(The Center Square) – The latest pitch for Wisconsin’s budget surplus would see nearly a billion dollars spent on clean water projects across the state.
A coalition of 30 Wisconsin environmental groups including the Sierra Club, Wisconsin Conservation Voters and the Milwaukee Water Commons all signed a letter in early December asking for $953 million.
“Across the state, tens of thousands of Wisconsinites are still forced to protect themselves and their families from harmful contaminants by relying on 5-gallon water jugs for everyday tasks like brushing their teeth, washing dishes, mixing baby formula, and preparing meals. PFAS,
lead, and nitrate contamination are of particular concern due to their impact on our health across a wide range of Wisconsin communities,” the letter begins.
The groups want to use the money to target PFAS chemicals, lead and manure runoff in Wisconsin’s drinking waters,
“All of us want to live in communities where we can turn on the tap and know the water coming out of it is safe to drink,” the letter added.
The coalition is not saying just how the money would be spent. Instead, the letter simply endorses the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program and the Clean Water Fund Program.
“These are low-interest, revolving loan programs with some allowances for principal forgiveness based on community need and wealth. While they are receiving a boost in funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it is not nearly enough. EPA estimates Wisconsin will need $11.75 billion in water infrastructure investments over the next 20 years,” the letter explained.
The letter also asks for legislative support for changes to private well regulations in the state. The coalition says there are far too many wells with contamination problems.
There’s also a call for what the groups are calling preventative action.
“We cannot afford to continue poisoning our water, cleaning it up, and repeating that cycle. Preventing these contaminants from getting into our environment better protects the people we love, and saves us money on our utility bills,” the letter adds. “We urge you to support phasing out the use of PFAS in non-essential consumer products as several states have already done, allowing local rental inspection programs that ensure apartments are free from lead, and funding pay-for-performance programs that reward hard-working farmers who effectively prevent nitrate contamination.”
The clean water request is just the latest plan to spend Wisconsin’s $4 billion budget surplus.
There have also been requests to spend the surplus on public schools, Medicaid expansion and the University of Wisconsin.
Gov. Tony Evers has said he wants to spend the surplus in his next state budget, but he’s not said where.
Republicans at the Capitol in Madison have said they don’t want to spend the surplus at all. Republican lawmakers say they intend to return the surplus to the taxpayers.
