The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a pair of cases that present two questions at the core of an ongoing struggle between some of the most powerful forces in the state.
Tag: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Posted inEnvironment
An ecosystem engineer’s vision: mock beaver dams to restore Wisconsin wetlands
Beaver-inspired structures could limit flooding and benefit wildlife habitat, but state permitting is arduous.
Posted inEnvironment
Wildfire smoke is new hazard in upper Midwest
Canadian wildfire smoke brought air quality alerts to the Midwest. Such episodes will grow more common as the earth warms, climate experts say.
Posted inEnvironment
What EPA’s nationwide PFAS rule means for Wisconsin drinking water
New federal limits on hazardous “forever chemicals” could mean cleaner, safer drinking water. But some residents may see higher utility bills.
Posted inEnvironment
Evers administration seeks OK to start new PFAS regulations in Wisconsin
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration plans to ask state environmental officials again for permission to develop limits on a group of chemicals known as PFAS in Wisconsin groundwater.
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Health & Welfare
Wisconsin launches effort to replace aging lead pipes to safeguard water
The state Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday it will target low-income areas with $11.8 million in new grants to replace aging pipes made of lead that supply water to homes.
Posted inFailure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Lead pipes, antiquated law threaten Wisconsin’s drinking water quality
Experts, and even some regulators, say existing laws are failing to protect Wisconsin and the nation from harmful exposure to lead in drinking water that leaches from aging plumbing — a danger illustrated by the public health crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Posted inEnvironment, Failure at the Faucet, Government, Health & Welfare, Water Watch Wisconsin
Despite state efforts, arsenic continues to poison many private wells in Wisconsin
An ancient poison that was detected in the late 1980s in Wisconsin’s drinking water persists despite state regulations designed to eliminate it. High-capacity wells can exacerbate the problem.
Posted inEnvironment, Government, Water Watch Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker’s science cuts may hinder efforts to halt walleye decline
Wisconsin’s walleye have been in decline for as long as scientists have been collecting solid data, about a quarter-century. They aren’t as plentiful, and they’re growing more slowly. Now the state Department of Natural Resources’ ability to research and reverse that decline could be at risk, with Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed cuts of DNR scientists.
Posted inEnvironment, Government, Scott Walker's Wisconsin, Water Watch Wisconsin
Layoffs at Wisconsin DNR would trigger terminations of limited-term employees
A state law requires that before the DNR can lay off a single permanent staffer, it must let go any limited-term employees or probationary employees with the same job classification. According to numbers DNR furnished the Legislative Fiscal Bureau in early May, the science bureau has 95 LTEs.
Posted inEnvironment, Government, Health & Welfare
U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble convenes dairies, DNR to discuss Green Bay phosphorus pollution
Phosphorus flowing into the bay causes fish kills, toxic algae blooms and an annual dead zone. “I felt it was important to bring the stakeholders together, and see if we could maybe stop pointing fingers at each other, and start pointing fingers at solutions,” Rep. Ribble said about the April 1 event he’s hosting.
Posted inMoney & Politics Column
Deer disease keeps worsening in Wisconsin, as predicted
Thirteen years after CWD was first discovered in Wisconsin, a state wildlife expert says many hunters “just want things to go back to normal.” That’s not likely to happen. A far more plausible scenario is that the disease will continue to spread, infecting and killing deer, until the number of animals available for hunters is seriously depleted.