The bid by a frac sand business to open a large mine in Wisconsin which would necessitate a major wetland filling and pristine timber cut has taken a decidedly uglier turn - - the threat by the owner of the land to clear cut the property for financial reasons if the Wisconsin DNR doesn't grant the mining permit.
We ought to call January "Walker Wetland Filling Month" in Wisconsin, since that's where it all began within hours of Walker taking office:
* As I noted on January 4th, 2011, a day after Walker's swearing in:
The bill quickly passed, followed Walker signing by a broader wetland filling bill into law a year later - - followed by his signing an even more permissive law signed in 2016 to allow development in specialized wetlands previously off-limits to development.
Of course, wetlands are nature's pollution filters and flood water controls - -
- - issues of little importance to Walker and the "chamber of commerce mentality" mangers he has installed at the DNR which he is systematically diminishing and downsizing and freeing from science science guidance and public policy concerns.
* And as we speak Walker is considering a budgetary DNR coup de grace, breaking the agency apart and making it harder to enforce pollution standards and focus the agency's inspectors so that Walker's corporate donors can have at the the people's waters, clean air, state parks and environmental legacy as they wish.
So Happy Anniversary to Walker and his Pollution Party.
We ought to call January "Walker Wetland Filling Month" in Wisconsin, since that's where it all began within hours of Walker taking office:
* As I noted on January 4th, 2011, a day after Walker's swearing in:
Take a look at Item #6 of Walker's Special Session directive to the Legislature in Executive Order #1, as it will impact 1.6 million acres protected of non-federal wetlands, or 30% of the wetlands in Wisconsin...I also quoted an alert about it issued by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association:
On Day 1 of his administration, Governor Walker released an Executive Order that calls for "exemptions from water quality certification and wetland mitigation requirements for certain non-federal wetlands that are less than two acres in size" (see item 6 in the Executive Order). In other words, Governor Walker wants to make it easier for developers and industry to destroy isolated wetlands in hopes of creating jobs.* Later that month, and after administratively blocking an ongoing wetlands filling permit appeal process so he could help a developer/campaign donor build on a wetland near Lambeau Field, Walker had a special bill introduced into the Legislature to further smooth the way for the developer,
The bill quickly passed, followed Walker signing by a broader wetland filling bill into law a year later - - followed by his signing an even more permissive law signed in 2016 to allow development in specialized wetlands previously off-limits to development.
Of course, wetlands are nature's pollution filters and flood water controls - -
- - issues of little importance to Walker and the "chamber of commerce mentality" mangers he has installed at the DNR which he is systematically diminishing and downsizing and freeing from science science guidance and public policy concerns.
* And as we speak Walker is considering a budgetary DNR coup de grace, breaking the agency apart and making it harder to enforce pollution standards and focus the agency's inspectors so that Walker's corporate donors can have at the the people's waters, clean air, state parks and environmental legacy as they wish.
So Happy Anniversary to Walker and his Pollution Party.