physician if they have concerns or are experiencing symptoms.

"Fine particle pollution deposits itself deep into the lungs and cannot easily be exhaled. People who are at risk are particularly vulnerable after several days of high particle pollution exposure."

Ohio's Voting Practices Make Florida Look Good

Turns out precinct officials in Ohio had been taking voting machines home before elections.

Good lord.

Budget Is Status Quo At SEWRPC For 2009

There are no earth-shaking fiscal changes in the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Comission 2009 budget.

Overall annual spending from grants, contracts, agreements and receipts from the agency's seven member counties, based on their share of the region's equalized property value, falls 1.38% from 2008's budget, to $6,816,105 for 2009.

Consultant fees are down, salaries and other staff and building overhead costs are up, but the the implications of the spending are off the public radar because agency's budget for next year has been approved in typical, SEWRPC low-profile fashion.

Milwaukee County's share of the agency's $2,370,000 operating budget for 2009 is $841,885, virtually unchanged from 2008.

That continues to be the largest among the counties in total dollars and as a percentage of the SEWRPC annual operating budget - - 35.51%.

The Milwaukee County contribution reflects a miniscule drop of $3,640, or less than half a percent, from 2008.

No change either in the political structure at SEWRPC's Pewaukee-based offices, which basically shafts the City of Milwaukee.

Why?

The City of Milwaukee, with a population of more than 600,000 people, still has no representative on the SEWRPC board of 21 commissioners, but its residents, caught in a classic "taxation without representation" situation, supply through their property taxes close to half the Milwaukee County annual appropriation to SEWRPC, records show.

SEWRPC commissioners are chosen for six-year, appointed terms by the counties and the Governor - - three to each county.

Milwaukee's city population exceeds the individual population totals of SEWRPC's six, non-Milwaukee counties - - Walworth, Racine, Kenosha, Washington, Ozaukee and Waukesha Counties.

Without The Sixth Street Bridge, There'd Be No Harley-Davidson Museum, And More

New Urbanism and Old Urbanism 101, today's lesson:

Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary motorcycle ride rolls into Milwaukee at the end of the month, and the new company museum at 6th and Canal Streets in the Menomonee Valley in the shadow of the iconic Sixth Street Bridge will be a major attraction.

It'll be easy for bikers and other visitors to get there, but the museum site could have ended up someplace much less cool.

For most of the 20th century, there was a flat concrete span across the Valley connecting downtown with the near south side.

In the 1990's, the state Department of Transportation wanted to rebuild the span with a similar structure that would move motorists over the Valley, period.

Former Mayor John Norquist fought the state over the design. He wanted a completely different bridge that would let traffic dip into the Valley.

He knew that new intersection would trigger development and that an old-fashioned, one-dimensional span would continue to block and devalue the Valley below.

And he wanted a structure that also accommodated people on foot and bicycles.

It's a long story, but Norquist prevailed, and the new bridge has won awards for its striking appearance.

It also set off development in the newly, more-accessible Valley, and gave Harley-Davidson the option to locate its museum there.

The struggle with the state and the eventual happy outcome proved that cities are more than land to be spanned.

Get yourself onto the streets where there is commerce and culture. State road-planning shouldn't obstruct that essential definition of what a city is all about.

And public structures can be functional and beautiful. There needn't be a contradiction there.

The key to the new bridge design was its multi-purpose connection to the city's street grid.

Now you can get into the Valley, not merely over it. You can arrive at the museum from the bridge at street level, or go the other way to the west on a widened Canal St. to the businesses in the Valley, including the Potawatomi Casino and Miller Park, or to the Henry Aaron State Trail.

(Canal Street is still the quickest and most pleasant route to Miller Park from several directions: Don't tell Cubs fans, who still inch along I-94 to Miller Park's lots.)

When the old regional postal service complex next to the glitzy post-Amtrak, Intermodal transit station is demolished (yet another facility that Ald. Bob Bauman, and Mayors Norquist and Tom Barrett all forced the state to accept instead of an uninspired box), the value of whatever is built there - - probably a mixed housing-and-retail complex - - will be greatly enhanced by the museum and the rest 0f the energized, greened-up Menomonee Valley.

But it all began with the bridge, and Norquist's insistence that it connect to the Valley.

Wind Power Plan Shows There Are Alternatives To Coal In Cassville

A major wind farm proposal shows that the Cassville power plant planned by Alliant Energy needs far more analysis and studies of alternatives.

Either Wisconsin is serious about cleaner power-generating alternatives, or it isn't.

Read To The Last Line

In newspaper jargon, a final, punchy quote is known as a good kicker.

Read this story for a fine kicker, as applicable for the subject city of the story - - the District of Columbia - - as it is for Milwaukee.

Is The State Journal Repeating A Story The Capital Times Produced Weeks Ago?

The Wisconsin State Journal has a story about anglers, including non-English speaking immigrants, who are eating too much toxin-laden fish from Madison lakes.

Pretty similar to a story the Capital Times produced last month, and that I posted on my blog, here.

The State Journal even used as a source the same community organization - - The Madison Environmental Justice Organization - - whose advocacy the Capital Times cited.

Granted that the State Journal interviewed anglers along Lake Mendota, while the Capital Times focused on those a couple of miles away on Lake Monona, but c'mon:

Whatever happened to enterprise journalism?

Dangerous Particulate Pollution In Some Wisconsin Counties To Be Declared Extensive, Feds Will Say

I posted this Friday, and now am updating it:

Remember all those dirty air alerts our region has been experiencing - - sample from this winter, here - - especially when it comes to the fine particulates that are a serious health hazard?

I'm told that federal authorities have been studying the issue in Wisconsin and will say the particulate pollution problem is more extensive than believed earlier, and may extend to more counties that do not meet acceptable air quality standards.

It'll be noteworthy on its own, but also in relation to the plan to widen I-94 south from Milwaukee to the Illinois state line, a plan that will put more particulates in the air.

And also interesting in light of the state's petition to the US Environmental Protection Agency, and pleas by the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, to ease air quality rules in the southeastern Wisconsin and Milwaukee region.

The DNR includes worrisome descriptions of particulate matter and its hazards when it issues air quality warnings, such as this one issued for Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties in a March, 2008 alert:

"These fine particles come primarily from combustion sources, such as power plants, factories and other industrial sources, vehicle exhaust, and wood fires.

"The Air Quality Index is currently in the orange level, which is considered unhealthy for people in sensitive groups. People in those sensitive groups include those with heart or lung disease, asthma, older adults and children. When an orange advisory for particle pollution is issued, people in those groups are advised to reschedule or cut back on strenuous activities.

"'People with lung diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, and heart disease should pay attention to cardiac symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath or respiratory symptoms like coughing, wheezing and discomfort when taking a breath, and consult with their physician if they have concerns or are experiencing symptoms.

"Fine particle pollution deposits itself deep into the lungs and cannot easily be exhaled. People who are at risk are particularly vulnerable after several days of high particle pollution exposure."

Madison Toilet Purchase Incentive Might Save A Lot Of Water, Money

Madison's Water Utility may offer $100 payments to users willing to purchase low-flow toilets, and if enough people subscribe, the water savings could erase the need for a new well.

Global Warming Continues Despite The Deniers' Claims

Talk radio continues to tell us the planet is cooling because Denver hasn't had a sustained heat wave. Nor hava Madison, Milwaukee and some other North American cities that often have periods of sweltering temperatures.

Here's the catch: the world is bigger than the US, a basic fact of geography and politics that neo-cons and other far right commentators just keep on missing.

Worldwide, the climate picture extends beyond what's happening in Denver, Madison, Milwaukee or other American municipalities.

Planetary temperatures year, and in July, have been among the warmest on record.

And worldwide fossil fuel consumption and combustion - - in the US, China, India - - along with forest burnoffs and other major releases of greenhouse gases - - is contributing to a warming planet.

When State Senate Releases Leave You Wondering

I know that politicians promote their districts, but egad.

Yee-Haw! Frank Lasee Wants To Drill Under Lake Michigan

Thanks to OWN's Robert Doeckel for posting this Frank Lasee keeper.

The Green Bay-area Republican state representative wants to see oil and gas drilling equipment along and under Lake Michigan.

Door County might be nice. Or along Bradford Beach, near the Calatrava Museum addition.

The kids at UW-Green Bay and Milwaukee could get training in spill cleanups, too; sounds like your proverbial win-win to me.

Sometimes we deserve to be called cheeseheads.

Low Tax States Preparing Fewer Kids For College Work

State Sen. Mary Lazich, (R-New Berlin), has dragged out that tired "tax hell" red herring again, and lauds states like Montana, Colorado and South Dakota that have lower tax rates more to her liking.

I've spent time in those states, and they are indeed gorgeous and have a lot going for them.

But how well do they provide public services that we here in Wisconsin want, like education?

Some data is suggesting that these tax heavens may not be as desirable as Lazich suggests, or where you'd want your kids to go from high school to college.

It turns out that Wisconsin, which does spend heavily on education, does a better job preparing its children for college than Montana, Colorado and South Dakota, according to ACT testing data.

Here are the percentages of ACT-tested students that are successfully prepared to do college-level work in these four subjects - - English composition, algebra, social sciences and biology:

Wisconsin, 30%; South Dakota, 28%, Montana, 26%, Colorado, 20%.

All lower than what you'd hope for, but where would you want to be on that list?

Where would you want your college-bound students to have gone to high school?

There is substantial variation among the number of children tested in the states, and variation also among the separate disciplines' scores - - for example, in preparation for college-level algebra, the numbers are Wisconsin, 56%, South Dakota, 50%, Montana, 59%, and Colorado, 30% - - but the point is that taxes do provide valuable services that most people and families demand, from education to fire protection to law enforcement to public health.

Basically, you get what you pay for, and there are situations where if you cut corners and do everything on the cheap, the consequences are more far-reaching than having saved a few bucks as a shopper or homeowner.

Wind Power Still Stymied In Wisconsin

People say they want cleaner-air alternatives to coal-fired power plants, but getting wind power siting rules established to everyone's satisfaction contines to be a struggle, explains the Daily Reporter.

The Road To Sprawlville, Chapter XIX: Good-Bye Maple Leaf Farms, Racine County

Maple Leaf Farms has sold off 570 acres in Union Grove, a small Racine County village five miles located west of I-94.

Some of the buyers are apparently farmers, while others are looking to put homes there.

Cool Rain Barrel Auction Offered By Sustain Dane

Just a few days left to join an auction for some artist-decorated rain barrels through Sustain Dane. Website and information here.

Milwaukee, Area Air Quality Dirtier Than We Knew

Remember all those dirty air alerts our region has been experiencing - - sample from this winter, here - - especially when it comes to the fine particulates that are a serious health hazard?

I'm told that federal authorities have been studying the issue and will include the Milwaukee area and other counties among those facing this serious health risk and falling into non-attainment status by failing to meet standards.

It'll be noteworthy on its own, but also in relation to the plan to widen I-94 south from Milwaukee to the Illinois state line, a plan that will put more particulates in the air.

And also interesting in light of the state's petition to the US Environmental Protection Agency, and pleas by the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, to ease air quality standards in the non-attainment area that includes the Milwaukee region, but now could expand, sources say.

Stay tuned...

Correcting Kevin Fischer: It Could Be A Full-Time Job

The conservative blogger Kevin Fischer, who is also staff aide to State Sen. Mary Lazich, (R-New Berlin), posts a personal blog on the Journal Communications FranklinNow.com community news website.

He posts about food, music and politics.

One of his favorite government targets is the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and he and I have had a virtual debate, if you can call it that, over his use of the terms Nazi and Gestapo to describe the DNR - - descriptors that are insensitive and inaccurate, to say the least.

Anyway, Kevin is off and running again about the DNR, and I am glad to see that this time he has managed to criticize the agency without putting them on equal footing with the people who started World War II and carried out The Holocaust.

Call that progress.

What's notable to me about Kevin's posting, other than the weird type faces and design that remind me of those cranky unsigned letters that arrive without signatures and return addresses, is his incorrect assumption that I always praise the DNR.

His exact language is that I am "the biggest DNR butt-kisser in the entire state of Wisconsin."

Pretty silly-sounding for an adult, let alone someone who, in his day job, might be called upon to serve as office liaison between a Senate district and the DNR, but as to its accuracy, let's just say that I know plenty of people in the DNR who would say I've been tough on the DNR.

I have copied out five of my blog items with their titles in the URL so you can get a flavor of some of the criticism I have leveled at the DNR over policy issues if you don't want to take the time to read them.

Truth is, I call 'em as I see 'em.

Sometimes the DNR deserves accolades, and sometimes not, but if Kevin were to take the time to read these items, and others I have posted, he would see that he is uninformed about some of my analyses of the DNR.

The link samples are below:

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2007/07/item-1-for-incoming-dnr-secretary.html.

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2007/11/wetlands-destruction-okd-in-franklin.html.

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2007/12/dnr-wants-to-be-law-unto-itself.html.

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2008/02/dnr-wants-to-give-sprawl-planners-even.html

http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com/2008/05/on-again-off-again-swan-shootings-dnr.html.

Other County Executives Should Support Dane County Falk's Alcohol Education Campaign

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk continues to lead on alcohol education in Wisconsin.

But where are the other County Executives, or District Attorneys, or Mayors, etc., et al in this booze-tolerant state when it comes to aggressive advocacy for sobriety on our highways?

And elsewhere in a state wracked by alcohol abuse.

One public official who has thrown off the cloak of denial is not enough, and every agonizing story about a drunk driver wiping out an innocent driver or cyclist keeps proving that point.

Bio Fuels Technology Startup Launched At 30th St. Business Incubator

Paradigm Sensors, an award-winning company in a 30th St. industrial corridor business incubator operated by the Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, is poised to make a significant impact in the alternative energy field through the introduction of innovative biodiesel fuel testing equipment, according to company and NWSCDC officials.

This is a first for the green economy in Milwaukee, where alternative energy businesses can create jobs and add value and wealth to the community

The market for alternative fuels has grown significantly in recent years as an alternative to higher-priced traditional motor vehicle fuels that can also reduce the carbon footprint.

Because of this market growth, there is a significant need for efficient testing to ensure that biodiesel products meet producers, engine manufacturers, and users’ specifications.

Using technology developed at Marquette University, Paradigm Sensors’ i-SPEC Q-100 Handheld Biodiesel Analyzer allows users to test in the field for key biodiesel parameters - - in real time.

Biodiesel is currently evaluated by taking a small sample and shipping it to a lab for expensive, time-consuming analysis.

i-SPEC, which offers fast and reliable results, will reduce the time and expense of testing and confirm that the biodiesel on the market is high quality.

R&D Magazine recently selected i-SPEC as a 2008 R&D Award Winner, naming it one of the 100 most technologically significant products introduced into the marketplace during the past year.

As the market for alternative fuels continues to prosper, Paradigm Sensors will expand its contribution to the biofuel community by introducing products that measure other critical fuel components.

Also of note: NWSCDC's Milwaukee Technology Incubator Center, where the i-SPEC is centered, was created through a unique "co-locating" agreement with another fir,, DRS Technologies.

DRS is an anchor for the 30th Street Corridor and is reinvesting in its plant. and growing.

All in all, a great addition to the alternative energy field in Wisconsin, and a coup for Milwaukee and the 30th St. Industrial Corridor.

Check out the company's website at: http://www.paradigmsensors.com/

(My son Sam works at NWSCDC).

Capital Times Notes Sheldon Wasserman's Environmental History, Leadership

The Capital Times examines the State Senate race between incumbent Republican Alberta Darling, of River Hills, and State Rep. Sheldon Wasserman, a Milwaukee Democrat - - and notes Wasserman's long-standing leadership on environmental issues.

Cincinnati To Bring Back Its Streetcars

Add Cincinnati to the growing list of cities bringing back their streetcars, or adding light rail and other transportation amenities.

By a unanimous vote of its rightwing talk radio jocks, and support from suburban legislators, Milwaukee has been forbidden from either bringing back its streetcars, adding light rail or initiating commuter rail.

Driving Keeps Declining, Transit Demand Increases - - But You Still Can't Get There From Here

More data about transit's advantages in the era of $4-per-gallon gasoline, a steady story the last few months.

But where are the direct bus routes from Milwaukee to, say, the New Berlin Industrial Park, or other sites in Waukesha County, where there is job growth?

Route #9. Cancelled, 2008.

Route #6 to the New Berlin Industrial Park. Cancelled, 2004.

Downtown Milwaukee to downtown Waukesha, a run between the two largest cities in their respective counties?

At the recent City of Milwaukee Common Council hearing on selling water to New Berlin, a Waukesha County Housing Authority official testified that many Milwaukee residents get discouraged about relocating to Waukesha once they realize that they'd have to take the Greyhound bus to get from Milwaukee to Waukesha.

Yet Milwaukee is encouraging more growth in these areas to its west through Lake Michigan water sales, but without transit connections as a quid pro quo.

And the state is forging ahead with the regional $6.5 billion freeway reconstruction and expansion plan throughout Southeastern Wisconsin without a companion plan for transit expansion.

It won't even redirect $200 million, or about 10% of the cost of the next phase of freeway building from Milwaukee to the Illinois state line - - as requested by Milwaukee's Mayor and Common Council - - into a commuter rail line in the same corridor that has been proposed and studied to death.

All at the time that driving is declining and transit demand is accelerating.

Despite all the talk about the need for regionalism, the discussion does not extend to transit.

Pretty disappointing.

DNR Approves Rainbow Springs Purchase. Outstanding!

The Department of Natural Resources Wednesday approved one of the largest land purchases outside of northern Wisconsin when it committed $10.8 million to buy the 970-acre Rainbow Springs parcel in Waukesha and Walworth Counties.

This is a major environmental advance for the state and southeastern Wisconsin, providing hiking and hunting land, wetlands restoration and expansion of open space in the oft-degraded Kettle Moraine.

There are some small-minded ideologues in the farthest, fringiest outposts of the Blogosphere's rightist extremes who think anything the DNR does is evil and totalitarian.

No doubt, these naysayers will gripe about what the DNR is doing.

Joining these nattering nabobs of natural resource negativity is Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, always looking for an angle to promote his unannounced but active grasp after the Governor's Office in 2010.

As a diversion from the continuing pension scandals swamping his administration, Walker yammered the other day about the Rainbow Springs purchase being a bad deal for taxpayers.

As the author of a string of red-ink stained budgets, he would know, wouldn't he?

Those know-nothings aside, the Rainbow Springs purchase with state stewardship funds (a lasting gift from the bygone era of bipartisanship, led by former Governors Warren Knowles and Gaylord Nelson, and greatly expanded by Gov. Jiom Doyle), is a genuine, true step for regionalism because people with diverse interests, from big cities and small towns, will all find value and opportunity in this exciting acreage.

To the DNR: well done.

And to the probable critics - - dour, grim-visaged scolds who aren't happy unless they have something in the common good to complain about - - I'd suggest lacing up your hiking boots and checking out this wonderful addition to the public domain.

A couple of hours in in the great outdoors will put smiles on your faces.

Aurora Hospitals Violated Clean Air Laws, Pays $250,000 Forfeiture

Pretty sad commentary on the state of health care in Wisconsin.

In The Land Of Tax Cuts And Small Government, A State Tax Windfall

New Berlin is home to some of the state's most rabid, small-government Republicans, but thanks in part to Gov. Jim Doyle's belief in public support for public schools, New Berlin will get an extra $3 million in state aid.

Hey - - there's your money for a better bus line to Milwaukee County or some affordable housing.

[I know, I know, it's money for the schools. Just making a point,]

Michael Savage AM Radio Despair Predicted

On his nationwide rightwing radio talk show, Michael Savage routinely decries the loss of political power in the US by white males - - something of a straw man ratings ploy, if you will - - but this story predicting that whites will be in the minority in the US by 2042 will have the head of the Savage Nation in tears.

We here in Milwaukee will probably miss most of Savage's late-night rant tonight, as the Brewers are on the West Coast playing the San Diego Padres.

A pity.

Five-Time OWI Offender Gets Substantial Prison Time

Which is exactly where he belongs - - off the roads, out of his bull-dozing truck, and his victims' apartment, too.

Passive-Aggressive Blogging Is All Wet

Patrick McIlheran, the Journal Sentinel's in-house conservative columnist, tees up Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines as "genuinely thoughtful," then suggests Hines' opposition to selling water to New Berlin indicates the Council President doesn't know what he's talking about.

McIlheran labels Hines "one of the least fire-breathing, most soft-spoken pols in Milwaukee, a genuinely thoughtful man," but by the opening of paragraph four, begins with "I'd correct Hines..."

So much for being called "genuinely thoughtful." When you see writing like that, look out for the passive-aggressive writing coming your way.

I had posted Hines' release about the New Berlin water deal yesterday, and played it straight, in two paragraphs, here.

McIlheran argues that moving water to New Berlin will not necessarily move jobs and development with it.

Growth has been following transportation and infrastructure capacities for many, many years, from rail lines to paved roads to electric wires to sewer lines - - and water is no different.

Milwaukee's water, treated with ozone gas, is the best around, and suggestions that Oak Creek or Racine offered serious alternatives was clever bargaining by New Berlin, but little more than that.

If Milwaukee chooses to sell water to areas beyond its borders, especially with its own perimeter frozen by a special law that applies only to the state's largest city, it has to make a calculation about whether the sale is in the city's long-term interests.

Failing to make the decision using the best data available - - and this was among Hines' points, as the city approved the sale before it hired experts to advise it on what the water was actually worth - - was certainly a cart-before-the-horse process.

McIlheran is correct that availability of treated water is not the only factor in a business or homeowner's decision to locate or invest.

But to suggest that it isn't in the mix, or to argue that the issue is made irrelevant by the region's needs is willfully blind to multiple levels of reality, and to Hines' first and highest obligation as Common Council President, too.

The argument that moving water to New Berlin is good for the region would have more credibility if everyone in the region had relatively equal access to growth, jobs and housing there - - but there are 87,000 Milwaukee residents without access to an automobile, there is no direct bus service to New Berlin, and there is little affordable housing there for working Milwaukeans, especially those without cars.

Hines' statement indicated that New Berlin, as a seeker of Milwaukee-supplied water, was supposed to have made progress on those issues, and had not - - a matter McIlheran has overlooked.

McIlheran would also have you believe that the free market guides all, but a host of government programs, from publicly-funded roads, to mortgage and property-tax deductions, to taxpayer-financed sewer extensions and now to water service all are influences private sector and homeowner choices.

Not to mention the relatively newer forms of public subsidies to developers - - Industrial Revenue Bonds - - or Tax Incremental Financing, which that originally designed to reduce blight but that often has financed projects in neighborhoods where the only "blight" was found in a dictionary.

Millions in TIF funding, for example, helped turn 1,500 acres of agricultural land into the planned community known as Pabst Farms.

Was that the free market or government-subsidized development that encouraged subdivision builders, a hospital and other businesses to build and locate at Pabst Farms?

And to have successfully lobbied the state to promise a $25 million Interstate interchange for the as-yet-to-be-constructed Pabst Farms upscale shopping mall?

Hines' statement suggests he's looking for data on which to make the most informed decision, and balance in the equations.

Advantage, Hines.

The Road To Sprawlville Chapter XVIII: Tear Out That Corn, Now!

The Village of Wales, in Waukesha County, would rather have a vacant lot than seven acres of corn growing there.

That's because Wales can collect more property taxes on the vacant land, zoned commercial, than it can collect if the same parcel of land is in agricultural use.

The owner says he won't ask to pay taxes at the lower rate: he just wants to grow corn on the property, put the crop to use as cattle feed, and then replant the acreage with grass.

But the Village powers-that-be want the land returned to its potential commercial use immediately, before this year's corn is ready to be harvested.

In other words - - get that corn off those seven acres and make that vacant lot vacant again.

I've been out that way a few times. In fact, Chapter IV of this occasional series, The Road To Sprawlville, was a trip to "Cow Corner" in Wales, where the need for an office building and a coffee shop jeopardized another small piece of agricultural land.

It's a pretty area and it's got a famous Frozen Custard Stand, LuDuc's, but like so many small Waukesha communities across the Kettle Moraine, Wales' rural heritage is giving way to subdivisions and related development.

Still, this all sounds more about local politics and the exercise of power than it is about whether seven acres of corn is out-of-character for the village..

Regardless, it makes you wonder why, in this day and age, some government officials would be willing to have several thousands of dollars of perfectly good feed corn deliberately go to waste?

And why they would make the case that a vacant lot is a better land tenant in their small but growing Village (in the 2000 census, 2,523 residents, on 2.4 square miles), than a small field of corn.

Thanks to Darryl Enriquez of the Milwaukee Journal Story for an interesting story.

Milwaukee Common Council President Hines On Water's Value

Milwaukee Common Council President Willie Hines says a pending study by the City of Milwaukee on the true value of water will help ensure a more rationalized process the next time a suburban community seeks a sale of Lake Michigan water through the city.

Hines opposed the recent water deal with New Berlin, in part because the City of Milwaukee did not have its study in place, and also because New Berlin had not met certain conditions on water purchasers the City of Milwaukee already had in place.

Beware The Spin And Deception Surrounding New Love Affair With Nuclear Power

Politicians have discovered this election year that fear of rising gasoline prices somehow makes discussion of building nuclear power plants politically tolerable.

Aside from the accidents at Three Mile Island and other nuclear generating facilities, these politicos are conveniently forgetting about the thorny issue of where to safely store these plants highly-dangerous radioactive waste that is measured in the tons.

Safely means stored far from where people live, breathe the air and drink the water.

And nowhere near where terrorists might choose to plot or attack.

The only proposed nuclear waste site in the US that could take some of the existing tonnage is in Yucca, Nevada, where the good folks living there have blocked the waste facility's construction for many years.

Sure it's NIMBYism, but you can see their logic.

And is it moral to demand that a certain type of plant be built in one area, but the potentially catastrophic end product be shipped and stored forever somewhere else?

Turn the situation around? Would folks in Northern Wisconsin, for instance, want to accept nuclear waste shipped in perpetuity, say, from Nevada, or elsewhere?

I thought so.

Taxpayers and consumers should also know that the federal government is estimating that the construction of the waste storage facility is approaching a cost of $100 billion - - an increase of 38% since the previous estimate in 2001 - - and the facility wouldn't be able to accept all the waste generated from existing plants, let alone the 45 that Sen. John McCain wants fast-tracked.

This is the problem with throwing out complex ideas in the middle of a political campaign, especially one at the Presidential level.

What is definitely a serious issue - - energy policy - - turns into the most superficial matter instead, as battling camps need a fresh photo op and news release to look organized and to feed the 24-hour news cycle.

In this campaign, nuclear power is little more than the flavor of the day, a cheap and superficial gimmick.

Pabst Farm Shopping Mall Interchange Project Fee Of Just 7% Looking Even Sweeter

Developers will bear the full cost of road improvements tied to the expansion of I-94 in Kenosha County, according to the Daily Reporter.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, WisDOT, has certain formulas that it applies to private interests that will benefit from a publicly-funded road project, and I am told that it's a relatively inexact science if and when shares get apportioned.

Transportation funding and road spending are getting squeezed by a variety of factors:

* Overblown and unnecessary spending, particularly the $1.9 billion committed to the I-94 reconstruction and widening between Milwaukee and the Illinois state line;

* Falling gas tax revenues for transportation budgets as driving and fuel consumption declines;

* Soaring prices for oil-based road-building materials, like asphalt, not to mention diesel fuel that powers the trucks, road-graders and other vehicles that deliver materials and otherwise help put projects into the ground.

So legislators will look at a variety of means in Wisconsin and Washington to get more money into the system, since none of our political leaders have the will to reduce road-building to reasonable, sustainable levels.

That means higher gas taxes, boosted vehicle registration fees, first-time tolls in Wisconsin, property tax, income tax and bonding increases, and other methods to squeeze more money out of taxpayers and motorists to keep the highway/political complex fully fueled and oiled.

Which brings me back to the deal cut earlier this year to build a $25 million interchange in Western Waukesha County at Pabst Farms to serve an upscale shopping mall that has had an on-again/off-again planning history.

Plans come and go, but the interchange has been approved.

The assessment to the mall developers for this privately-owned mall?

$1.75 million, or 7%.

The other shares - - $1.75 million to Waukesha County, $400,000 to the City of Oconomowoc (now there's a bargain, too), and $21.1 million to state taxpayers.

That would be you and yours truly.

The state could have assessed the mall owners a larger percentage, but didn't.

Why not?

Because with a full diamond interchange already built, the rest of the so-called freeway reconstruction plan across Southeastern Wisconsin will thus have one interchange already done years early, making the remainder of the Waukesha County segment west of Milwaukee a fait accompli for WisDOT.

Bush Administration To End-Run Endangered Species' Protections

Back from junketing to the Olympics, and with just a few months left to wreak havoc on domestic and foreign affairs, Pres. George W. Bush has launched a new effort through administrative rules to help developers, road-builders and other special interests:

Let government project managers, not scientific experts, determine whether their projects put endangered species at risk.

Conservatives at mining, logging, energy, highway and other industries, and their blogger/commentator allies who are usually suspicious of bureaucrats will be elated.

The key paragraphs from AP:

"If approved, the changes would represent the biggest overhaul of the Endangered Species Act since 1988. They would accomplish through regulations what conservative Republicans have been unable to achieve in Congress: ending some environmental reviews that developers and other federal agencies blame for delays and cost increases on many projects.

"The changes would apply to any project a federal agency would fund, build or authorize. Government wildlife experts currently perform tens of thousands of such reviews each year.

"If adopted, these changes would seriously weaken the safety net of habitat protections that we have relied upon to protect and recover endangered fish, wildlife and plants for the past 35 years," said John Kostyack, executive director of the National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming initiative.

"Under current law, federal agencies must consult with experts at the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine whether a project is likely to jeopardize any endangered species or to damage habitat, even if no harm seems likely.

"This initial review usually results in accommodations that better protect the 1,353 animals and plants in the U.S. listed as threatened or endangered and determines whether a more formal analysis is warranted.

"The Interior Department said such consultations are no longer necessary because federal agencies have developed expertise to review their own construction and development projects, according to the 30-page draft obtained by the AP."

10th OWI Arrest Brings $2,000 Cash Bail

Maybe it's enough to hold a twice-imprisoned drunk driver in jail until trial, but is $2,000 cash bail the right sum for a person arrested his 10th time for Operating While Intoxicated?

That's the bail set by a Dane County Court Commissioner, reports the Madison Capital Times.

I know bail is supposed to be appropriate to the defendant, but there is a social message delivered with it, and it looks from here like that opportunity has been missed.

Oil, Natural Gas Leases in Michigan Go Without Production

Like leases offshore Florida and California, many oil and natural gas sites in Michigan go without production.

4,000 of them.

Sounds like part of an effort to keep production down, thus prices high, aina?

Natural Gas Drilling Under Lake Erie Panned In Pennsylvania

High natural gas prices are not provoking a big rush to drill for it under Lake Erie, though the Canadians have been doing it for almost 100 years.

Keeping The Great Lakes Bound To The Public Trust Doctrine

Dave Dempsey is waging a one-man campaign to a raise awareness about the flaws in the Great Lakes Compact, and, in doing so, to put conservation of this unique fresh water resource above its commodification.

When negotiations began in 2001 to upgrade the Compact with standards and uniform, rationalized diversion procedures, it seemed as if the emphasis was on water conservation.

But as the discussions produced Annex 2001, and, finally, the draft Compact finally approved by the eight Great Lakes states this summer, a great deal of attention became focused more on getting water out of the basin - - to communities like New Berlin and Waukesha, WI - - and less on validating the fundamental conservation and common ownership ethic that has underscored the Public Trust Doctrine since its US creation in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787.

The New Berlin diversion application is close to formal approval by Wisconsin authorities, and a tentative agreement has been reached between that small suburban city and a willing seller, the City of Milwaukee - - even though Milwaukee has yet to hire a consultant to advise it about how to value Lake Michigan water being transferred from the larger, land-locked Milwaukee to the fast-growing, upper-income suburbs.

Dempsey is also taking the lead in pointing out that the bottled water loophole is a serious flaw in the agreement because it allows for an unlimited diversion of water away from the Great Lakes basin in containers smaller than 5.7 gallons.

Dempsey, a writer and former environmental official in Michigan under former Republican Governor William Milliken, is pointing out the continuing problems with the Compact, regardless of the protections it offers.

He's looking to make the agreement stronger, and more in line with Great Lakes history:

Where are his counterparts in the region's environmental movement?

Does Bush Still See A Worthy Soul In Putin?

Remember when Pres. George W. Bush looked Vladimir Putin in the eye, got all gushy and saw a decent soul?

Wonder if he's had a chance to do some soul-gazing with Putin as Russian bombers, tanks and ships are flattening the Republic of Georgia?

Can you imagine the outrage on the Right if a Democrat, say, Pres. Bill Clinton got equally captivated by the likes of Putin, only to have pal Putin so whole-and-cold-heartedly slaughter Georgian citizens by the thousands, according to some estimates?

But let's not bother Bush. He's having fun at the Beijing Olympics.

Lake Baikal Preservation Effort Documented by AP

There's a struggle underway in Russia to protect the world's largest single freshwater lake.

Noah Hall Reviews Books On Bottled Water

Law professor and environmental commentator Noah Hall offers reviews of two books looking at the water bottling industry.

Waukesha residents would recognize some of the historical perspective, given that city's long-ago status as a spring, spa and water bottling city.

That was before its springs fell victim to over-pumping.

Dim Planners' Bulbs Keep Motorists In Dark

Wisconsin keeps building new highways, but like plowing, pot hole repairs and other maintenance services it defers, the state can't find the money to replace burned-out bulbs in the very lamps that keep the roads and motorists safe.

This is what happens when priorities do not connect with reality: the public's true needs are kept in the dark.

Bush, Still President, Hangs Out With Athletes in Beijing

Our President is immersing himself in the Olympic games.

Another piece of his farewell junketing.

It's another reminder that W. is still Frat Boy/Jock Wannabee at heart, and was happiest when he was the front guy for the Texas Rangers and he could spend his days hanging with the players and, occassionally, signing off on deals, like the one that sent a young Sammy Sosa and most of his 600 home runs to the White Sox and Cubbies.

And had Bud Selig not gone after it so hard, George Bush would have won the election for Major League Baseball Commissioner, and the worst presidency in American history wouldn't have happened.

Some sourcing, here.

Madison Blogger Emily Mills No Fan Of Waukesha's James Wigderson

Emily Mills has some good questions for Wigderson.

Another Scott Walker Budget Fiasco

I took a walk through Lake Park a few years back and was shocked at the widespread neglect and deterioration.

Weeds, trash, crumbing infrastructure everwhere.

Whitney Gould produced in 2003 a hard-hitting story about the sad shape of this once-proud park, here, and noted that budget cuts by County Executive Scott Walker were keeping the park from the upkeep it needed.

Fast forward to this fine story today by Sean Ryan at the Daily Reporter which documents what it will now cost to fix a pair of key structures in Lake Park - - the famous Lion bridges.

Years of deferred maintenance in the name of ideologically-driven, but short-sighted budget cuts have driven up the bottom line now that the need for repairs has reached a critical point.

So put this mess right at the County Exec's doorstep, and file it under politically penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Walker will probably run to the private sector and other units of governments, as he did to find a fix for the County's abuse and neglect of Bradford Beach, to get a Lake Park maintenance bailout.

Walker would have been left with a trashed reputation and beach at the base of Lake Park if the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District - - which did not own the storm water drains that spewed contaminants across the region's premier beach - - philanthropist and business leader Sheldon Lubar's family, and MillerCoors hadn't come forward with financial and restoration assistance.

I wonder who will get tapped to fix the famous Lion bridges so the Walker can continue his 2010 run for Governor with as little baggage as possible?

Forbes Says Milwaukee Is Nation's Second Booziest City

This is a list on which you don't want to be near the top.

Growing Concern About Bottling The Great Lakes

From the Toronto Star, with thanks to Dave Dempsey.

Minor Events Pre-Empted By Former News Outlets

A minor news story or two were overlooked by the former mainstream media as it morphed into The 24/7 All-Favre Information And Minutiae Complex.

And there's always the video of Prince Fielder's dugout meltdown available for a few thousand more replays.

Until the next breaking news weather alert from the Storm Center.

Environmental Groups, WE Energies, Negotiate A Smart Settlement

There has been a productive settlement ending protracted litigation between state environmental groups and the owners of the Oak Creek power plant.

The plant's construction on Lake Michigan will proceed, and its owners will make several significant contributions to lake cleanup and other environmental activities.

Among the highlights, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"$100 million would be allocated for Great Lakes water quality, to address problems including invasive species, runoff pollution, toxic loadings and habitat destruction.

"$5 million would fund projects to reduce emissions linked to global warming, consistent with a recommendation of Gov. Jim Doyle ' s global warming task force.

"The utilities would seek to expand the state 's solar energy by 15 megawatts.

"Another initiative would seek to invest in energy efficiency projects for public buildings in the state, another task force recommendation.

"All three utilities would agree to provide information to customers to help track utility greenhouse gas emissions."

I think this is a good example of thoughtful negotiations that produced outcomes serving broad public policy purposes.

It could be used as the basis for regional agreements in southeastern Wisconsin - - if the parties want to think big and put real issues on the table.

A final thought.

I don't think the settlement would have been possible if litigation hadn't been initiated.

It's always a heavy card for groups to play - - costly in dollars and, potentially, in bridges burned - - but the serious signal it sent to all parties helped pave the way for the deal, no doubt.

I like the settlement, and I like the strategy and the willingness of environmental groups to take risks.

Well done, Clean Wisconsin, Sierra Club, and their attorneys.

Scott Walker's Run For Governor Continues To Embarrass

The State of Wisconsin has funding set aside for land acquisition, yet Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker opposes a plan to spend $10.8 million of that money to acquire nearly 1,000 acres to expand the Kettle Moraine State Park in Walworth and Waukesha Counties.

Why, just yesterday, I opined that it was a great idea.

Here's why Walker is against it:

Because Gov. Jim Doyle is for it.

It's that simple and transparent.

If the land is in the public domain - - for hunters, hikers and recreational users of all sorts - - Walker's pals among the road-builders and other special interests would be unable to buy, pave, and resell the land.

They'd have to share it in common with the masses.

Gives you a bit of an insight into what a Walker administration would look like - - the Wisconsin variation of the George Walker Bush administration.

New Berlin Alderman Questioning Parameters, Payment In Water Deal

A New Berlin Alderman is questioning key elements of the tentative agreement between his city and Milwaukee to supply Lake Michigan water to the central portion of New Berlin.

In addition to the one-time payment of $1,5 million to Milwaukee, there is objection by Ald. Dave Ament to the water being allowed to serve areas not yet connected to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, essentially establishing possible water service into sprawl circumstances.

This point was raised emphatically at the Milwaukee Common Council's July 29th Public Works Committee hear by Ald. Bob Bauman, a Milwaukee opponent of the deal.

Bauman said the city's negotiating team had exceeded its Council-authorized mandate by agreeing to the water service extension into the additional New Berlin acreage.

Team members said their only motive was minimizing the need for repeated future negotiations and approvals for new hook-ups if New Berlin chose to extend water service past the current MMSD service borders.

The deal was approved by the Milwaukee Common Council on July 30 by a 9-3 vote, along with a companion resolution to fund a study into the true cost of water that could be used when evaluating future water diversion applications from additional communities.

The Milwaukee Water Works has also produced an explanation about how it initially over-stated the estimated first-year annual revenue from New Berlin by about 30%, and filed materials with the Milwaukee City Clerk for online posting making that explanation part of the official file.

I have posted these materials, here.

The City of Waukesha is expected to seek a diversion significantly larger than New Berlin's; while New Berlin would return all the diverted water to Lake Michigan through the MMSD, Waukesha and the state Department of Natural Resources are still studying how best to manage Waukesha's more difficult return-flow process.

Rather than pipe water back to Lake Michigan, the more distant Waukesha would probably discharge treated effluent into a tributary or tributaries, such as the Root River,

Return flow is required by the Great Lakes Compact, recently approved by the state legislature, to maintain water levels in the Great Lakes basin. Great Lakes waters are considered held in trust for the people in the region.

Here is the text of a story from the Waukesha Freeman about the unhappiness with the deal in New Berlin:

New Berlin alderman questions water agreement

Ament concerned about broad map and $1.5 million payment
By MELISSA RIGNEY BAXTER Special to The Freeman

NEW BERLIN – When Alderman Dave Ament saw the map used for the official agreement to purchase water from Milwaukee, he said he was shocked.

Ament, council representative on the utility committee, said he will not support the agreement because of his concerns about extending the city’s utility area as well as the $1.5 million onetime payment to Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Common Council agreed last week to sell water to New Berlin. Included in the water service agreement are areas west of Calhoun Road which are not currently part of the city’s utility area. The agreement must still be approved by the utility committee as well as New Berlin’s Common Council.

“I brought this up a month ago, but (Mayor Jack Chiovatero) said we couldn’t change the map,” Ament said.

Ament said Chiovatero has told the council and the media that the water agreement will not extend past the existing utility area, so he does not understand why the MMSD 2020 map, which shows possible utility extensions, was used as the basis for the agreement.

He is not opposed to purchasing water from Milwaukee, Ament said, but he cannot accept specific provisions of the agreement, including the $1.5 million one-time fee and the map used in the agreement.

Chiovatero said when he sat down at the negotiating table with Milwaukee, they suggested broadening the map.

“I was kind of worried by what they meant by that, but they said ‘Do you want to have to come to us every single time you want water?’ I said ‘no,’” Chiovatero said.

Because any extension of water utility requires sewers be extended as well, Chiovatero said the council and the people of New Berlin would have the power over if, or when, those utility expansions would happen.

“Why tie the hands of future councils?” asked Chiovatero.

Chiovatero said there are no plans to expand the utility area, and taxpayer money will not fund the $1.5 million onetime cost or the ongoing utility payments to Milwaukee for the use of the water.

Any future sewer expansion, Chiovatero said, would require a public hearing, approval by the council, approval by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and a final public hearing.

“I told (Milwaukee) we are not going past Calhoun,” Chiovatero said. “We all feel the best choice is lake water for a long-term solution. The people who are objecting to the agreement – it’s not costing them a penny. It’s my job to tell people (Milwaukee) is not taking advantage of us. They’re giving us a permanent water solution of clean, healthy, radium free water.”

Ament said the original water agreement with Milwaukee for the eastern part of the utility involved no one-time cost, and he’s concerned about the $1.5 million that is part of this agreement.

“Now we hire a consultant and pay them, and they come up with this cockamamie thing,” Ament said.

Because of Milwaukee’s investment in their water facilities, Chiovatero said they would not accept an agreement without a one-time initial cost. The payment was a deal breaker, and initially Milwaukee wanted a higher amount. Under the agreement approved by Milwaukee’s Common Council, New Berlin will also pay $650,000 annually for the water.

Chiovatero said he understands Ament’s concerns but also said the alderman is constantly at odds with him and his decisions.

“If I say the sky is blue, he’ll say it’s green,” Chiovatero said.

Great News About A Two-County DNR Land Purchase

The good folks of Walworth, Waukesha and all southeastern Wisconsin should be rejoicing over the plan by the Department of Natural Resources to purchase Rainbow Springs, and keep the property in the public domain.

A great acquisition if the deal gets done.

One Bridge Fixed - - After Disaster - - But The System Is Still Broken

The Brookings Institution summarizes how it is that the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis is close to reopening after its collapse last year, but the US transportation funding system hasn't gotten at the systematic flaws that continue to allow thousands of deficient structures to remain in disrepair.

Interesting in Wisconsin that I-94 south of Milwaukee is ticketed for $1.9 billion in repairs and widening that isn't aimed at structural deficiencies.

So-called "design deficiencies," yes, but that's different, and far more arbitrary.

Keep that in mind as the Congressional transportation reauthorization moves forward next year.

You want to see an emphasis on fixing structural deficiences, first.

Then getting at another deficiency - - the lack of focus on transit.

Wisconsin Loses Top Environmental Academic

UW-Madison is losing a leading environmental scientist to the U. of Minnesota.

Read between the lines, and this looks like a big victory for the UW-haters in the GOP legislative caucus.

CNU Helps Push Truth In Highway-Building Nationally

Steve Filmanowicz advances the need for Truth in Highway-Building by forwarding key information about the real costs of concrete and ashphalt projects through the networks at the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Commuter, Light Rail Ridership Booming Nationally; Milwaukee Increase: 0%

High gas prices are leading to double-digit increases in ridership from 2007 on both commuter and light rail systems, reported the Associated Press.

Where: Minneapolis, St. Louis, San Francisco, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Harrisburg, PA, Oakland and Seattle.

Milwaukee's increase: 0%, with commuter rail taking a back seat to more highway expansion, and light rail off the table completely, as local and state politicians refuse to provide the public with transportation options.

Milwaukee Water Works Explains Corrected New Berlin Water Sale Fiscal Data

The Milwaukee City Clerk has posted on the Common Council's online file an explanation for, and corrections to, an earlier error in Milwaukee Water Works' estimates of revenue is said it would receive from New Berlin through the water sale deal the Council approved last week.

The corrected number is about 30% less.

Questions were first raised about the estimated revenue calculations by Gretchen Schuldt in the comment section of a posting on this blog.

The initial first-year revenue estimate was $966,000; the corrected figure of $683,000 appeared in an amended fiscal report to the Council, and in a water works document in the Council file that had been corrected without explanation.

I had suggested to the Clerk and the Water Works last week that the file record online to be complete should include an explanation of why the initial calculation was not accurate.

All that is now rolled into the corrected report filed by the Water Works and posted by the clerk's office, above.

Thanks to all who took care of this.

Smart Growth, Not Panicky Oil Drilling, Will Stabilize The Economy

The most interesting bit of information in this solid essay about Smart Growth and energy policy prices is that 78% of 900 real estate agents surveyed said their clients were choosing city locations in the face of rising gas costs.

A new twist on location, location, location.

That's good new for Milwaukee's Third Ward, Madison's Isthmus, or Waukesha's Downtown.

And not so good for places like Pabst Farms in Western Waukesha County, or the subdivisions north off I-94 along Highway 164 into Washington County - - sites where the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission has green-lighted wider roads or new highway interchanges that are now more expensive commuting and shopping distances from jobs in Milwaukee, or Waukesha.

The Smart Growth essay's authors are Geoff Anderson, president and CEO of Smart Growth America, and Shelley Poticha, president and CEO of Reconnecting America.

They are co-chairs of the Transportation for America Campaign.

At Age 90, Frank Zeidler Had Concerns About Water Diversion Sales

Somewhat lost in the voluminous Common Council file that led to last week's water sale approval to New Berlin was a fascinating letter written in 2003 by former Mayor Frank Zeidler.

Here is a link to the document.

Right up until his death in 2006, Zeidler was engaged in the life of the city, and from contacts of mine who worked directly with the former Mayor, I know that he took his daily correspondence very seriously.

Another Madison-Milwaukee Tale Of Two Cities

US-Madison is opening a branch of its far west side research park in the city's downtown.

Meanwhile, UW-M is still intent on opening its new engineering school in Wauwatosa on the County grounds, inconveniencing students and faculty, and separating them from the intertwined business, commercial, housing, entertainment and academic resources in downtown Milwaukee.

Imagine being an engineering student also taking a class in architecture, English, history or communications.

Will you be driving back and forth across town to Wauwatosa? Taking a cross-town bus?

But if you live on N. Murray or N. Oakland Ave. on the East side, you're halfway between both the campus and downtown, and on a direct bus line, too.

Milwaukee is too often a step or two behind the times. $4-per-gallon gasoline should have already elevated the downtown location, but so far, UW-M officials still want the suburban ideal, with, no doubt, plenty of parking lots.

The Great Lakes Compact Still Has Loopholes

As I've mentioned on this blog repeatedly, the Great Lakes Compact now sailing through the US Congress still has major flaws.

Dave Dempsey explained them in his Congressional testimony, and here is a link to his statement.

More analysis here.

As the Compact stands now, unlimited volumes of water can be diverted from the Great Lakes basin in containers less than 5.7 gallons. And the Compact defines water as a product, weakening the traditional and long-standing legal protection water has been given under the Public Trust doctrine.

Expect pressures to increase for water export from the Great Lakes until these loopholes are changed.

Texas DOT Explains Why Roads Require Permanent Subsidies

The Texas DOT posts an explanation about why roads do not generate enough gas tax collections to pay for themselves.

It also references its methodology - - which could be applied to Wisconsin's $6.5 billion commitment to rebuilding and expanding the Southeastern Wisconsin Freeway System.

Maybe this is the beginning of better language to define the real costs of highways, and to have the concept of subsidy applied to roads and not just transit.

Legislators should mandate that WisDOT include these calculations in its fiscal estimates for road projects.

And the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, when it creates or recommends highwaty plans (it wrote the $6.5 billion freeway plan in 2003, projecting gas prices at $2.30-per-gallon, with a 3% annual cost increase), should also be required to include this kind of lifecycle analysis.

That way, the public could better understand what it is they're on the hook for financing.

Thanks to John Norquist for making this point for 30 years, to the blog Overhead Wire for originally posting the Texas DOT explanation, and to Joe Klein for passing it on - - and since it's short, I've reprinted it entirely, below:

Hot Issues - News

Do Roads Pay for Themselves?

1. What is a traveler paying for when he or she pays state gas tax at the pump?

State motor fuel tax is collected from all over the state and goes into a single pool of revenue—about one quarter of which goes to fund education, and about three-quarters of which goes to the state’s highway fund, where it is spent on transportation uses and some non-transportation functions of government.

Then the state receives federal funds as the state’s share of the federal fuel tax; about 70 cents of every gas tax dollar Texans send to Washington comes back for road use.

The significant point here is that historically the fuel tax paid in any locality of the state is unrelated to the road projects in that locality.

Every fuel taxpayer in the state paid something for any given road—which leads to the next issue.

2. When is a given road actually “paid for?”

Just like your car, it never is. You may have paid the note, but maintenance and fuel costs go on as long as you own the vehicle.

Once a road is built, maintenance and rehabilitation costs last its entire life, generally about 40 years.

The decision to build a road is a permanent commitment to the traveling public. Not only will a road be built, but it must also be routinely maintained and reconstructed when necessary, meaning no road is ever truly “paid for.”

Until recently, when TxDOT built or expanded a road, no methodology existed to determine the extent to which this work would be paid off through revenues.

The Asset Value Index, was developed to compare the full 40-year life-cycle costs to the revenues attributable to a given road corridor or section.

The shorthand version calculates how much gasoline is consumed on a roadway and how much gas tax revenue that generates.The Asset Value Index is the ratio of the total expected revenues divided by the total expected costs.

If the ratio is 0.60, the road will produce revenues to meet 60 percent of its costs; it would be “paid for” only if the ratio were 1.00, when the revenues met 100 percent of costs.

Another way of describing this is to do a “tax gap” analysis, which shows how much the state fuel tax would have to be on that given corridor for the ratio for revenues to match costs.

Applying this methodology, revealed that no road pays for itself in gas taxes and fees.

For example, in Houston, the 15 miles of SH 99 from I-10 to US 290 will cost $1 billion to build and maintain over its lifetime, while only generating $162 million in gas taxes.

That gives a tax gap ratio of .16, which means that the real gas tax rate people would need to pay on this segment of road to completely pay for it would be $2.22 per gallon.

This is just one example, but there is not one road in Texas that pays for itself based on the tax system of today. Some roads pay for about half their true cost, but most roads we have analyzed pay for considerably less.

To conclude, in the SH 99 example, since the traffic volume for that road doesn't generate enough fuel tax revenue to pay for it, revenues from other parts of the state must be used to build and maintain this corridor segment.

The same is true across the state, meaning that, as revealed by the tax gap analysis, overall revenues are not sufficient to meet the state’s transportation needs.

Sensenbrenner Supports The Great Lakes Compact

State Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R) supports adoption of the Great Lakes Compact.

His fears about the Compact's single-state veto for some diversions appear unfounded, since current federal law does not include an exception in the Compact that helps New Berlin with a relatively easier, home-state-only approval process.

The Compact also establishes rules and standards for diversions to an out-of-basin community, like Waukesha, that are not spelled out in the current federal law, the Water Resources Development Act.

The Midwest's Newest Crop: Wind Turbines

Wind power is becoming a reality.

The same people who argue that rail transit is an "old" technology will probably scoff at wind-generated energy.

Only the uninformed will tilt at these windmills.

New Berlin Bloggers Give Mix Of Reviews To Water Deal

One blogger likes it.

Another, the well-known conservative J. J. Blonien, does not.

US Senate Quickly Approves Great Lakes Compact

One Congressional house down, one to go, as the US Senate passes the Great Lakes Compact.

Sen. Russ Feingold statement here.

If the House of Representatives approves it, too, Pres. George W. Bush has pledged to sign it.

All in all, a good thing, though the states still need to tighten up the loophole that allows water to leave the Great Lakes basin in bottles smaller than 5.7 gallons.

Support For A Green Economy - - But One Sector Is Missing

The Journal Sentinel gives a broad and detailed editorial endorsement of green initiatives for the state's economy, echoing the work of the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming.

Wisconsin is well-positioned to help itself with industrial, agricultural and academic programs that can make the state ready to meet the world that is coming our way with renewable energy generation, new technologies, job-training-and- creation in the post-cheap petroleum era - - call it what you will.

We know that things are changing fast, that the world our grandchildren will live in just down the road is going to be very different from the world of today, and that smart people in both the public and private sectors are getting ready to embrace that change right now.

But there is one pipeline of state spending still being poured into a consuming segment of the old, pre-$4-a-gallon gasoline economy - - transportation.

Wisconsin is still dedicated to unsustainable highway building - - not merely road repairs and upkeep - - but to 127 miles of new lanes on its Southeastern regional freeway system, at a projected cost of $6.5 billion.

And to significant projects across the state that push development farther from cities, through farm land and wetlands.

Yet, we know that people are driving less, that the expectation and need for modern transit is growing, that people are indicating a preference for relocating closer to their jobs, that air quality standards are getting tougher, that high fuel and shipping costs are even re-igniting an interest in local food production - - all suggesting that sprawl development enabled through highway expansion that eats up land and produces more driving, dirty air and fuel burn...is...slowing...down.

Out of necessity.

But the state forges ahead with its highway expansion plans - - and no one in state government is willing to rethink it, slow it down, and then act by re-directing some of that funding - - even 10% - - into the beginning of a true regional rail system, to local road repairs or urban transit.

The City of Milwaukee has asked the state to do exactly that with its planned 2009-2017 reconstruction and expansion of I-94 between Milwaukee and the Illinois state line.

The Common Council and Mayor suggested swapping the planned 70 miles of new lanes in that corridor for a commuter rail line serving Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee - - and the state transportation department said "no."

Way too much trouble to rethink it now - - though there hasn't been a shovel stuck into the ground.

What this means is that the urgency driving the fresh development of greener systems and approaches of all kinds in the real world is being diminished by our state's political subservience to the highway lobby at the Capitol.

No one is suggesting an end to road-building.

But now is the right time to introduce some balance of allocated transportation dollars between roads and transit, to blend fiscal conservatism with land conservation so there is money available for the transit, pedestrian and biking alternatives that have been starved of funding since the 1950's.

Alternative forms of transportation offer good jobs in rail construction, train operation and maintenance, just as does highway construction.

And you'd get housing and commercial development along rail lines and at transit stops and stations, as has happened in other US cities, not to mention in Europe and elsewhere.

What's wrong with some transportation balance, and some new priorities, that would be good for job development, tax-base expansion, land conservation and air quality, too?

A truly green economy would put alternative transportation at the top of its agenda.

In Wisconsin, it's more of a footnote.

23% Of Milwaukee City Adults Live In Households Without Vehicles

While some commentators reassure themselves that jobs in the suburbs are easily accessed by workers with cars, the data tell a different story:

In the City of Milwaukee, nearly one-quarter of all adults - - 87,300 people, or 23% - - live in households without a car or truck.

And that number includes 60% of all African-Americans adults in Wisconsin who live in households without a car or truck, according to the same UW-Milwaukee study by researcher John Pawarasat. (See pps. 15-16)

Minimizing the physical disconnections between Milwaukeans and suburban jobs, one writer says "the great majority of people in Milwaukee County ignore readily available bus service and drive anyhow because, presumably, they prefer to."

The context was the absence of a direct bus line from the City of Milwaukee to New Berlin's Industrial Park - - a growing area to which the City of Milwaukee has agreed to sell Lake Michigan water.

The complete picture is a little more complicated - - the term "great majority" still hides more than 87,000 adults without access to a vehicle - - when you look behind the Milwaukee County numbers to just data from the City of Milwaukee - - where the greatest number of unemployed and low-income workers live in the region, and statewide.

So if you land-lock Milwaukee with prohibitions against annexations, as the legislature did in 1955, and you limit, then cut, transit service to suburbs where there is job growth (disregarding altogether light rail service), you effectively segregate those 87,300 Milwaukee residents from job opportunities that are less and less serviced by transit.

Not to mention housing options, affordable and otherwise near those jobs.

Yet billions of dollars in highway expansion continue to be spent freely, routinely, servicing people with cars.

Since the money to build, maintain, patrol and even plow highways comes from public sources, it looks to me like we've got here a simple case of equal justice, access to public resources, access to a livelihood and due process - - denied for a quarter of Milwaukee's residents.

Presumably, a situation those without cars do not prefer.

Patrick McIlheran, Always Unpredictable

McIlheran takes off after Ald. Bob Bauman and me in this disorganized bit of typing - -and speaking for myself, that's OK with me.

But poor Bill Mielke and New Berlin's Mayor, Jack Chiovatero!

Mr. Mielke, the region's senior municipal consultant and arguably a really powerful guy in Wisconsin, gets ID'ed in the lede as "the engineer it hired to find it some water."

Which he is, but he's also the CEO of Ruekert-Mielke, served as a member of the Legislative Study Committee on the Great Lakes Compact, and employs the experts who wrote both New Berlin's Great Lakes water diversion application and who are writing the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission's water supply study.

Ruekert-Mielke consults with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage Commission and a list of municipalities too long to enumerate.

Could be that Patrick didn't know.

Worse, Mielke and Mayor Jack are both described by McIlheran as "groveling" before a Milwaukee Common Council committee that was taking testimony on the water sale to New Berlin.

Hardly.

I was there for the entire, four-hour hearing. It was a very comprehensive hearing, described by Ald. Willie Wade, a committee member, as "historic" when he mentioned it later in the day at a SEWRPC task force meeting.

Chiovatero and Mielke's views prevailed at the committee Tuesday, and the next day's full Council vote.

An objective analysis of their presentations deserved more accuracy, and respect.

I'm still wrestling with the McIlheran graf below which says he wasn't taking notes, didn't have a tape recorder running, but couldn't wait for the Channel 25 replay that would have been available at 7 p.m. the same night for the quote he missed.

The perils of live-blogging, or impatience, I guess:

"I missed the exact quote, so I'll paraphrase, but Bauman is saying that it sounds like New Berlin really, really needs the deal, so it's prime time for Milwaukee get peel some more money out of New Berlinites to make up for the fact that New Berlin has been attractive to people and businesses while Milwaukee has not."

"Get peel?"

I'm lost.

The next graf steers the reader to a credible source for help - - my blog - - so thanks for the props and the blog hits, Patrick:

"You can get the more coherent version of this argument from blogger, anti-suburban fanatic and former Norquist aide Jim Rowen. As he put it:"

But "anti-suburban fanatic?"

Hey, some of my best friends live in the suburbs.

Finally, there is this dollop of shaky analysis:

McIlheran lays out the case that a median-valued home in New Berlin - - by 2000 census data, $162,000 - - is "affordable" for most non-Milwaukee families in the region (my argument was about affordability to Milwaukee households who earn far less, but let that distinction go for a moment).

Says Patrick:

"New Berlin's average house value, as Rowen points out, is about $162,000. Assuming taxes, insurance and a 10% down payment, this is affordable -- that is, payments wouldn't top 28% of income -- for a family making about $56,000 a year. That is more than what the median family income in the city of Milwaukee is, but it's considerably below the median family income for our metropolis as a whole. "

The major problem with this analysis is that 10% down payment statistic. How relevant is that today?

A recent CNN panel of national mortgage experts disclosed that the current credit crunch has made 20-30% down payments a necessity, even for very credit-worthy borrowers.

Do we think this family with the $56,000 household income has $32,000-$48,000 available for the down payment?

And even at 10%, that's a $16,000 down payment, and more can be expected from borrowers without great credit scores.

In today's economy, those are hefty numbers.

Second Day Of Annoying Blogging Glitches

Yesterday, Blogger, the Google service that hosts this blog, and many, many others, locked many of us out because the system declared us suspect spam blogs.

Think what you will of this effort, but spam it ain't.

Got that problem solved, but I now find that Internet Explorer won't allow access to this blog, so I posted this through Mozilla, another Google creation.

As soon-t-be-former US Senator Ted StevensPublish Post (R-AK) said, the Internet is a series of tubes, and the last couple of days they appear pretty congested.

State, UW-Madison, Will Stop Burning Coal At Three Power Plants

The air and water in Madison and Dane County will get a lot cleaner after Gov. Jim Doyle announced that the UW-Madison and state government will stop buring coal in three, heavily-polluting power plants.

Kudos to the environmentalists who brought this about through litigation

Another Fatal Traffic Crash Involving A Repeat OWI Offender

Comes the sad and infuriating news that, again, a Wisconsin motorist with a long record of drunk driving arrests and convictions has been involved in a fatal car crash, this time in Brookfield.

It has been months since the uproar caused by a triple-fatality in Waukesha County allegedly caused by a repeat offender - - Dr. Mark Benson - - who was driving on a revoked license - - yet the legislature, after some tough talk, adjourned for the campaign season without passing legislation to give prosecutors more tools to get repeat drunk drivers off the roads more quickly and effectively.

Wisconsin is at or near the top of many national indices about drinking and dangerous behaviors and outcomes, from binge drinking to drunken driving to alcohol-related diseases, yet the state's permissive drinking culture and weak political environment continually combine to keep our highways relatively unsafe.

You could spend hours Googling key words, like alcohol abuse...alcoholism...relapse...and so forth, and here is what you will find:

People clinically-definable as alcoholic, or with problems in their life caused by heavy drinking ("problem drinkers") at between 6% and 14 % of the population.

Agreement that a minority of people who need treatment for their alcohol issues get that treatment.

Agreement that alcoholism and its addictive characteristics include bouts of relapse - - that is, a return to uncontrollable drinking - - thus continuing the risk to themselves and others.

All of which means that there are a lot of impaired drivers on Wisconsin roads - - essentially in moving, dangerous weapons - - so these traffic fatalities (let's not call them "accidents") will continue to occur, until Wisconsin's legislature and Governor do two things simultaneously:

Attack the state's drinking problems with a major education and treatment effort.

Attack the weaknesses in the state's operating while impaired statutes - - which now make a first offense a mere ticket, and a fourth is still a misdemeanor - - and give prosecutors and judges more tools to seize vehicles and incarcerate repeat offenders.

Anything less keeps enabling people to drink and drive, and kill.

One side note: Charges are pending in Friday's early morning crash, and alcohol could be a factor in the behavior of both the surviving, repeat offender, and the other driver, the deceased, according to WTMJ-TV4.

New reports indicate that the deceased driver had pulled out of a Brookfield restaurant.

It will be interesting to see if any charges are brought against the restaurant, should it be determined if any drinking by the deceased driver occurred there.

There was a double-fatality this past Christmas Day in Franklin caused by a repeat offender who was served drinks at a tavern, though with apparent signs of intoxication.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney's office reviewed the case for possible charges against the tavern's personnel, but declined, citing their cooperation in the investigation against the driver, who has since pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide while under the influence.

Airline Ends Free Water On Flights

US Airways ends free water on flights.

I'm telling you, pay toilets are next.

Milwaukee's Great Outdoors

You are missing some of what's best about Milwaukee if you don't get out to the wonderfully-restored Bradford Beach, or to the Wisconsin State Fair in nearby West Allis, before it closes next weekend.

Random Boorish Bits From Talk Radio

Charlie Sykes Wednesday mocked the Wisconsin Civil Liberties Union for testifying at a hearing Tuesday before a Milwaukee Common Council considering approval of a water sale to New Berlin.

Calling the WCLU "the robe and sandals" people, Sykes wondered how anyone could discern a civil rights issue in a water sale.

Much of the nearly four-hour hearing was taken up with a discussion of New Berlin's miniscule stock of low-income housing, and the absence of direct transit service from Milwaukee to the portion of New Berlin where the water sale is directed - - an area with the state's largest industrial park, and where another 5,668 jobs could be created.

Using a public resource like Milwaukee water to help add jobs to a neighboring community when low-income Milwaukeans cannot get to the jobs, or find affordable housing, has civil rights' implications that I know Sykes understands.

But my talk radio demerit of the week goes to Rush Limbaugh, who several times Thursday blasted a story in the North Carolina newspaper, The News & Observer, about how consumers, on a weekend when the state suspends the sales tax, could save money on back-to-school supplies and other items in this era of high gas prices.

This sort of 'news-you-can-use' has been around as a staple for years, but Limbaugh saw something else in it.

Because the story was written by a woman, Vicki Lee Parker, Limbaugh repeatedly called it "the chickification" of the news business, finally conceded that his bit was sexist, guessed the writer was a nice person, laughed and went to break.

I found the story: here's a link.