(The Center Square) – Just days after Gov. Tony Evers promised to veto a Republican-backed plan to deal with PFAS contamination in Wisconsin, Democrats at the State Capitol are trying with their own plan.
A number of Democratic state senators introduced legislation that would not only provide grants to local communities that are dealing with PFAS chemicals, but would ban non-essential PFAS products, set statewide PFAS standards and use Wisconsin’s PFAS trust fund as a new funding source for other local grants.
“We can’t wait for clean water. This is about keeping families safe in their own homes. Toxic PFAS chemicals are a threat to our health, economy, and communities – whether they are in our water or in everyday household products,” Sen Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska, said in a statement.
Onalaska is just north of La Crosse, in western Wisconsin, which is one of the communities dealing with PFAS pollution in its local water supply.
Both French Island and the town of Campbell have been on the DNR’s list of PFAS communities since 2021.
Pfaff said that’s part of the reason he is pushing the Democratic plan.
“Families in the Town of Campbell have been forced to drink bottled water for three years because their water has been contaminated with these toxic chemicals. Their kids can’t take baths with the water coming out of their faucets because it contains PFAS. It is far past time that we ensure the people of Wisconsin have the necessary tools and resources to keep their water safe,” Pfaff said.
Evers has promised to veto the Republican PFAS proposal because it would stop the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources from treating landowners who find PFAS contamination on their land the same as source-polluters.
The Democrats’ plan would give the DNR those powers and allow the state to force farmers or landowners into clean-ups.
Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, said those kinds of regulations are part of a “comprehensive” plan that “builds a strong future for Wisconsin.”
“We must ensure that the water coming out of every faucet is safe to drink, our governmental units and local communities have the tools necessary to remediate PFAS contamination, and corporations that pollute and threaten the well-being of our people and environment are held accountable for their actions,” Agard said. “Every Wisconsinite has a right to clean drinking water, period.”
