Take Action on Task Force Water Legislation

Jan 28, 2020 | Citizen Advocacy, Water Policy, Water Quality Task Force

The proposals from the Water Quality Task Force are moving forward. This week, 9 of the 13 bills created by the WQTF will have hearings in Senate or Assembly Committees. 

Below you will find a brief summary of each of the bills, with our recommendations and actions you can take. Please contact the committee members this week to share your comments using the easy forms we’ve provided below. As always, you should also contact your own legislators. 

We expect the remaining four bills will have hearings next week. We will provide an update on those bills soon. 
 
After the committees have hearings over the next two weeks, they will schedule a committee vote to decide which bills will be moved to the full Assembly and Senate for votes. Floor votes are likely to take place in February. 
 

The Good: Bills that support Wisconsin’s waters & public health

This bill provides funding through June 2023 for an existing program (Wisconsin Fund) that provides grants to homeowners and businesses to repair, or replace their failing septic systems. The bill also provides two state staff to implement the grant program. This program is one small way to help reduce water pollution from septic systems. 
 
Hearing: SB 710 has a hearing on Thursday, January 30th at 10am in the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee.
AB 791 has a hearing on Tuesday February 4th at 10:30am in the Assembly Committee on Rural Development. 
 
SB 716 / AB797
This bill prohibits the use and sale of coal tar-based sealants and high PAH products, starting January 1, 2021. Clean Wisconsin has worked with many municipalities that have already banned the use of these products. This bill expands this ban state-wide to help reduce water pollution. 
 
Hearing: SB 716 has a hearing on Thursday, January 30th at 10am in the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee. (AB 797 has been assigned to the Assembly Committee on Transportation, but a hearing has not been scheduled.) 
 
ACTION YOU CAN TAKE:
Let the members of Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee know you support SB 710 and SB 716.
Use our simple form to send a message now
 

The Bad: Bills that harm Wisconsin’s waters & public health

SB 708 /AB 794
This bill changes the process for groundwater standards. Given that 70% of the people in Wisconsin drink groundwater this is an important process. Currently, when the DNR determines a new chemical or pollutant needs review and standards to protect public health, they send a request to the Department of Health Services (DHS). DHS completes an independent, science-based review to determine what levels of the pollutant are safe for the public. Once this unbiased work is done, the lengthy public process begins. This is when industry and the public can weigh in on the proposed levels recommended by DHS and DNR.
 
The changes in this new bill will allow industry undue influence on DHS’s work and will unnecessarily lengthen an already long process. Groundwater standards must remain independent of industry influence and the process should not be slowed down. Public health is at stake. 
 
Hearings: SB 708 has a hearing on Wednesday, January 29 at 10:30am in the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection. 
AB 794 has a hearing on Wednesday January 29th at 11am in the Assembly Committee on Government Accountability and Oversight.
 

ACTION YOU CAN TAKE:
Let the members of the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Technology and Consumer Protection know you oppose SB 708. Let the members of the  Assembly Committee on Government Accountability and Oversight know that you oppose AB 794.
Use our simple form to send a message now

 
SB 711/AB793
This bill changes the methods for prioritizing and changes the criteria for municipal flood control grant programs. Unfortunately, this bill is removing the current priority system for the grant program and allowing things like reduction in tax base to be considered in the program. This means if properties are recommended to be removed from the floodplain, which is often the best approach, the project could be denied funding in this program if there is a loss of tax base. The current priority process should stay in place. 
 
Hearing: 
AB793 has a hearing on Thursday January 30 at 9am in the Assembly Committee on the Environment. 
SB 711 has a hearing on Thursday January 30th at 10am in the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee.
 
ACTION YOU CAN TAKE:
Let the members of the  Assembly Committee on the Environment know you oppose AB 793
Let the members of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee know you oppose SB 711.

Other Bills

Biomanipulation of lakes:
This bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to provide grants to local water improvement groups to conduct projects using biomanipulation to improve the water quality of lakes and impoundments and appropriates $150,000 to DNR for that purpose. We are opposed to this bill because it is a sort-term fix versus a long-term solution to address nutrient levels in lakes. Better solutions focus on reducing nutrient inputs. Biomanipulation of lakes is not an activity that warrants making it into the top 13 bills for the Water Quality Task  Force. (Hearings: Senate Wednesday, Assembly Thursday)
 
Several other bills have hearings this week (January 29 and 30). We are still reviewing them to make our final determinations.
 
Here are the bills:
 

Additional Resources