Word on the street:
Not content with an intentionally-degraded and corporatized Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and mission through reductions in DNR science and staff, fewer pollution inspections and weakened enforcement actions, favors to businesses and even GOP donors, the DNR is said to investigating whether it can engineer or trigger with the cooperation of GOP Attorney General Brad Schimel and legislative leaders a basic legal relationship change with federal environmental protections to further advantage the private sector.
This is a little wonky, but bear with me:
The change would take place first by passing a new state law that would approve would incorporate by reference only certain federal clean water, clean air or other environmental law requirements, standards, expectations, obligations, along with the repeal of any of those specific items which are currently on the books in separate statutes.
Then - - should the federal government repeal these requirements, standards, expectations or obligations, there would be no longer any required state follow-through to enforce them because the 'by reference' obligation would be a 'reference' to nothing.
This would not be the first time that the DNR and GOP Attorney Brad Schimel have cooperated on strategic environmental deregulation that helps big business in Wisconsin at the expense of the public interest, as Schimel recently gave the DNR cover at its request to approve high-volume well permits without regard to downstream users, and both agencies cooperated in legal moves against the Obama administration's clean air rules which the Trump administration will surely remove.
If this of all this 'by reference only' games-playing took place, and Wisconsin citizens begin to howl about the greater lack of pollution prevention (recent Kewaunee County dairy operation manure dumping, below)
or consequences in Wisconsin, the ruling party - - Walker, Schimel, legislative leaders and the DNR's Secretary Cathy Steps - - could shrug its collective special-interest shoulders and say that they were only following the law.
Not content with an intentionally-degraded and corporatized Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and mission through reductions in DNR science and staff, fewer pollution inspections and weakened enforcement actions, favors to businesses and even GOP donors, the DNR is said to investigating whether it can engineer or trigger with the cooperation of GOP Attorney General Brad Schimel and legislative leaders a basic legal relationship change with federal environmental protections to further advantage the private sector.
This is a little wonky, but bear with me:
The change would take place first by passing a new state law that would approve would incorporate by reference only certain federal clean water, clean air or other environmental law requirements, standards, expectations, obligations, along with the repeal of any of those specific items which are currently on the books in separate statutes.
Then - - should the federal government repeal these requirements, standards, expectations or obligations, there would be no longer any required state follow-through to enforce them because the 'by reference' obligation would be a 'reference' to nothing.
This would not be the first time that the DNR and GOP Attorney Brad Schimel have cooperated on strategic environmental deregulation that helps big business in Wisconsin at the expense of the public interest, as Schimel recently gave the DNR cover at its request to approve high-volume well permits without regard to downstream users, and both agencies cooperated in legal moves against the Obama administration's clean air rules which the Trump administration will surely remove.
If this of all this 'by reference only' games-playing took place, and Wisconsin citizens begin to howl about the greater lack of pollution prevention (recent Kewaunee County dairy operation manure dumping, below)
or consequences in Wisconsin, the ruling party - - Walker, Schimel, legislative leaders and the DNR's Secretary Cathy Steps - - could shrug its collective special-interest shoulders and say that they were only following the law.