This time a former renewable energy advocate could cast the deciding vote.
This Weeks Articles for 6/27/2022 ...
- Midwest EPA leader outlines steps to address PFAS, brownfield sites
- With candor and humor, environmental regulators give commitments to tackle challenges
- Dairy Innovation Hub funds ten short term, high impact projects at UW–Madison
- June 27, 2022 01:51 PM Eastern Daylight Time ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anue Water Technologies is announcing that LAI, Ltd. is the new and
- Dept. of Natural Resources: Help stop the spread of invasive species this summer
- Alliant, We Energies walk back Wisconsin coal retirement plans in light of MISO’s expected capacity shortfalls
- Dept. of Natural Resources: Seeking public comments on Central Sand Plains Draft Regional Master Plan
- OPINION: Ethanol is poison for the environment
- Peregrine falcon nesting program helped fuel raptors` return to Wisconsin
A Wisconsin coalition is pushing the Line 5 re-route as the safest and most economical option for transporting crude oil and natural gas liquids across Wisconsin and Michigan.The Wisconsin Jobs and Energy Coalition stopped in Rhinelander Wednesday as part of its “Safest Way Tour”.
A 2019 federal lawsuit from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa prompted Enbridge to find a re-route for the 12 miles of Line 5 that go through the Bad River Reservation.
Supporters of Line 5 and its re-route say the cost for propane would rise if the line is shutdown...
See Also:
Ken Notes: I still suggest we work with the tribes to get a safer line and support for other environmental causes in a negotiated agreement with Enbridge. Our policy of just say no or re-route is not working and will not result in the best result for the environment we seek to protect. We deserve the safest most cost effective solution. Also while cost may not be a huge issue the potential for problems with trucking, train, or using the older line remain high...
Regulating CAFOs, Environmental legal authority
A reporter shares how small town efforts to regulate CAFOs have met significant challenges. Then, a law professor helps us better understand a new EPA rule to give states and tribes more authority over energy projects that impact the environment...
Small towns in Wisconsin have tried to regulate CAFOs. Ag lobbyists say that`s illegal.
Ken Notes: Follow the money, CAFO`s are cash cows (cows get it) and are buying legislative support. The DNR, local governments, and others like me are being removed from the equation. I had a sponsor pull out over the issue. There are options that will work with CAFO`s but it is cheaper to buy a legislator than to install a digestor or treat effluent.
The youngest member of the Wisconsin Climate Change Task Force is a UW-Madison junior and an immigrant from Honduras. Stephanie Salgado is an environmental activist who is giving voice to young people and people of color by advocating for urgent action in response to climate change and immigration issues......more
Ken Notes: It is a GLOBAL issue!
The fish species — one of Wisconsin’s most prized catches, and a cultural staple for the state — needs a pretty particular environment to survive, explained Holly Embke, a research fish biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
What You Need To Know
- Walleye require cool temperatures and specific conditions — and they`ve been losing ground in Wisconsin
- A research team removed hundreds of thousands of other fish from a lake, but didn`t see walleye bounce back
- As Wisconsin warms up, managers may not be able to keep walleye in all the places they used to live, experts say
- Focusing on "bright spots" and fishing for different species can help fisheries adapt to Wisconsin`s climate future
...moreKen Notes: What a great opportunity to work WITH the tribes to fix this. They want our help on issues, casino`s, and land management -- I see a greet trade here!
Supporters tout jobs and revenues while opponents fear impacts to water and pollution
The Eau Claire City Council is set to vote Tuesday on a bottled water company’s plan to build a $65 million plant that would draw from the city’s water supply.
Supporters say the facility would provide dozens of good-paying jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue, while opponents fear it will deplete water resources and increase plastic pollution.
California-based Niagara Bottling wants to build a 500,000 sq. ft. plant in the city’s Gateway Northwest Business Park that would draw 425,000 gallons each day in the first phase of its operation. After five years, the company may seek to double that amount to 850,000 gallons per day...
Ken Notes: Lots of issues here, as well as a testament to the quality of Eau Claire`s water. We have to address the plastic bottle issue, moswt still tossed and the do not break down well. Many end up in our water ways. I bought some pants and a shirt made with bottles but research suggests there needs to be a very clean supply chain and this does not exist.
Standards may be published in July, which will require public water systems to test for PFAS
Wisconsin will likely see its first standards for so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS now that Wisconsin Republicans have posed no objections to the rules.
An aide for Republican Sen. Steve Nass, who chairs the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, told the Associated Press Monday that the committee would allow the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to implement the proposed standards.
PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals found in firefighting foam and everyday products like nonstick cookware and stain-resistant clothing...
An aide for Republican Sen. Steve Nass, who chairs the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, told the Associated Press Monday that the committee would allow the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to implement the proposed standards.
PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals found in firefighting foam and everyday products like nonstick cookware and stain-resistant clothing...
...Water and industry groups had urged the DNR to wait for federal standards for drinking water rather than proposing statewide limits on PFAS...
...Water and industry groups had urged the DNR to wait for federal standards for drinking water rather than proposing statewide limits on PFAS...
Ken Notes: This is a must read for a complete update on the subject! We should now see federal support for our efforts which is imperative.
Pollution from hazardous chemicals, the long-term effects of climate change and the evolving nature of agriculture all play a role in the health of Wisconsin’s residents and its economy, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Preston Cole said at an event hosted by the Marquette University Law School on Wednesday...
‘We`re also using every tool we have in our toolbox to try to advance equity and justice and improve the environment,’ Debra Shore says.
Underscoring a new push to advance equity and justice, an Environmental Protection Agency leader said Monday the federal regulator is hiring about five full-time employees to work on environmental justice.
Debra Shore, who President Joe Biden appointed in October to oversee the EPA region including Wisconsin, said agency studies show historic and systemic problems have led to worse air and water quality in underserved communities. In an interview on WPR’s "The Morning Show," she also supported using civil rights protections "in a much more vigorous way than (the) EPA ever has."...
adison Gas and Electric has named the four peregrine falcon chicks that hatched in a nesting box on top of the company`s Blount Generating Station in May, according to an MGE statement.In honor of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra`s return to Capitol Square after a two-year absence, MGE gave the four birds orchestrally inspired names. Concerts on the Square did not occur on Capitol Square in 2020 or 2021, instead taking place at Breese Stevens Field in modified, pandemic-conscious forms. MGE is a business supporter of the WCO.
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Ken Notes: Awwwwwwww!!!!
Environmental Law, Lubar Center, Public In 15 years of public policy programs hosted by Marquette Law School, there may never have been as succinct, candid, and humorous answer to a question as one provided by Preston Cole, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, during a program on June 15, 2022, in the Lubar Center of Eckstein Hall.
The session, “A Federal-State Conversation on Environmental Issues,” featured Cole and Debra Shore, administrator of Region 5 of the Environmental Protection Agency, which covers much of the Midwest, including Wisconsin. David Strifling, director of the Law School’s Water Law and Policy Initiative, was the moderator. The session was held before an in-person audience and livestreamed.
Strifling asked Cole what was one thing Wisconsin needed from the EPA. “Money, money, money, money!” Cole sang in response. “Money!” he added, for emphasis...
A northern Wisconsin logger faces possible time behind bars on charges he illegally cut timber in an environmentally sensitive part of the 1.5 million-acre Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.A federal grand jury in Madison has indicted 40-year-old Jerod Hecimovich on charges of stealing, injuring, cutting and removing live oak timber from an 88-acre parcel of national forestland in Bayfield County...
enewable energy advocates are
again asking Wisconsin regulators to bless a financing mechanism that
could expand access to solar energy.Two groups — Vote Solar and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association — last week filed petitions asking the Public Service Commission to declare that third-party financing is legal under state law.
Vote Solar, a nonprofit advocacy group based in California, says it is seeking affirmation on behalf of Wisconsin members who want to install third-party-financed systems on their homes, businesses and places of worship....
Celebrate clean energy and sustainable living through education and demonstration.
After two pandemic-induced years off, our friends at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) are announcing The Energy Fair will be returning to the rolling hills of Custer, Wisc. on June 24 to 26, 2022. Building on 31 years of tradition, this year’s fair will once again bring over 11,500 fairgoers together from across the Midwest to celebrate clean energy and sustainable living through education and demonstration...
Ken Notes: Welcome Back!
The UW–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) recently selected ten projects for funding through the Dairy Innovation Hub initiative. These one-year grants fund promising work in the Hub’s four priority areas: stewarding land and water resources, enriching human health and nutrition, ensuring animal health and welfare, and growing farm business and communities...
...moreKen Notes: Some great projects and proposals on the list, I wish we had digestion and treating effluent projects in the hopper...
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin judge on Tuesday agreed to keep on hold his ruling from April that prevented state regulators from requiring businesses and others responsible for pollution by PFAS chemicals to investigate and clean up the contamination.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren said because of the importance and impact of his ruling, it made sense to keep it on hold while the state Department of Natural Resources appeals.
In April, Bohren ruled that state regulators must go through Wisconsin’s rule-making process to establish guidelines for dealing with the PFAS toxins known as forever chemicals. The ruling was a win for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state’s largest business and manufacturing lobbying group, and Oconomowoc-based dry cleaner Leather Rich, which brought the lawsuit last year...
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The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Collegiate Soils Team recently competed in the 60th Soil Science Society of America National Collegiate Soils Contest.Seven UW-Platteville students participated in the event...
Among the 84 participants in the individual contest, both Nollen and Field placed in the best 10, taking third and seventh places, respectively. In the group judging portion, UW-Platteville placed 10th out of the 21 teams participating. In the overall competition, which combines scores from both the individual and group contests, the team placed third.
By placing among the best-four individuals, Nollen was chosen to be part of a four-member team representing the United States at the International Soils Competition....
By placing among the best-four individuals, Nollen was chosen to be part of a four-member team representing the United States at the International Soils Competition....
Ken Notes: Congrats!
June 27, 2022 - ALPHARETTA, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Anue Water Technologies is announcing that LAI, Ltd. is the new and exclusive channel partner for the sales and installation of all Anue Water products in Illinois and Wisconsin.“We look forward to introducing Illinois and Wisconsin wastewater treatment customers to Anue’s eco-friendly equipment, which replaces costly and labor-intensive chemicals. More and more municipalities in this region want clean-tech solutions that minimize labor and inputs into the environment.”
Anue manufacturers eco-friendly Oxygen/Ozone and other cost-effective equipment for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, odor, corrosion and FOG (fats, oil, grease) control applied in municipal forcemains, lift stations, wet-wells and wastewater tanks. Anue products include FORSe® Oxygen/Ozone injection systems with remote digital telemetry; the more compact Phantom® Oxygen/Ozone injection system (also with remote digital telemetry); Enviroprep® well-washers for FOG control; and the highly customizable Anue Geomembrane Covers with embedded carbon-filters for odor elimination from practically any sized or shaped wastewater tank or manhole cover....
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking boaters to help stop the spread of invasive, nonnative plants and animals in our waters.
This Fourth of July holiday weekend, DNR staff and volunteers with Clean Boats, Clean Waters will be at boat launches statewide for their 2022 Landing Blitz, reminding the public of ways boaters can help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, which pose great risks to the health of our lakes and fisheries...
Madison, WI, June 6 – With an ever-narrowing window of opportunity in which to act on the climate crisis, 350 Wisconsin is launching Together for the Climate, a multi-year $500,000 fundraising campaign to grow its grassroots movement. Much like a capital campaign, this capacity-building campaign will provide the organization with the resources to expand its climate activism, working with others around the globe toward the goal of achieving a rapid transition to renewable energy and building healthy, thriving communities...
...As the largest nonprofit in Wisconsin working exclusively on climate change – at local, state, and national levels – 350 Wisconsin is uniquely positioned to provide opportunities for collective action. The group’s bold vision for the future lays out a path to a sustainable world for all, supported by concrete and creative strategies centered on community action and justice....
Please consider these first:
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Ken Notes: I an cautious about more nonprofits entering this space. Clean, Renew, Focus and the dozens I have actually worked (see link) with are doing a good job... Note these organizations do not financially support WDNGreen...
Wisconsin judge has extended a hold on a ruling that could limit the state’s ability to enforce pollution laws.Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren granted a request Tuesday from the Department of Natural Resources to extend the stay while an appeals court reviews his April ruling that the DNR cannot require cleanup of toxic PFAS compounds without first going through a process to define them as hazardous substances.
The ruling was issued in a case brought by the state’s largest business lobby, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, and an Oconomowoc dry cleaner, which sought to block the DNR from requiring cleanup of the chemicals that have polluted groundwater in sites across the state, including Madison, Marinette and La Crosse...
See Also:
Ken Notes: A follow up to last weeks story...
Thanks to a recent Waukesha County Circuit Court ruling, thousands of Wisconsin residents whose private wells have been contaminated by toxic PFAS chemicals are sleeping a little better knowing they won’t lose access to the bottled water they rely on.The court’s ruling puts a hold on an April decision limiting the state’s authority to address PFAS contamination under Wisconsin’s Spills Law...
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MADISON, WI – The Solar for Good grant program has awarded over $450,000 in grants and solar panel donations to Wisconsin nonprofit organizations. Thirty-five nonprofits will install over 2,200 kilowatts of solar electricity, leading to more than $6 million in renewable energy investments in Wisconsin.The following organizations have been offered Spring 2022 Solar for Good grants to install new solar energy systems: ...
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Ken Notes: See...
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WAUNAKEE — For as long as she can remember, Sherrie Gruder wanted to put solar panels on her home.In the fall of 2020, Gruder and her partner, Wayne Harris, finally got the chance.
They’d recently moved to a subdivision near Waunakee, and while there were issues with putting solar panels on the roof, there was plenty of room in the back of their 1.3-acre lot...
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Ken Notes: HOA vs. State Statutes... I so wish I were an environmental attorney because they are the ONLY winners in these disputes...
Judge keeps hold in place as case against DNR moves to appeals court
A Waukesha County judge is extending a hold on an April ruling that could limit the ability of state regulators to clean up pollution from harmful forever chemicals known as PFAS.
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, or WMC, and Oconomowoc-based dry cleaner Leather Rich filed the lawsuit against the Department of Natural Resources, DNR Secretary Preston Cole and the Natural Resources Board in February of last year. WMC and Leather Rich argued the DNR does not have explicit authority to enforce standards around PFAS pollution without going through the state’s rulemaking process to list PFAS as hazardous substances....
A researcher trying to understand what`s causing a decline in Wisconsin`s loon population is expanding his project into Minnesota.Chapman University biology professor Walter Piper has found that Wisconsin`s loon population has decreased by about 22% in the last 25 years.
Chicks also are smaller and young loons` survival rate is lower. Minnesota Public Radio reports that Piper has partnered with the National Loon Center to expand his research into Crow Wing County in north-central Minnesota.
Last summer Piper`s team attached identification bands to about 80 loons around the Whitefish Chain of Lakes north of Brainerd...
Ken Notes: I can not imagine the northern lakes without walleye and loons.
Craig Williams delicately approached the coyote that peered out from Brittingham Park onto Lake Monona on a bright morning last week.With measured steps, he drew nearer and began to look closer at the animal. Upon further examination, he discovered it was a decoy made of plastic and faux fur, tethered discretely to a nearby bench.
“He was intently staring out there,” Williams said. “I wasn’t sure if it was real or fake.”...
Ken Notes: When I was a park and rec commissioner, we asked some locals with cattle dogs and labs to run their dogs off leash in our parks. They had to be out from 9am to 7pm and had to pick up after the dogs. It worked great!
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has announced that a Langlade County deer farm has been depopulated due to chronic wasting disease (CWD). All 47 of the deer at the farm have been depopulated since testing positive for the disease in 2021......more
Dive Brief:
- Two investor-owned utilities, Alliant Energy and WEC Energy
Group, announced plans on Thursday to delay their respective coal plant
retirement plans for their Wisconsin subsidiaries by at least a year.
- Alliant Energy intends to retire
its Edgewater Generating Station by June 2025, and all of its Columbia
Energy Center units by June 2026, delaying both plants by at least 18
months. WEC Energy Group’s Wisconsin subsidiary extended the operation
of two units at its Oak Creek site by a year and for two other units by
about 18 months, until late 2025, citing tight energy supply conditions
in the Midwest power market.
- The announcement follows reports that the Midcontinent Independent System Operator will face capacity shortfalls beginning this summer in its northern and central regions. MISO noted it “will be increasingly reliant on emergency or non-firm resources” to ensure service reliability in those regions as capacity shortfalls are expected to continue.
See Also:
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Ken Notes: So out of state money and profits trump (no pun intended) environmental responsibility? And of course do not forget to blame covid, the ultimate political cover...
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STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) - Robert Rosenfield has been studying and collecting data on Cooper’s hawks for more than 40 years. He is a biology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He started conducting his research on the birds when they were listed as threatened.
Cooper’s hawks are native to North America. It was named after the naturalist William Cooper, one of the founders of the New York Academy of Sciences. The medium-size hawk is sometimes called a big blue darter, chicken hawk, hen hawk, Mexican hawk, quail hawk, striker and swift hawk.
Since then, his focus has been on gathering information on the reproductive biology and success of the birds. He’s found nests around the city, rural areas, and most recently a nest on campus outside of Old Main...
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MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public input on the Central Sand Plains Draft Regional Master Plan and Environmental Analysis which outlines proposed future resource management and public use and development of DNR-managed properties within the Central Sand Plains Ecological Landscape. The public may submit comments through a variety of opportunities, including in-person and virtual public meetings.
The Central Sand Plains Ecological Landscape encompasses 3,420 square miles in central Wisconsin and includes portions of Adams, Clark, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, Monroe, Portage, Waushara, and Wood counties. Department-managed properties in the Central Sand Plains include fishery areas, a state forest, state natural areas, state parks, wildlife areas, and various smaller parcels....
...The public is encouraged to submit comments using an online public input form found on DNR’s Central Sand Plains Regional Master Plan webpage. Comments may also be made by downloading a hard copy form to be sent via U.S. Mail or email. Submit written comments by Aug. 5 to:
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
c/o Yoyi Steele, DNR Property Planner LF/6
101 S. Webster St.
P.O. Box 7921 Madison, WI 53707
Yoyi.Steele@wisconsin.gov or 608-590-6027
Clean Wisconsin analysis finds disparities worst in Milwaukee
An analysis from the environmental advocacy group Clean Wisconsin has found the state ranks as the third worst in the country for racial disparities in exposure to harmful air pollution.
According to the analysis, people of color in Wisconsin are exposed to 26 percent more harmful particulate matter than white residents. That number jumps to 41 percent for the state`s Black population. The only states to see a bigger racial disparity in the analysis are New York and Pennsylvania...
According to the analysis, people of color in Wisconsin are exposed to 26 percent more harmful particulate matter than white residents. That number jumps to 41 percent for the state`s Black population. The only states to see a bigger racial disparity in the analysis are New York and Pennsylvania...
Ken Notes: Not fair, it is a regional issue and Chicago and Indiana are in the "region".
MADISON, Wis. – In celebration of Pollinator Week, June 20-26, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages Wisconsinites to protect native pollinators by creating pollinator-friendly habitat, volunteering to monitor pollinator species and learning more about the bees, butterflies and birds buzzing in their own backyards.A pollinator is any animal that visits flowering plants and transfers pollen from flower to flower, aiding plant reproduction. In Wisconsin, native pollinators include bees (Wisconsin has 400 species of them, including bumble bee species), butterflies, moths, flower flies, beetles, wasps and hummingbirds...
...The Wisconsin Pollinator Protection Plan in 2015...
...The DNR’s Saving Pollinators webpage has lists of plants that are good for pollinators and other resources...
John Greenler has been a professor, a farmer, administrator and activist.For the past two decades his work has focused on fostering connections between researchers, policymakers and the public around the risks of climate change and the efforts to solve it.
Today he leads 350 Wisconsin, a volunteer-driven group that is the state’s largest nonprofit organization focused exclusively on climate change...
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Ethanol makes global warming worse, according to a recent study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
This new study contradicts, though, what the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been claiming. This comes at a time when President Joe Biden’s administration is reevaluating biofuel policies in an effort to combat climate change...
...“The authors of this new paper precariously string together a series of
worst-case assumptions, cherry-picked data, and disparate results from
previously debunked studies to create a completely fictional and
erroneous account of the environmental impacts of the Renewable Fuel
Standard,” the rebuttal report said..
Ken Notes: Read both reports and draw your own conclusions...
adison Gas and Electric has named the four peregrine falcon chicks that hatched in a nesting box on top of the company’s Blount Generating Station in May, according to an MGE statement.In honor of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s return to Capitol Square after a two-year absence, MGE gave the four birds orchestrally inspired names. Concerts on the Square did not occur on Capitol Square in 2020 or 2021, instead taking place at Breese Stevens Field in modified, pandemic-conscious forms. MGE is a business supporter of the WCO....
...more
MADISON – Women who have high levels of "forever chemicals" in their bodies may be at a higher risk for developing blood pressure issues later in life, according to a new study that examined a group of women over the course of 18 years. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, found that PFAS exposure may be an "underappreciated risk factor" for cardiovascular disease, one researcher said....
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Listen
Two new chicks hatched at the Weston Power Plant are the latest successes of the 30-year-old program
When Greg Septon started working with peregrine falcons, there were none in Wisconsin. The widespread use of the pesticide DDT had wiped out the population.
"Peregrines were gone east of the Mississippi River," Septon said.,,,
...more"Peregrines were gone east of the Mississippi River," Septon said.,,,
Links we like supporting Wisconsin`s Environment and Business. More will follow each week...
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Ken Notes: Share this and if you want to be included:
Call us - 608.334.2174 or Editor [at] WDNGreen.com....
Call us - 608.334.2174 or Editor [at] WDNGreen.com....
Ten thousand environmentally minded business professionals, 500+ News outlets and reporters, and even a treehugger or two now read WDNGreen each week. Thank you!
Please share WDNGreen with a friend... WDNGreen Network of Links... or Search WDNGreen...Ken Harwood
Advocating for Wisconsin
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608.334.2174
An agenda for the new administration...
An overriding principal - Restore Wisconsin to the bipartisan national environmental leadership it once enjoyed...
Building and Design
- Work with developers, architects, communities, and business to ensure the highest and most cost effective Green building practices are used in new development.
- Expedite projects who guarantee the best environmental practices and make sure the systems are in place to ensure this. Trust but Verify.
- Avoid costly mandates and restrictions that will move businesses to other states or regions.
Mining
- Explore the restoration of the sulfide mining moratorium or...
- Work with counties to create and enforce new mining regulations, restrictions and enforcement.
- Delay approval of any new mines until counties have their regulation policies in place.
- Restore DNR environmental staff and expertise to levels that can review any requests in a timely manner.
- Require a site reclamation fund be established from the onset of any approved project with a plan in place for complete site reclamation.
- Allow municipalities to enact special utilities in lieu of or in addition to regular taxes for issues like impact on roads, utilities, infrastructure, and public safety.
Renewable Energy and Fuels
- Work with the utilities, business and communities to encourage the use of renewables, reduced carbon output, and better reporting and measurement.
- Establish a PSC willing to work with business and power companies while progressing to a lower carbon renewable future.
- Do not impose legislative mandates on renewables but rather incentivize use of new technologies while maintaining an open dialogue among all parties involved.
Our Watersheds and the Great Lakes
- Become a strong partner in Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.
- If water is removed from the watershed, require that it be returned cleaner that it was taken. Again make sure DNR has the resources to monitor and ensure this policy.
Land Use and Transmission / Pipe Lines
- Require the need and or profit for new systems to Wisconsin citizens. If a system like tar sand or electricity is for other states or regions, require that the land uses benefits all citizens in our state in lower utility costs, additions public facilities and reduced air and water pollution.
- Require that any new system create an environmental offset equal to or greater than the land they take. This can be done in two ways: One additional Parks, Public Lands, Trails, Access to Waterways, Etc. OR Two reduced carbon emissions through the elimination or older less efficient production facilities or the conversion to renewable or exponentially lower emission fuels.
CAFO`s and Agricultural Issues
- Address and regulate CAFO`s like the "cities" that they are.
- Develop regulations and controls to address the scale of effluent that these facilities produce.
- Consider using CAFO`s as a model for new waste treatment like digestion and pasteurization.
- Preserve the small farm in Wisconsin by encouraging sound environmental practices in a cost effective way.
- Work with all farms, businesses, and communities to improve watersheds, runoff and source point pollution focusing on results rather that penalties or mandates.
Transit and Mass Transit
- Improve our transit and shipping corridors like rail and interstate access to encourage Wisconsin to become an efficient distribution hub for the Midwest.
- Encourage communities to adopt new and more efficient mass transit systems.
- Encourage the use of more efficient buses, trucks and vehicles in the state.
ECO Tourism
- Explore ECO Tourism as an option to preserve our vast agricultural heritage and natural waterways and woodlands.
- Allow ECO TIF financing to pair tourism development with land and watershed preservation.
Ken Notes: Just a few ideas, please feel free to pick and choose then share with those on both sides of the isle that will be making decisions.
We now have an opportunity to grab the pendulum in the middle and make a real long term difference in how we manage our resources and what kind of Wisconsin we leave to our grandchildren!
These are personal viewpoints shaped by your feedback. They are not the positions of my sponsors or partners.
Hot off the “press,” AgSTAR’s updated handbook is a comprehensive compilation of the latest knowledge in the industry on best practices for anaerobic digestion and biogas systems.
For 26 years, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) AgSTAR Program has been helping farmers and communities across the United States develop and implement anaerobic digestion (AD) biogas systems. These systems are critical to reduce methane emissions from manure management operations, while also providing other environmental and economic benefits. As a trusted partnership program, AgSTAR helps educate the public on best practices for designing, implementing and maintaining digester projects and brings together leading experts to discuss opportunities and challenges for advancing the biogas industry.
AgSTAR’s newest resource, the Anaerobic Digester Project Development Handbook,
is a comprehensive compilation of the latest knowledge in the industry
on best practices for AD/ biogas systems. The goal of the Handbook is to
ensure long-term project success for AD biogas systems by providing
background and a framework for AD project development.
...moreKen Notes:I would love to see Wisconsin become the leader in this technology! Every farmer and elected official in the state should download this.
Coverage of local and national eco news for commercial development,
home, transportation, food and community. We search for environmentally
friendly news that makes economic sense for Wisconsin. ONLINE HERE. Please share with a friend. To receive WDNews GREEN on Monday of each week as an email you must subscribe - secure link to subscribe is here.Want to comment, or have an idea: Ideas[at]WisconsinDevelopment.com
We may now need to build a coalition that is willing to lobby from a "greener" yet pro business perspective. Lots of HUGE issues: Sand Mining, CNG, LEED Alternatives, Focus On Energy, LED Lighting R&D, Cleaner Power Generation, Recycling, Power Lines, Electric Cars, Wind, Solar, Bio Fuels, Digestors, Green AG, Business Incentives...And of course the Greenest and Happiest of Holidays to you!
Please consider sponsoring WDNGreen!
WDNews GREEN will be emailed on Mondays, included in WDNews on Thursdays, and online all the time at: WDNGreen.com Each week we will find 10 to 20 articles from Wisconsin and across the Nation dealing with environmental issues. Our goal is to promote environmental excellence from a sound business perspective.
Our resource guide at the bottom of this publication will continue to grow, and you may add links, suggest articles, include your press releases, or comment by eMailing Me. As always thanks for reading, and if you would like to sponsor or get involved call 608.334.2174... ...more
Ken Notes: Please forward this to friends and colleagues who have an interest in our economy and environment. You may eMail Me Here.