Rep. Shankland: Statement on Republican legislators scaling Back Gov. Evers’ Clean Water Initiatives

For the City Times
MADISON – Rep. Katrina Shankland (D-Stevens Point), Vice Chair of the Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality, released the following statement today in response to Republicans on the Joint Committee on Finance voting to reduce the governor’s proposed clean water initiatives in the state budget by tens of millions of dollars:
“From Milwaukee to Marinette and Kewaunee County to Lafayette County, people across Wisconsin are unable to drink water from their taps due to widespread contamination. I’m extremely dismayed that Republican legislators on the Joint Finance Committee voted to cut Governor Evers’ clean water budget initiatives by about $43 million, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
“These proposals mean the difference between remediating a contaminated well and having to buy bottled water for people across the state. In Wisconsin:
- 33% of private wells tested in Kewaunee County were unsuitable for human consumption due to E. coli, coliform bacteria, or nitrate
- 42% of wells tested in Iowa, Grant, and Lafayette Counties exceeded standards for bacteria or nitrate
- 40% of wells tested in Armenia and Port Edwards in the Central Sands exceeded 10 mg/L of nitrate
- 47% of wells tested in Nelsonville in the Central Sands exceeded 10 mg/L of nitrate
- 5% of Wisconsin kids have high blood lead levels, including 4300 children under the age of 6 tested with high levels of lead.
- The DNR has identified 16 sites contaminated with PFAS, from Madison to Marinette.
“That’s why it’s unconscionable the committee didn’t address our clean water challenges with the urgency and immediacy they deserve. By introducing these initiatives, Governor Evers shows that he both understands the problems at hand and is willing to act to address this crisis. I’m grateful for his leadership and will continue to advocate fiercely for clean water for everyone in Wisconsin.”
…FOLLOW THEIR MONEY..! Water is not a RED or BLUE issue…this State is in a WATER EMERGENCY…water is under attack daily by what is being put onto and into our fields..! Farming created this problem and farming owns it…manure is a by-product of their business…it does not belong to us..! Farmers knew years ago what needed to be done…find better fields for their manure, but that would mean transporting longer distances…which would cost them more money..! This was a management decision….and as time as proven…the WRONG ONE..! Again I tell you, the Dairy Cows have done nothing wrong…could it be there…OWNERS..?
We have a new Governor with ideas needed…he needs the Staff and our support..! Ask a Republican why they have not approved the new Secretary of the DNR…PRESTON COLE…they are making it a RED VS BLUE issue…shame on them..! All their talk about nonpartisan water issues…are they just giving us lip service…or are they just lying to you..???
Man-up…do your job for the people of Wisconsin…5.9 MILLION PEOPLE..!