MADISON – After hours of negotiation, the Assembly has voted to pass legislation aimed at helping communities with “forever chemical” contamination and spending down funds appropriated three years ago to help with contamination.
The two bills were among the final pieces of legislation taken up by the Assembly, during the two-day floor session on Feb. 19 and 20.
Both bills were negotiated with Gov. Tony Evers, who previously vetoed legislation meant to spend down the $132 million currently available in the PFAS trust fund. The Department of Natural Resources was also involved in the negotiations.
The bills will now go to the Senate for a vote, and then to Evers for a signature.
The first bill, authored by Rep. Jeff Mursau, R-Crivitz, and Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, would establish a series of grant programs, largely aimed at supporting communities with PFAS contamination, in addition to airports facing contamination issues stemming from the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam.
The bill also outlines exemptions from responsibility for PFAS contamination, including for farmers who had sludge from water treatment plants spread on their land containing the compounds, municipal landfills, fire departments and people who own land that was polluted by PFAS originating from another nearby property or waste facilities that accepted PFAS.
The bill also outlines new positions at the DNR, but does not provide funding.
The bill also includes:
The bill includes a provision that requires the DNR to report to the Legislature every six months for three years about PFAS-related activities. It also requires the University of Wisconsin System to report to the Legislature on research within two years.
The other bill appropriates funding for the programs that would be created if the first bill is signed into law by Evers.
In total, it spends about $132 million, including: $1.6 million for general operations related to PFAS within the DNR’s fish, wildlife and parks program; $79.5 million for the community grant program; $5.3 million for the airport grant program; $35 million for the well compensation program; and nearly $11 million for “required activities relating to PFAS for which funding is not otherwise provided.”
In a statement, Wimberger celebrated the bill’s passing.
“Today marks a rare and transformative agreement across party lines between legislative Republicans and the Governor,” he said. “Even a broken squirrel can find a clock twice a day.”
What are PFAS?
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a family of man-made chemicals used for their water- and stain-resistant qualities in products like clothing and carpet, nonstick cookware, packaging and firefighting foam.
The family includes 5,000 compounds, which are persistent, remaining both in the environment and human body over time. The chemicals have been linked to types of kidney and testicular cancers, lower birth weights, harm to immune and reproductive systems, altered hormone regulation and altered thyroid hormones.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Assembly passes PFAS legislation after talks with Gov. Tony Evers
Reporting by Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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