Action Alert Archives
7/00-6/02
The legislative budget conference committee is still locked in a stalemate on details of a final budget "repair" bill, but we expect some movement soon. Now is the moment to ask the committee--and the Governor--to REMOVE AN INAPPROPRIATE NON-BUDGET, PRIVATE POLICY ISSUE from the budget bill--the exemption from state law for Ashley Furniture Industries in Trempealeau that would allow them to fill an important 14-acre floodplain wetland without a permit from the DNR. Although a specific bill that would have given Ashley the exemption it desired was vehemently criticized and rejected during a public hearing by the Senate Environment Committee this past winter, back-room politicking revived the Ashley exemption that was inserted into the Senate's version of the budget repair bill just moments before the bill was passed six weeks ago--with no public comment whatsoever. Now it is up to the Conference Committee and the Governor to reject this special favor for a private entity. But it's an uphill road--we need many people asking for the removal of this exemption! PLEASE WRITE, CALL OR E-MAIL THE GOVERNOR and the 8 members of the Budget Conference Committee asking them to remove the "Ashley Exemption" from the Budget Repair Bill.
GOVERNOR SCOTT MCCALLUM (608) 266-1212 or (608) 261-2157
wisgov@gov.state.wi.us
BUDGET CONFERENCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Sen. Chuck Chvala (608) 266-9170 Sen.Chvala@legis.state.wi.us,
Sen. Robert Jauch (608) 266-3510, Sen.Jauch@legis.state.wi.us,
Speaker Scott Jensen (608) 266-3387, Rep.Jensen@legis.state.wi.us,
Rep. John Gard (608) 266-2343, Rep.Gard@legis.state.wi.us,
Sen. Russ Decker (608) 266-2502, Sen.Decker@legis.state.wi.us,
Sen. Mary Panzer (608)266-7513, Sen.Panzer@legis.state.wi.us,
Rep. Steve Foti (608) 266-2401, Rep.Foti@legis.state.wi.us,
Rep. Spencer Black (608) 266-7521, Rep.Black@legis.state.wi.us.
Charlie Luthin <charlie@wiscwetlands.org>
Madison, WI USA - Wednesday, May 29, 2002 at 14:36:23 (CDT)
The annual Conservation Congress hearings are coming. Every county will hold its hearing on Monday, April 8 beginning at 7 pm. This is your opportunity to tell the DNR what they should be doing on wildlife, hunting, fishing, and natural resource issues. Anyone who attends the hearing can vote on policy issues. Longtime Conservation Congress member Herb Buettner has three interesting resolutions that you can introduce for passage in your county (you can bring issues up from the floor for a vote). The resolutions concern Chronic Wasting Disease in deer, the Crandon mine, and the state Public Trust Doctrine. Click on the file links to open an Adobe Acrobat file for printing a copy to take to your county hearing. If you don't know where your county's hearing is, call your local DNR office or Al Phalen at 608-266-0580.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.cocm>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Thursday, April 04, 2002 at 18:04:34 (EST)
Your State Senators need to hear from you if we are to thwart actions by the Assembly Republican Caucus that could slow or, in some cases, bring to a halt, efforts and programs that preserve the quality of our waterways. Details on the cuts to our water resources protection programs can be found by clicking here. The budget repair bill is now with the Senate. They will adopt a budget that is different from the Assembly’s so there will be need for a conference committee. Therefore leaders of the Assembly should be aware of your feelings as well. So please include them on your contact list, as well. They especially need to hear from folks in the lake region of Washington, Waukesha and Walworth Counties.
Donna Sefton <dsefton@chorus.net>
Madison, WI USA - Tuesday, March 19, 2002 at 12:31:24 (CST)
There will not be a March 5 floor vote on the bills to ban cyanide in mining and end special treatment for the mining industry. Governor McCallum has scheduled his "State of the State" address for Tuesday evening, so the Assembly has cancelled its floor session for the day. It is not clear when the votes will be rescheduled, but they will happen within a week after Tuesday, and perhaps not at a convenient hour. The March 5 Tuesday noon rally WILL STILL BE HELD, followed by a CITIZENS' LOBBY DAY on the two mining bills. The postponement of the vote actually gives us time to put more pressure on the Assembly Environment Committee members to hold a vote on the bills. And the CITIZENS' LOBBY DAY will give us more of a voice in the process than simply attending the floor vote. We will schedule meetings with Committee members. Please make a morning or afternoon appointment with your own Assembly Rep.
WI Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining <mtn@igc.org>
Madison, WI USA - Friday, March 01, 2002 at 17:34:28 (CST)
As you may know there is a proposal to build an ethanol plant just west of Oshkosh, WI. They will pump 150 gallons per minute of water out of high capacity wells, 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. This area has a terrible arsenic problem already. Any Advise?
James Dorschner <tubaharp@execpc.com>
Oshkosh, WI USA - Friday, February 22, 2002 at 21:20:40 (CST)
A floor vote in the Assembly on the two bills SB-160 (to ban cyanide in mining) and SB-271 (to end special treatment for the mining industry) has been scheduled for TUESDAY, MARCH 5. A statewide RALLY is planned for the Capitol at 12 noon, at the King St. entrance of the Capitol. Please bring signs, etc. for the rally. No signs with sticks will be allowed in the Capitol. All bags are now searched at the entrance. For up to the minute updates, call 800-445-8615. A floor vote will be held that afternoon, no matter what happens in the Assembly Environment Committee.
Zoltan Grossman <mtn@igc.org>
Madison, WI USA - Wednesday, February 20, 2002 at 17:15:15 (CST)
The Brown County Land Conservation District, Senator Hansen and Representative Ott are sponsoring an informational meeting on Brown County's experience with their buffer ordinance this FRIDAY, February 15 from 2-3 pm. Brown County Executive Nancy Kusbaum and area farmers will discuss buffer issues and experiences. The meeting will be held in room 114 at the Ag and Extension Center in Green Bay, located at 1150 Bellvue St. Anyone is welcome to attend. Click here to see a flyer for the event.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Wednesday, February 13, 2002 at 17:37:23 (CST)
AB 547 - the Assembly version of SB 271, the No Special Treatment for mining bill - has been scheduled for a public hearing at 11 AM on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 in the North Hearing Room (second floor) of the State Capitol. PLEASE attend if you can - and spread the word ASAP to others concerned about mining and about the proposed Crandon mine. Please note that the committee has NOT scheduled a hearing on either version of the bill to ban cyanide in mining.
Bill McClenahan <bill@martinschreiber.com>
Madison, WI USA - Tuesday, February 12, 2002 at 17:02:10 (CST)
The Bureau of Land Management will be hosting a satellite-linked course on Acid Rock Drainage on Thursday, Jan 24, 2001. I've provided the following website for more accurate information on the subject. http://www.mackay.unr.edu/adti/
Steve Kircher
USA - Monday, January 21, 2002 at 13:21:31 (CST)
A public forum on state mining legislation will take place on Monday, January 14 in the Fox River Valley. The event will be held at the Forester Banquet Hall in Appleton, located at 4001 West Spencer (near the intersection of College Ave. and Hwy 41). The mining forum will run from 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Discussion at the forum will focus on two important mining bills currently before the state Assembly: the ban on cyanide use at Wisconsin mine sites and the "No Special Treatment for Mining" bill. Several key area legislators are expected to attend and this is an opportunity to share your views with them and persuade them to actively support the legislation.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Friday, January 04, 2002 at 08:50:43 (CST)
The Wisconsin State Senate will vote Nov. 6 on Senate Bill 160 which would ban cyanide use in ALL Wisconsin mines. There is no guarantee when the vote will be; the senators will caucus at 10 am, and probably not vote until early afternoon. You can send a fax to your state senator by NOVEMBER 6 urging her or him to support legislation to ban the use of cyanide in ALL Wisconsin's mines. To do so, click on this link, http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/ban_cyanide. For more information on this issue, click here.
Zoltan Grossman <mtn@igc.org>
Madison, WI USA - Friday, November 02, 2001 at 10:14:13 (CST)
Join the campaign to protect Wisconsin's waters. Send a letter to the Secretary of the DNR asking him to strengthen the proposed standards aimed at reducing mercury pollution in Wisconsin's waters. Click here to find an easy form and sample letter you can personalize.
WISPIRG <wispirg@pirg.org>
Madison, WI USA - Wednesday, October 03, 2001 at 05:16:12 (CDT)
Historic Rules aimed at controlling runoff pollution need public comment. You have through Sept. 14 to add your remarks. Even though the hearings are over, written, faxed and email comments receive the same weight as public testimony. Suggestions for strong rules can be found by clicking here.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Friday, August 31, 2001 at 09:27:51 (CDT)
Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin, a non-profit organization committed to research and education on the environmental and social effects of metallic and non-metallic mining will be hosting a table at Labor Fest, on Milwaukee's Summerfest Grounds, Mon 9/3/01. The focus is the revision of NR codes to add crystalline silica as a hazardous air pollutant andvprotection of workers exposured to silica. Wisconsin is the 6th leading State in deaths from silicosis in the US. "If it's silica, it's not just dust." We will also be educating about cyanide, an extremely toxic poison, proposed to be used at the future sight of the Crandon Mine in amounts of 8-20 tons a month. Mining Impact Coalition will be at Indian Summer Festival 9/7/01-9/9/1 also at Milwaukee's Sumemrfest Grounds. Educational materials as handouts will be available at both festivals.
BONNIE MAYER <bmayer@execpc.com>
WEST ALLIS, WI USA - Friday, August 31, 2001 at 06:04:20 (CDT)
Support the upcoming Billboard Control Legislation August 20, 2001 Hearing set for Thursday, August 30th, in Madison. Dear Fellow CSW Member and Friend of Scenic Conservation, As previously announced, bill #219 drafted by Sen. James Baumgart of Sheboygan has been referred to the Environmental Resources Committee. This bill would: ? Stop construction of new billboards ? Raise money to fund selective and gradual purchase and removal of billboards by increasing annual permit fees on billboards (so there is no cost to taxpayers), and ? Provide priority for a billboard user to qualify for a smaller tourist oriented directional sign if his billboard is removed. Baumgart has scheduled a hearing before the committee on Thursday, August 30th, at 10:00am in room 411 South in the Capitol. The purpose of this letter is to encourage you to come to Madison to speak in favor of the bill at the hearing. The meeting will take two or more hours and will not adjourn until everyone has spoken who wants to. It is up to us to demonstrate by our numbers that the bill has support and to make the committee aware that we are tired of looking at increasing numbers of large billboards along our roads. Please plan on attending the hearing. If you aren’t comfortable speaking, you can check in and register in favor of the bill. Ask your friends to come. We need to pack the meeting room. If you can’t come, it would be very helpful if you call, write or email your Senator and Assemblyman now in support of the bill. The more legislators that are persuaded to support the bill, the more likely the committee will back the bill, and the more likely the bill will pass in a vote in the Senate and in the Assembly. For suggestions on preparing your message, and to make sure who your senator and assemblyman are, go to our web site at www.scenicwi.org and click on “Get Involved”. We hope the people will come out in force to speak in favor of this billboard cap.. We are losing hundreds of scenic acres to billboard blight . . In the last 6 years including this year the Wisconsin taxpayer has paid three million dollars to regulate billboards and one million dollars to remove billboards. People dont realize when you have road expansion the Wisconsin taxpayers have to pay to remove billboards, If nothing changes in the next ten years regulating billboards will cost the Wisconsin taxpayer another six million dollars. One State Senator stated there could be over 50,000 billboards.in the state. This lighted billboards is a total waste of energy and could kill birds. .In other parts of the country tourism increases when billboards come down. We hope that we will be the next state to stop billboards like Alaska Maine Hawaii and Vermont. . . Wisconsins heritage is the scenic beauty which should be passed on to future generations. We want the state to be kept beautiful for the people that live here and the people that vist from all over the country and the world Help Keep Wisconsin Beautiful. This is our chance to make progress toward preserving our scenic Wisconsin. Chuck Mitchell, president Citizens for a Scenic Wisconsin 7525 Oakhill Ave Wauwatosa WI 53213 Email mail@scenicwisconsin.org wwwscenicwisconsin.org PH 414-258-8604
Chuck Mitchell <mail@scenicwisconsin.org>
Wauwatosa, WI USA - Thursday, August 23, 2001 at 18:07:11 (CDT)
Dear Wisconsin Political Leaders, I have sent you a copy of a Lee Hawkins story from the front page of today' Journal. In particular, I want to call attention to the following: "But for $20 million [new marketing and education budget request], Orion Lighting & Energy Services says it could guarantee a reduction in energy consumption of about 40 megawatts." Besides the displaced capacity of 40 MW, another thing Lee left out was that the "return on investment" (ROI) on the $20 million would be 50% or a payback of two years. Given the fact that Orion has contributed over 60 of the 80 jobs under-written by Focus on Energy, we think you should revisit the cost/benefit and methodology for supporting energy efficiency and Wisconsin-based energy efficient products and services companies. Anyway, here is the story in case you missed it:
Spending to teach conserving State drawing from utility fund to pay for advertising campaign By LEE HAWKINS JR. of the Journal Sentinel staff Last Updated: Aug. 12, 2001 As energy costs soar to all-time highs, the state will soon spend $20 million from a fee being collected from utility bills to promote energy conservation. The money comes from a $111 million fund set up in 1999 as part of legislation that mapped out Wisconsin's long-term strategy to ensure utilities can deliver reliable power over the next few decades. The fund adds about $2.75 a month to the average customer's utility bill. In about two weeks, a handful of advertising and public relations firms will bid on the contract for Wisconsin Focus on Energy - a piece of business worth $19.6 million over three years. The winner will mount a full-scale marketing and media blitz promoting energy efficiency. But as firms race to complete their proposals before the Aug. 24 deadline, state officials and industry observers - including conservationists - are questioning whether a $20 million marketing campaign is justified. The money would be better spent on direct conservation activities, such as rewarding conservation efforts with energy bill rebates, than on glitzy point-of-purchase displays and TV ads, they say. "It's outrageous that a PR firm can get $20 million to line their pockets at the expense of Wisconsin ratepayers," said state Rep. Timothy Hoven (R-Port Washington). "This has nothing to do with energy conservation. It's nothing more than a smoke screen for spending hard-earned ratepayer dollars." Officials of the state Department of Administration, which will award the contract and oversee the program, disagree. "I know it's $19 million over three years, but using that figure artificially makes it look bigger if you lump it all together," said John C. Marx, administrator of the department's Division of Energy. "It's actually less than $7 million a year. We simply set aside about 10% of what we have to work with." For the average utility customer, that translates to less than 28 cents a month on their energy bill. Spending ebbs Interest in energy efficiency, an issue once embraced by environmentalists and consumer groups almost exclusively, moved into the public spotlight in recent months as an energy crisis unfolded in California. The issue was at the forefront of Wisconsin politics in 1999, when lawmakers passed an electric reliability bill to address an emerging energy shortage that could have caused rolling blackouts and sporadic power failures statewide. For years, regulators had pressed utilities to develop an array of initiatives to cut electric use, and energy conservation played a key role. Utilities conducted energy audits to advise businesses and homeowners how to cut electric demand. They also helped pay the cost of installing high-efficiency light bulbs or replacing old appliances. A Wisconsin Electric Power Co. program that gave customers savings bonds to replace old refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners took more than 350,000 units out of circulation. Utilities also offered energy-saving programs. Wisconsin Electric, which serves metro Milwaukee, gave residential customers a price break for cycling off central air conditioners and running appliances during off-peak times. By the late 1990s, though, many of the utilities' efforts dropped off sharply after the state loosened conservation requirements. Utility spending on conservation programs fell 47%, from $133 million in 1993 to $70 million in 1999, according to the state Public Service Commission. Energy savings by the state's major utilities declined 25%, PSC figures show. Shifting responsibility It became apparent that overseeing energy conservation programs would work more effectively in the hands of an independent entity. So when the Legislature passed electric reliability legislation in October 1999, it also put the state in charge of conservation. "It doesn't make sense for a company that is trying to be competitive to be responsible for social programs," said Ilze Rukis, market-side forecasting and planning supervisor for Wisconsin Public Service Corp., Green Bay. "It doesn't make sense for a free-market company. . . . It was a good opportunity to transfer this to the government, because that's where it should be." In the state's hands, the program continues to be effective, the Department of Administration's Marx said. "Utilities for years have spent ratepayer dollars to promote energy conservation," Marx said. It's no less important or appropriate now that the state is responsible for that effort." Utility customers now pay about $111 million annually for conservation measures, including the marketing campaign. When the utilities ran the program, customers paid $105 million annually, but not all of the money went into energy conservation. The utilities spent about $67 million on conservation and pocketed about $38 million for customer service costs. Utilities continue to collect the money from customers and turn it over to the Department of Administration. The $44 million increase from $67 million to $111 million for conservation was approved as part of the 1999 reliability bill. The federal government also contributes $44 million, bringing the entire cost of the conservation program to $155 million annually. Far-reaching campaign As for the marketing portion, the winner of the state contract will receive $5.8 million in 2002, $6.1 million in 2003, and $7.7 million in 2004. "It sounds like a lot of money, but think of all the things that has to cover," Marx said. "We are trying to do something for every sector of the state's economy and in every corner of the state." Such a far-reaching advertising campaign is expensive, said Jan Watson, vice president of Knupp & Watson, a Madison public relations firm. For the past three years, Watson's firm has handled all of the marketing for a $16.7 million pilot version of Wisconsin Focus on Energy. Under that program, the Department of Administration has overseen Wisconsin Public Service's conservation efforts in preparation for taking over that job for all the state's investor-owned utilities by 2003. "To do a television, newspaper and radio campaign for a three-week period in the state of Wisconsin, you're looking at $300,000 or $400,000," Watson said. "So many dollars just flow through the agency." Knupp & Watson is preparing a proposal for the $20 million state contract and says it may end up competing with at least 20 other firms for the work. Watson forecast that the project could mean gross profit margins of about 25% to 30%. Whatever the profit margins, the campaign is unnecessary, Hoven said. "This has nothing to do with going out and reducing energy consumption on conservation," Hoven said. "This is nothing more than a PR campaign to tell people to turn out their lights. That's ridiculous. People are smarter than that." But WPS' Rukis defended the program, arguing that changing consumer attitudes involves a great deal of time and education. "Marketing is a very a large piece. It is a cornerstone," Rukis said. "Getting the word out and getting customers to know more about energy efficiency will help."But for $20 million, Orion Lighting & Energy Services says it could guarantee a reduction in energy consumption of about 40 megawatts. "When we heard they were going to request $20 million for marketing and education awareness, it just sent all of us into the atmosphere," said Steve Heins, director of communications and marketing for the Plymouth company. "I can't imagine a larger waste of money. This is just more money going down a rathole." Conservation groups are also wary of the marketing program. "In general, money is more wisely spent on actual retrofits or actual process changes in the industrial or commercial sector, where you don't need to concern yourself with human behavior or habits," said Keith Reopelle, executive director of Environmental Decade, a Madison environmental group.(Emphasis, underline, and bold mine) "There is a place for public education and for changing behavior. It's a difficult thing to change, but it shouldn't be ignored. Whether $20 million is too much or too little, I don't know," Reopelle said. Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Aug. 12, 2001. http://www.jsonline.com/bym/news/aug01/conserv13081201a.asp END Steve Stephen Heins Director of Communications and Marketing Orion Lighting & Energy Services
Stephen Heins <orion@execpc.com>
Plymouth, WI USA - Monday, August 13, 2001 at 09:59:49 (CDT)
Dear Fellow Conservationist - The final revision of the new tree-cutting rules is now in Governor McCallum's office for approval or veto. These new rules were initiated by the the outdoor advertising industry and are still not acceptable. New rules will allow cutting of trees and bushes by advertisers, and will allow 6 seconds of viewing time of billboards instead of 4 seconds. It is important to get many requests to the governor now to show him there is strong support for a veto. (A sample letter [in Adobe Acrobat Format] from the Citizens for Clean Wisconsin can be found by clicking here.) Or write a brief email if you prefer, with the main points that advertisers will destroy a lot more trees than the DOT and 6 seconds of viewing is a lot more than 4 seconds. Please take a minute and get your message to the governor today because he may approve the budget within the next few days.
Chuck Mitchell <cmitchll@execpc.com>
Wauwatosa, WI USA - Wednesday, August 08, 2001 at 13:39:31 (CDT)
State Budget Agreement Proposes Separate Dept. of Forestry - Contact your legislators immediately and tell them to oppose the anti-conservation measures contained in the state budget agreement. "Aldo Leopold and John Muir are rolling over in their graves today as a result of a state budget agreement that threatens the natural resources of Wisconsin. The proposal to create a separate Department of Forestry is a bad idea from an economic standpoint, a terrible concept from an environmental standpoint, and a horrible precedent from a public policy standpoint. Wisconsin has long been a leader in the management and protection of our natural resources because we have long recognized that the only way to protect our environment is through an integrated management approach. This proposal ignores science, and the ultimate loser is a healthy environment for Wisconsin. Representative Gard could find no public support for his earlier idea to split the Department of Natural Resources. He instead cut this deal behind closed doors, and with no public input. Unfortunately, the members of the conference committee, Democrats and Republicans alike, agreed to this ill-advised, undemocratic and anti-environmental result. Our organization, along with many others in the environmental and conservation community are urging Governor McCallum to veto this proposal and send a strong message that the health of our environment is too precious to be negotiated away behind closed doors."
River Alliance of Wisconsin <canoe@wisconsinrivers.org>
Madison, WI USA - Wednesday, July 25, 2001 at 10:06:26 (CDT)
Subject: State Democrats attack Trees for Billboard Companies. Assembly joins in. Date: Fri, 29 Jun 2001 08:12:51 -0500 PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Publication June 28, 2001 More billboard blight is in store for Wisconsin if a measure slipped into the budget with no public debate is passed by our state legislature. The measure would allow clear-cutting of trees and bushes along the highway right of way to provide a full view of commercial messages on billboards, nullifying normal maintenance of vegetation of vegetation by the Department of Transportation. The attached message from John Sobotik, an attorney for the Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation in madison, tells the story. Chuck Mitchell, president, Citizens for a Scenic Wisconsin Wauwatosa, Wisconsin 414-258-8604 Subject: Billboard Alert Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 21:59:33 -0500 From: John Sobotik To: mail@scenicwisconsin.org Chuck: Sent this message to a few others this week, and just got your e-mail address. You came into our meeting late on Monday and missed the sparks flying when this topic came up. Alert your members if you like. > >FYI -- > >Senate Democrats and Assemby Republicans inserted a little amendment into the budget on the last night the budget was in the Senate last week. It permits billboard owners to go onto public lands and cut down ancient trees so that they can erect billboards. State officials entrusted with protecting the lands cannot prevent the tree cutting. > >Even in cases where DOT spends thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of dollars to avoid environmental damage in areas, sign companies will be able to come through after the special precautions were taken to protect the environment and clear cut the forest or other vegetation to create space for a sign. In fact, they can cut down vegetation planted with public money for landscaping or windbreak purposes if they don't like it. In the case of removing windbreak, public safety may be seriously compromised. > >The provision will permit clear cutting all trees within 700 feet of a billboard. (6 seconds at 65 mph.) Because the law only requires 500 feet between billboards on interstate highways (300 on non-interstates), the practical effect of this law will be to clearcut all vegetation from highway rights of ways in most of southern Wisconsin. > >The provision is drafted so broadly, that even trees in Rest Areas and Waysides will be subject to indiscriminate removal by sign companies. > >The provision is in Senate Amendment 1 to the Senate Substitute Amendment for the budget. (See page 329 line 19 to page 320 line 22.) The Assembly republicans also want to enact a similar provision. (See wheeler report page 2, transportation motion 130.) > >The department of justice is currently prosecuting several sign owners for violating existing law and chemically killing or clear cutting large areas of woods on public and private lands along state and interstate highways. This provision is intended to prevent their prosecution and to permit these companies to destoy publicly owned timber and other valuable vegetation at their whim. > >Perhaps you folks know people in the media or legislature that could bring this little tidbit out into the light. It was a last minute insertion into the Democratic version of the budget and is not being subjected to any public scrutiny or debate whatsoever. > >Contact your local media and your legislators. Otherwise, even if you save a tree from DOT and the roadbuilders, the sign companies will come along a cut it down whenever they wish to. > >- John Sobotik
Chuck Mitchell <mail@scenicwisconsin.org>
Wauwatosa, WI USA - Thursday, July 05, 2001 at 17:19:26 (CDT)
Republican Assembly Budget Assaults Clean Air and Water and Safe Transportation; Changes Needed, say Conservation and Environmental Groups "Assembly Republicans didn't miss any opportunities to assault our clean air and water and safe streets," said Caryl Terrell, Legislative Coordinator, John Muir Chapter-Sierra Club. "Cuts to recycling, the Stewardship Fund and energy conservation, roll back of basic water quality protection and splitting up the DNR show the GOP is intent on being the enemy of environmental protection." Republicans tacked a host of anti-environment amendments onto their budget package last week. They included: A decrease in funding for local and county recycling programs, cutting grants in half instead of doubling them as the Senate proposed, A $2.5 million cut in the Stewardship Fund for this year alone, with higher cuts likely in future years, Dismantling the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) by dividing its authority between two, new agencies, A $20-$60 million cut in funds for energy conservation and renewable energy, A $40 million transfer from the General Fund (sales tax on vehicle purchases) into a restructured Transportation Fund exclusively for highway roadbuilding. For more, see: http://www.wisconsinrivers.org/ActionAlerts/Alert062801.html Please write letters to legislators and letters to editors! To find your legislator, go to http://www.legis.state.wi.us/wamltest/ To find newspaper info, go to http://www.sustainingwisconsin.org/toolbox/media.html Get Active!
Patriotic Green
WI USA - Tuesday, July 03, 2001 at 03:26:11 (CDT)
Look out!Garey Bies[Assemblyman District 1] put a motion in the Republican Caucus Budget Resolution that would skuttle the Public Trust Doctrine. His motion would allow the wholesale proliferation os SOLID pier structures along the shores of Green Bay and Lake Michigan.Environmental assessments would be eliminated,the burden of proof would rest with the objector rather than the applican,Administrative Law Judge could be bypassed,and Public objrctors could be liable for all legal fees paid by the permit applicant.This motion could if passed lead to the eventual abolition of The Public Trust Doctrine in our state Contact your state senators,particullarly Sen Chvala 6082669170,and let them know about your opposition to this skulduggery undertaken by the Republican Budget Caucus.Act now!We need your help Thanks Zalman Saperstein 115 Park lane POB 585 Sister Bay WI 54234-0585 PH 920 8542757
Zalman P. Saperstein <shesap@dcwis.com>
Sister Bay, WI USA - Tuesday, June 26, 2001 at 06:38:51 (CDT)

CROSS PLAINS, WI - Hundreds of wild brown trout have turned up dead in Black Earth Creek, prompting an investigation into the stream's worst fish kill in memory. "I don't know the extent of the kill at this point," said R. Scot Stewart, a fisheries expert for the state Department of Natural Resources. Some fish were surviving Friday. "I saw one jumping out of the water," Stewart said, "but that's all I can say right now." The stream banks from which Stewart spoke Friday afternoon bore little resemblance to what they were last week, before heavy rains likely washed whatever is responsible for killing the fish into the stream. Black Earth Creek is a nationally known cold water fishery, a rare example in which the trout are naturally reproducing. The DNR stopped stocking brown trout into the river in 1975, allowing it to go wild, and the population has since flourished, Stewart said. But Friday, the once sleek, vibrant fish fouled the air, lying dead where brush or grasses reached into slow water. The trout, which live nose against the current, were swollen and bleached, their tell-tale crimson spots faded to rust. DNR biologists placed the time of the kill sometime Tuesday, when a rush of unknown pollutants suffocated the fish, department spokesman Greg Matthews said. The problem was noticed by Al Macey, a Madison fly-fisher, who spotted several dead fish at about 11 a.m. Thursday near South Valley Road bridge. "I got pretty panicked, and went back to my car. I walked into the pasture above the bridge at South Valley Road and counted 26 dead fish between the bridge and the downed tree above the big pool," he said. Further testing is expected to reveal whether manure or some other agricultural chemical from the surrounding farmland caused the problem. DNR employees have been collecting dead fish since Thursday afternoon, and noted that whatever is destroying the ecologically sensitive trout is also powerful enough to have killed several hardy fish such as suckers and chub. "Thursday we either picked up or observed 120 to 130 dead fish, mostly trout," Matthews said. Since then, more dead fish have surfaced, and Friday afternoon it was easy to count more than a dozen of the trout's pale, cigar-shaped bellies floating in a 40-yard stretch of water. The kill appears to cover most of the river, with dead fish found from the spring-fed waters upstream of Cross Plains to the wide slow-moving currents around Black Earth, Stewart said. Stewart said it was not possible to tell how many fish have been killed, since the water was nearly opaque with sediment and is likely concealing many fish tangled in underwater plants. Others have probably been lost downstream. To gauge the extent of the damage, the DNR is planning to survey the river sometime next week, sending electrical pulses into the water that will temporarily stun and bring to the surface whatever fish may have survived. Although the DNR has yet to conclude what killed the fish, officials said they were testing for many pollutants consistent with agricultural runoff, particularly manure. On hand in the investigation was Mike Vollrath, a manure and wastewater management specialist, who said he was taking samples for dissolved oxygen, ammonium, phosphorus and "a slew of other chemicals." He said manure that is washed into the river can smother fish by robbing the water of its dissolved oxygen. Farther upstream in the investigation, DNR biologist Andy Morton was poling a skiff along the headwaters, trying to pinpoint where the kill began. "I smell manure," he said. "I can smell manure all along here." Morton said he was sure that a severe temperature shift, which killed trout in one section of the river in 1988, was not a factor in this kill, noting that the most dead fish were found in the coldest stretch of the river. "Our theory is something got into the water that doesn't belong. We're trying to find out how it got there and why," said Matthews, who was also at the site. A total of 52 fish - two rainbow trout and 50 brown trout, the largest of which was 18 inches - were taken for toxicology testing. Preliminary test results Friday indicated that something had caused the fish to suffocate, and that the water had since regained sufficient levels of dissolved oxygen. The big question for fishery biologists is whether enough fish have survived to repopulate the river. "It's a good trout stream. If we have a decent amount of fish left, they'll repopulate this stream in a hurry," Stewart said, noting that the stream until recently carried more than 2,000 trout per mile in some stretches. He declined to name a figure for what percentage of the population would need to survive for the population to recover, but said 10 percent "would be plenty." So far, the DNR has not prohibited fishing on the river. If a suspect is found responsible for the kill, an array of penalties could be forwarded, from a $26 fine per fish killed to charges of criminal misconduct or negligence. Word of the fish kill spread quickly among fly-fishers, so much so that the stream Friday afternoon, which usually has a few cars parked at most bridges, was without anglers. "It's very sad," said John Armstrong, an employee of the fly-fishing shop Madison Outfitters, who noted that his customers were talking about nothing but the fate of Black Earth Creek. It's a stream that's been listed in Trout Unlimited's "100 Best" rivers, and has been the focus of countless conservation efforts here spanning more than 50 years. "It's an immensely popular place to fish - and not just for the Madison community. People come from all over to fish Black Earth Creek," Armstrong said. That's particularly the case now - the height of the fly-fishing season - when the giant mayfly begins its annual rise from the river's surface. But this year, they may take wing in these June evenings unpursued by the large trout that usually feed on them.
Joe <joe@iwon.net>
USA - Wednesday, June 20, 2001 at 01:33:18 (CDT)
On June 7 in Madison, please attend the legislative listening session on the northern transmission line and rally with others outside of the Public Service Commission (PSC) offices. The decision on the Duluth-Wausau transmission line has not been made and opponents have established a legal record that should assure victory---but politics and corporate financing make this fight monumental. Busses will leave from Krug Tours, Medford, 6am & Stage Stop, Mosinee, 7:10 am. In order to reserve your seat call Georgia Shupe @ 715-748-2068. Cost will be $20.00.
Electro
WI USA - Thursday, May 31, 2001 at 11:22:36 (CDT)
Rally against the proposed Northern Transmission Line this Sunday, May 20 in Wausau at noon at the entrance of Marathon Park on Wausau's west side. The UW-Stevens Point Progressive Action Organization and SOUL are urging people to attend. It's a beautiful park to enjoy the day at.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Friday, May 18, 2001 at 06:20:54 (CDT)
Green Bay DNR split hearing date has been announced: Friday, May 11, 2001 1 p.m. UW Green Bay Campus University Union - Christie Theatre 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, 54311
Todd Hanson <stewardship@wsn.org>
USA - Monday, May 07, 2001 at 04:36:21 (CDT)
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 9:30 am Room 411 South in the State Capitol Senate Bill 160 to ban cyanide in mining (companion to Assembly Bill 95) will have a hearing in the Senate Environmental Resources Committee. AB-95 is sponsored by Rep. Spencer Black, and SB-160 by Sen. Russ Decker. Please come to sign in and testify for SB-160! The "Black and Decker" Bill will be the fourth item on the agenda. For more details and information, contact the Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining.
Zoltan Grossman <mtn@igc.org>
USA - Thursday, May 03, 2001 at 13:10:23 (CDT)
Keep the WDNR together and broadbased.... The latest threat to the DNR's effectivenss is a proposal to split the DNR into two agencies. There will be public hearings on this proposal -- which shamefully comes just days after the Joint Finance Committee agreed to take upwards of 200 policy items out of the budget -- in La Crosse on Wednesday, May 9 at 11 a.m. and in Green Bay Friday, May 11 in the early afternoon. Check this web site for further details.
Todd Hanson <stewardship@wsn.org>
USA - Tuesday, May 01, 2001 at 16:29:29 (CDT)
An important wetlands hearing will be held Tuesday, April 24th, in Madison (10 am, Assembly Parlor, Capitol) on a new Assembly Bill, AB 322, that purportedly addresses protection of isolated wetlands. This bill, authored by Rep. Neal Kedzie, is a variation on a series of draft bills he has held hearings on in recent weeks. This is being promoted as a "compromise" and "bi-partisan" wetlands bill. However, the bill includes some VERY DANGEROUS language that would compromise protection for virtually ALL isolated wetlands in the state! For details and to see a copy of the bill, click here. If you cannot attend the hearing but would like to comment on the bill, you may do so by calling the legislative hotline: 1-800-362-9472, or contacting your own Representative by e-mail.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Saturday, April 21, 2001 at 14:21:54 (CDT)
Both in Kewaunee and Manitowoc Counties there are several gravel mines which are eye sores, causing noise and several other types of pollutants as well as severe habitat destruction. In rural Kewaunee County, on Hwy AB there is such a gravel pit - digging into limestone bedrock. But that isn't enough, they want to move about a mile down the road onto a public road with one secluded home on the end. These home owners possess about 100 acres of beautiful habitat containing varieties of animals, birds, insects ... of all kinds. Old farmland adjacent to this wonderful habitat (with a beautiful and uncommon limestone cliff area) is being surveyed by the county to become a new gravel pit site. What can be done to fight it or at least make sure they are being as environmentally sound as possible???
Rhonda Reisenbuechler <reiserho@trschools.k12.wi.us>
Manitowoc, WI USA - Friday, April 20, 2001 at 21:54:37 (CDT)
W3, Wisconsin Wetlands Watch, is a way for every angler, hunter and hiker to help defend our precious wetlands from destruction. See press release and "how to" guide on the WSN wetlands issue site. Notify DNR Wardens and public interest law firm, Midwest Environmental Advocates of any suspicious activities in wetlands and waterways. Thanks for your help!!!
Caryl Terrell <cterrell@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Thursday, April 12, 2001 at 11:21:29 (CDT)
WETLAND ACTION ALERT - Hearing on Wetland Bill Tuesday, April 10 in Whitehall. The hearing is scheduled by the Assembly Environment Committee (Rep. Neal Kedzie-R, Chair) on Rep. Kedzie's draft wetland bill, LRB 2921: The meeting will be held in the Trempealeau County Courthouse, located at 36245 Main St. and will begin at 11 a.m in the Trempelo Room in the courthouse's lower level. Overall, LRB 2921 makes major concessions to the agri-business interests and to the development interests. This is NOT a "return to status quo protection" bill for isolated wetlands. For more information on the bill's problems, click here. Whitehall, WI
Charlie Luthin <wetlands@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Thursday, April 05, 2001 at 10:59:45 (CDT)
WETLANDS ALERT---Please come to support restoring "status quo" protection for wetlands on Tuesday March 27th, at 10:00 a.m. Room 417 North, State Capitol, Madison. The Assembly Environment Committee will hold a working policy discussion on a draft bill by Rep. Neal Kedzie which provides concessions to developers and agri-business which are unacceptable. See WSN Issues--Wetlands for more information. Thank you for keeping up the pressure on the Assembly to adopt SB 37.
Caryl Terrell <cterrell@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Friday, March 23, 2001 at 22:06:32 (CST)
WETLANDS: On Thursday March 22nd, Rep. Black will again try to get an Assembly vote on SB 37, which restores the status-quo protectionof isolated wetlands. Since Tuesday the 20th there are now seven (7) wetlands that the Corps of Engineers has decided they can NOT PROTECT. Please call the Toll-FREE HOTLINE 1-800-362-9472 and tell your Assembly rep not to delay, adopt SB 37. the frogs and other critters thank you.
Caryl Terrell <cterrell@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Thursday, March 22, 2001 at 09:11:47 (CST)
Senate Bill 37 to restore status quo protection to isolated wetlands MAY be voted on tomorrow, Tuesday March 20. Several Representatives are polling the Assembly to get SB 37 out of the Environment Committeee, where it has languished for 5 weeks with no action, and are calling for a full Assembly vote. We are asking folks to contact their Representatives today and tomorrow morning to vote YES on SB 37. Thanks for your prompt attention, and concern for our state's wetlands. For more background, click here
Charlie Luthin <wetlands@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Monday, March 19, 2001 at 16:17:52 (CST)
Crawfish River Update: Urgent Action Needed Before March 19: Please call and/or write Dodge County Supervisors stating your opposition to allowing an ethanol plant on the banks of the Crawfish River. County Supervisors’ names, addresses, and voice & fax numbers are on our web site Your help is essential. As expected, last Wed., the Elba Town Board approved zoning changes to allow an ethanol plant on Prime Ag Land in an Ag Preservation Zone. We now need your help before the County Board approves these changes. Thank you for your help. Step 2 (Stop The Ethanol Plant) Questions? Call Debbie Schilling (608)623-4275 or Fran Heisey (608)623-1987 or e-mail step2@powercom.net.
Fran Heisey <heisey@powerweb.net>
Columbus, WI USA - Thursday, March 15, 2001 at 08:58:38 (CST)
The State Senate is considering forwarding on to a committee on Tuesday, March 13 SB-49 - the bill that will restore the office of the Public Intervenor. SB 49 returns the public intervenor to the state Department of Justice. Please contact your legislators and let them know you support SB 49. For more information, click here.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Saturday, March 10, 2001 at 17:28:16 (CST)
The Town Of Nashville needs support in Crandon on Thursday, March 8. Their effort to repeal the mining local agreement needed for the Crandon mine will receive a ruling by Judge Geske in the Crandon County courhouse. If you can, please show up and let the judge see the many people across Wisconsin who oppose the Crandon mine. The judge is expected to rule at 3 p.m.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Sunday, March 04, 2001 at 23:10:45 (CST)
The battle for the Crawfish River and our precious ground water and air continues. The Public Hearings last Saturday went well, but we still need your help. The public record will remain open until Noon, March 7. Please go to our web site and fax or mail the Elba Town Board a signed copy of the “Letter of Protest” (or use our letter as a pattern to write your own). Your help is essential. Mail into Columbus is very slow, so if you are mailing your letter, please post it by Saturday March 3. Thank you for your help. Step 2 (Stop The Ethanol Plant) Questions? Call Debbie Schilling (608) 623-4275 or Fran Heisey (608) 623-1987.
Fran Heisey <heisey@powerweb.net>
USA - Thursday, March 01, 2001 at 12:08:26 (CST)
Senate Bill 37, the bill designed to preserve the "status quo" protection of the state's wetlands, passed quickly and strongly in the Senate. The bill has now been stalled by the Assembly. They claim the earliest they can take a vote on the bill is May--we feel this is simply a stall tactic to give the developers a chance to fill wetlands this spring. It's time to take some action! All State Representatives and the Governor need to hear from their constituents. If they receive a deluge of phone calls, letters and e-mails, they WILL be obligated to take swift action. We need this wetland bill passed during the MARCH Floor Session of the Assembly. Don't delay! Thanks for your help!
Charlie Luthin <wetlands@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Thursday, March 01, 2001 at 11:48:09 (CST)
THIS SATURDAY, PLEASE HELP US SAVE THE CRAWFORD RIVER FROM DESTRUCTION BY A MASSIVE CHEMICAL FACTORY! WE DESPERATELY NEED YOUR HELP, PLEASE COME SUPPORT US AT THE PUBLIC HEARING THIS SATURDAY (FEB 24) AT THE JUNEAU COMMUNITY CENTER, DODGE COUNTY, STARTING AT 9AM. PLEASE HELP US DEFEND OUR ENVIRONMENT FROM A CORPORATION THAT WANTS TO STEAL OUR GROUNDWATER AND POLLUTE OUR WATER AND AIR. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL DEBBIE SHILLING (920) 623-4275 OR FRAN HEISEY (920) 623-1987 The corporation, which has close ties to the Kwik Trip chain, has our citizens' group, STEP 2, vastly outgunned. They have the politicians in their pocket (1). They have stacked the public hearings against us by encouraging members of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, advocates of large-scale high-input agriculture, to come from across the state and suppress the will of the local residents. PLEASE ATTEND; WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!! PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO OTHERS ---------------------------------------------- The first time I canoed the Crawfish River, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The Crawfish flows through an area with a good bit of agriculture, and I was expecting to find a typically sadly degraded stream. Instead, I found a vibrant stream with fish darting about in the riffles. Being trained as an aquatic biologist, I was thrilled to find a thriving population of large freshwater mussels. Freshwater mussels are very sensitive indicators of water quality, and represent the foundation of a healthy river (2). I've been back to the Crawfish many times since, and have discovered others that appreciate it perhaps more than I. My favorite are the otters, who this time of year are leaving the ice littered with fish scales and clam shells. Several years ago, I had the good fortune of watching a family of 5 otters frolic for over hour in a backwater. I never would have guessed that this sort of thing existed 20 miles from Madison. Today, I'm worried sick that it won't exist much longer. Our small Town, Elba, has been stealth-attacked by a large corporation that wants to build one of the nation's largest ethanol plants near the banks of the Crawfish. Its bad enough that within 3 years, this chemical factory will drastically lower the water table by extracting 1.5 times the amount of ground water as the proposed Perrier plant. But worse is what will be released directly into the river. Thank goodness for the Open Records Law! The corporation has consistently told us this will be a `zero-discharge plant', but internal memos we obtained from the DNR indicate otherwise (3). It appears that 100,000 gallons per day of chloride contaminated cooling water will be released into the river. Furthermore, the DNR has concerns about waste water contamination [`BOD exceedences'] of the Crawfish from the plant but of course they have never told us this publicly. I talked with the DNR about this, and they said the plant would be responsible for doing its own waste water monitoring! I remarked that this was having the fox monitor the hen house for adequate security, which they didn't deny. During the summer, the flow in the Crawfish can drop drastically; I have seen it nearly dry. It simply cannot tolerate the double assaults of water table depletion and chemical contamination. Sure, the DNR can fine the corporation, but with a life span of 30 to 80 years, the mussels will never return in my lifetime. Maybe mussels aren't as glamorous as trout, but they are probably more important to the ecosystem. Some environmentalists have expressed reluctance to oppose ethanol because it's been advertised as a `clean burning fuel'. The truth of the matter is that corn ethanol is an environmental and farm policy disaster (4,5). Corn ethanol is corporate welfare at its worst. With the rapidly expanding `Dead Zone' in the Gulf of Mexico, in large part due to corn fertilizer runoff in the Midwest, anything that encourages corn over-production now will be a tragedy. Many are concerned that corn ethanol production will encourage farmers to remove prairie land from the Conservation Reserve Program, which will have terrible impacts on many species of prairie-nesting birds already experience shocking population declines. PLEASE COME TO JUNEAU THIS SATURDAY AND BE HEARD! Dennis Heisey, PhD (1) Kwik Trip political contributions: http://www.opensecrets.org/wdc/cgi-win/WDCempall.exe?Kwik$Trip$Stores (2) freshwater mussels: http://www.nature.nps.gov/wrd/mussels/mussels5-02.htm (3) Internal email of 1/22/01 obtained under the Open Records Laws from Mr. Daniel Heim, DNR Regional Waste Water Specialist, to other DNR personnel, copies available from DNR under the open records law. (4) corn ethanol and the environment: http://hubbert.mines.edu/news/v98n2/mkh-new7.html (5) corn ethanol and farm policy http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-241.html
Fran Heisey <heisey@powerweb.net>
USA - Tuesday, February 20, 2001 at 13:54:21 (CST) 
Please attend the Perrier bill, SB 44, before the Senate Environmental Resources Committee at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday March 1, 330 SW of the state capitol, Madison.
Caryl Terrell <cterrell@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Monday, February 19, 2001 at 19:58:08 (CST) 

Please attend Senate hearing on SB 49, Restoring the Public Intervenor's Office, the Environmental Watchdog, on Tuesday Feb. 20, 2001 at 9:30 a.m. State Capitol Rm 201 Southeast, Madison WI, before the Senate Committee on JUDICIARY, CONSUMER AFFAIRS, AND CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM.  For more information and background click here.
Caryl Terrell <cterrell@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Thursday, February 15, 2001 at 12:44:23 (CST)
The Wisconsin Senate adopted the wetlands protection bill, SB 37 (Sub Amend), on an overwhelmingly bi-partisan vote of 27-6 on Feb. 13, 2001. Your help is needed to get the Assembly to hold a hearing and vote to pass SB 37 before the building season starts. Thanks to all for your help!
Caryl Terrell <cterrell@execpc.com>
Madison, WI USA - Tuesday, February 13, 2001 at 19:24:32 (CST) 
The DNR will hold 12 public meetings across the State, beginning 02/26/01, to hear from Wisconsin citizens on lands residents want protected. This is a great opportunity to let the DNR hear again how special the water-rich area at the headwaters of the pristine Wolf River are,the threat of perpetual damage from a proposed sulfide mine, as well as a multitude of other issues. Public meetings dates, times and locations were published in the Fri. 02/09/01 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 2/26 - Waukesha State Office Building, 141 NW Barstow; 2/27- Fitchburg Community Center, 5510 Lacy Rd 2/28 - DNR Regional HQs, 1300 W Clairemont Ave., Eau Claire 3/1 - Upper Mississippi River Fish and Wildlife Refuge District Office, 555 Lester Ave., Onalaska 3/12 - DNR Southeast Region HQ, Rm 140, 2300 N.King Dr., Milwaukee 3/13 - Oshkosh Town Hall, 230 E. County Hwy Y 3/14 - Howard Public Library, 2680 Riverview Dr, Green Bay 3/15 - Mead Public Library, 710 N 8th St., Sheboygan 3/20 - Best Western Governor Dodege Motor Inn, Highway 151, Platteville 3/26 - UW-Stevens Point University Center, 1015 Reserve St 3/27 - DNR Service Center, 107 Sutliff Ave., Rhinelander 3/28 - Wisc. Indian Head Tech. College, 2100 S Beaser Ave, Main Meeting Room, Ashland.
Bonnie E Mayer <bmayer@execpc.com.>
West Allis, WI USA - Sunday, February 11, 2001 at 19:45:36 (CST) 
West Allis, WI is the home of the worst cyanide environmental disaster in the state of Wisconsin. The southeast hub of the Mining Impact Coalition is holding its Feb. meeting on Wed. 02/21/01 at the West Allis library at 6PM. On Tues 02/06/01, it was presented to the common council of West Allis, a request to sign onto support for the initiative to ban cyanide in Wisconsin mining. It is hoped that West Allis residents will call their aldermen to urge the show of support. The meeting will provide updates on the Arrowhead-Weston electric transmission line, the bill to ban cyanide introduced by Rep. Black, the initiative to add crystalline silica as an air contaminant, and other issue updates. Additionally, the county supervisor will be holding a forum in West Allis on Mon 02/12/01 at which the cyanide issue will be presented by Mining Impact Coalition Board members.
bonnie e mayer <bmayer@execpc.com>
West Allis, WI USA - Thursday, February 08, 2001 at 18:20:58 (CST) 
Wetlands Alert! Bill to be on Senate floor TUESDAY, Feb. 13.  Time is of the essence! The short message is to call your state senator immediately (the legislative hotline number is 1-800-362-9472) to let them know that the status quo for wetlands protection needs to be reinstated as soon as possible. The proposed bill, SB 37, had its first hearing before Sen. Jim Baumgart's Committee on Environmental Resources February 1, and is now scheduled for the Senate floor Tuesday, February 13.  ALL legislators, as well as Governor McCallum, need to hear from as many of us as possible just how important wetlands are.  You can find your legislators by clicking here.   For more background, click here.
Karen Etter Hale, Executive Secretary, Madison Audubon Society
Madison, WI USA - Thursday, February 07, 2001 at 8:24:21 (CST)
Here we go again... The Wisconsin Departmant of Transportation is currently in the planning stage of a freeway bypass for Highway 10 north of Stevens Point. A four lane 65mph freeway is proposed that would cross the Plover River between Jordan County Park and the Stevens Point wellfields. The Plover has accurately been called a wilderness stream in the backyard of an urban area. The proposed northern bypass route would also cross the Wisconsin River north of Stevens Point threatening a hardwood wetland area. At present the routes are opposed by the DNR, and the River Heritige Committee representing members from the Plover River Alliance, the Issac Walton League, the Aldo Leopold Audubon Society, the McDill Inland Lake Protection District, the North Central Conservancy Trust, the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, People for Green Space, the Portage County Park Commission, and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources. For news of the project thus far a good source is the Portage County Gazette (weekly) "news" section on-line.
Gregg Warren <gwld@g2a.net>
Stevens Point , WI USA - Sunday, February 04, 2001 at 18:24:21 (CST) 
The DOT is determined to begin construction on Highway 131 in the Spring. The Army Corps of Engineers and the DNR are going to approve the permit for the wetland destruction that is invovled with the DOT's $20.5 million design. This approval violates Section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act, Presidential Executive Order 11990 (Protection of Wetlands) and the DNR's own regulations regarding "practicable alternatives" to wetland destruction. Please go to our website and take five minutes to click on an "Action Step" to help prevent this impending debacle. Thanks, Pat Conway, www.131.homestead.com
Pat Conway <pat@mazinfo.com>
Ontario, WI USA - Thursday, February 01, 2001 at 20:39:16 (CST) 
Because of a recent Supreme Court decision, much of Wisconsin's wetlands are suddenly without any protection.  A bill is currently being considered to plug this hole.  Now is the time to write letters of support. Please take the 15 minutes needed to print and mail a letter, or make a telephone call, ASAP.  Ask that the status quo of wetland protection be restored, by restoring state regulatory authority to wetlands impacted by the Jan 9 Supreme Court ruling.  Make clear that you support wetland protection, and that the current situation of no protection for over half of our wetlands is unacceptable.  Ask for a moratorium on wetland filling until protections can be restored.  Write or call or fax Lieutenant Governor Scott McCallum, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, P.O. Box 2043, Madison, Wisconsin 53701-2043, phone # 608-266-3516 / FAX 608-267-3571.  You can find your legislators by clicking here.  And you may wish to contact the bill sponsors Senator Jim Baumgart (Democrat) and Senator Robert Cowles (Republican).  For more background, click here.
Anonymous (by request)
WI, USA - Thursday, January 25, 2001 at 2:08:11 (CST)
Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant - Dry Cask storage expansion proposal - Written comments deadline 5 PM Jan. 16,2001 to PSCW; 610 N. Whitney Way,P.O. Box 7854, Madison, WI 53707-7854. Written testimony is being allowed since inclement weather at the public hearing on Dec. 18 limited participation. WEPCo is requesting to quadruple the number of dry cask storage units ( additional 36) at Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant.
Karen McFadzen
Plymouth , WI USA - Monday, January 01, 2001 at 11:13:28 (CST)
Send an email to our newGovernor Scott McCallum with congratulations on his new position and to ask him to end the 25-year Crandon mine dispute.  Governor McCallum should ask Billiton, the new owner of the project, to drop its risky investment and to transfer the mine site to the people of Wisconsin.  Billiton has recently recategorized its treatment of the Crandon proposal as a "non-core" asset, a move frequently taken toward projects that companies want to rid themselves of.  Initiative by Governor McCallum could end this project forever.  For more details, click here.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Tuesday, December 26, 2000, 10:15:31 (CDT)
This Action Alert is for all who wish to save Hwy 131 as a Scenic Road.  We need your organization to file a formal comment on the Army Corps Environmental Assessment (EA) on the question of the environmental impact of funding the WisDOT's 20.5 million dollar road design.
The DEADLINE for comments is December 11th.  Please take the time to write a quick letter TODAY!!  Click here for a Sample Letter.
Pat Conway <pat@mazinfo.com>
Ontario, WI USA - Thursday, December 07, 2000 16:49:42 (CDT)
On Tuesday, November 28, the Wolf Watershed Educational Project (WWEP) and Save Our Unique Lands (SOUL) will hold rallies at the first Public Service Commission (PSC) hearings on the proposed 345,000 volt transmission line and the proposed additional line to the Crandon mine.  The rallies will be on the west side of RHINELANDER at the Holiday Inn at 668 W. Kemp St.  Please bring signs both against the transmission line and the Crandon mine.  The hearings are at at 9 am and 7 pm; the rallies are at 9 am and 12 noon.  Contact SOUL at 800-270-8455 for more information.  Click here for more background information.  For documentation of the link between the line and the mine, see the Strategic Energy Assessment.
Zoltan Grossman <mtn@igc.org>
Madison, WI - USA Wednesday, November 22, at 17:49:22 (CDT)
Media Release: Contact: Bill Hagerman (608) 337-4827, LOCAL FAMILY NEEDS HELP TO SAVE HIGHWAY 131 WETLANDS.The construction plans for Highway 131 between Rockton and Ontario have been under fire since the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was released.  Ten environmental groups have signed on to two different requests for reconsideration of the Final EIS with the Federal Highway Administration. Now, a local family, whose wetlands are to be seized and filled as part of the 131 roadbed elevation plan, will fight to save their Sandhill Crane Sanctuary. For the past ten years, Sandhill Cranes have nested on the Hagerman wetlands, located right in the path of the 131 reconstruction corridor. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) has notified the Hagermans that they intend to condemn the wetlands if the family refuses to sell the 3.2 acres in question. William Hagerman, now deceased, bought the 102 acre farm with the intention of creating a wildlife refuge. His wife Carol, and their son, Bill and two daughters are committed to protecting the legacy of Bill senior.   The family is seeking the funding necessary to hire a lawyer to prevent the seizure of their land under eminent domain, and to challenge the permit to fill in their wetlands. The entire family is involved in sponsoring a Lamb Roast fund raiser on Saturday, October 21st, from 1 to 6 p.m. on the Hagerman farm, 1 mile south of Ontario.  There are two legal requirements that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WIsDOT) must complete in order to acquire and destroy the 3.2 acres of wetlands on the Hagerman farm. First, the WisDOT must condemn and seize the land under the Eminent Domain laws of Wisconsin. Second, the Army Corps of Engineers must approve the WisDOT's application to place fill material in a total of 13.26 acres of wetlands along the corridor of the new, elevated alignment.  The first step, condemnation of Hagerman's private property in order to elevate the entire roadbed, will be challenged as unnecessary. Wisconsin State Statutes require that the condemnor must show that the "property sought to be condemned is reasonably necessary and proper for the accomplishment of the desired public purpose". Bill Hagerman, an active member of Taxpayers for 2A, believes that the WisDOT broke the law when they dismissed the 2A, or "Low Road" design for the 131 improvement plan in 1992. The 2A design would replace the bridges and reconstruct the existing 131 to meet current safety standards, using the State's own "3R" Program guidelines. This reasonable, affordable plan was dismissed, without any explanation, from the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in 1992. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires full development and consideration of all reasonable road building options, especially those which minimize environmental destruction. "It seems unconstitutional and un-American to have the State come and seize that land without first proving it is absolutely necessary," Hagerman said. "If the WisDOT built the 2A design, it would not be necessary to condemn my family's land and fill in the wetlands."  The second legal issue is the WisDOT's application for permission to destroy wetlands. This project comes under the regulatory jurisdiction of the Corps of Engineers because the Kickapoo River is a tributary to the Wisconsin River, a navigable water of the United States. Thus, this application must be reviewed according to the provisions of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. First, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources must review the project and issue a Section 401 certification. The Army Corps will not grant a wetlands destruction permit if the Wisconsin DNR does not first issue a Section 401 certification. Again, the Hagermans intend to challenge the Section 401 certification because they believe that the WisDOT should build the 2A design, which minimizes wetland impacts. The Hagerman family is establishing the "Hagerman Wetlands Defense Account" at the Bank of Ontario. That money will go exclusively to pay the legal fees of the law firm that takes on their case. Donation checks should be sent to: Wetlands Defense Fund/Hagerman, S610 Downing Rd., Ontario, WI 54651.  For more information, call: Bill Hagerman (608) 337-4827.
Pat Conway <pat@mazinfo.com>
Ontario, WI USA - Friday, October 06, 2000 at 16:09:42 (CDT) 
DOT Has Applied for a Permit to Fill Kickapoo Wetlands for Highway 131. Comments must go the Army Corps of Engineers objecting to the issuance of a permit to fill 13.7 acres of Kickapoo Valley wetlands to build the bloated Highway 131 project. The Army Corps will make the decision whether to issue the Section 404 permit (reference no. 00-06967-BCN). Comments are due October 2. The wetlands are in Wildcat Mountain State Park, the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and on private lands. Please demand that public hearings be held on the permit and that the permit not be issued. There should be a public hearing in Vernon County and also in Madison. This is not just a local issue. The construction is largely on federal land with federal dollars. Filling these wetlands is unnecessary for the safety improvement of State Trunk Highway 131. WisDOT has arbitrarily rejected, or failed to evaluate, alternatives which would have much less impact. The Army Corps has the power to disallow the project. Make sure that officials know that many, many people object. This is critical. Please pass this message on to your e-mail lists. Comments can be directed to Bruce Norton via e-mail. Hard copy can be mailed to Regulatory Branch, St. Paul District, Corps of Engineers, Attn: CO-R, 1114 South Oak Street, La Crescent, MN 55947-1338. For more information contact Bruce Norton by phone at 507-895-8059.  Or view the permit at the Corps webpage.  For more, contact us at the Kickapoo Valley Stewardship Alliance or call 608-625-2063.
David Ebbert <ebbert@mwt.net>
La Farge, WI USA - Wednesday, September 13, 2000 at 21:35:26 (CDT) 
Rally Against The Transmission Line on August 28th and 29th in the Duluth/Superior Area. Come out in droves, even if it is to hold a sign. The judge needs to see a huge turn out. You don't even need to speak if you don't want to. Come out to support the children who face the threat of leukemia from these lines (and other health impacts).  Come out to support alternative energies that will not have a chance if these huge corporations have their way with the world. To support clean lakes and fish without mercury. Come support the Cross Lake Crees.  Bring signs…bring the kids…bring your neighbors…but BE THERE.  The rally begins with a caravan - Perkins Restaurant in Superior in the parking lot just south of the restaurant.  This is at the intersection of Highways 2 and 53. We will meet at 5:00 pm on Monday, August 28th.  We will join together to form a caravan to the hearing site in Proctor.  We will be meeting outside the convention center at 6:30 pm to hold a rally at the AMERICINN - Located 1 mile off I-35, Exit 249 at Hwy 2 and Boundary Ave.  The rally will be at 6:30 PM, Monday, August 28, 2000, one half-hour before the hearings.  Please gather as many of your friends, neighbors, family and loved ones to join us in this show of opposition to the transmission line. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! IT MIGHT JUST MEAN THAT THE LINE WILL BE POSTPONED OR SCRAPPED ENTIRELY. Duluth/Superior area contact person is Dave Thomas, 715-374-3039.  More background and details can be found at this site.
Sandy Lyon <water@spacestar.net>
Springbrook, WI, USA - Thursday, August 24, 2000 at 13:38:26 (CDT)
The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Environmental Resources and Campaign Finance Reform will hold a public hearing on the proposal by Perrier Group of America to site high capacity wells and a bottling plant in Wisconsin, on the adequacy of the Department of Natural Resources draft Environmental Assessment relating to the proposed project and on the efforts of state agencies to promote and develop this project.  The committee will take testimony from invited speakers and the public.  The hearing will take place on Tuesday, August 22, 2000 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 411 South of the state Capitol in Madison.  Senator Alice Clausing chairs the committee. 
On August 18th there will be a meeting NOON to 2:30 PM at the Mead Public Library 710 N 8th ST.Sheboygan WI.  A non- profit organization Citizens For A Scenic Wisconsin with Senator Jim Baumgart will talk on the subject of billboard control legislation that he will introduce in January. This bill would prohibit new billboard construction. I Cornel Hausler a member of CSW will talk on why the Wisconsin taxpayer has paid 3 million dollars to regulate billboards in the last 5 years ,and the destruction of thousands of trees along the highways from billboard blight ..Beautiful states like Vermont Maine Hawaii, and Alaska have banned billboards to protect and preserve their beautiful states for future generations. Citizens For A Scenic Wisconsin are people concerned in protecting and preserving the Scenic landscape of our great state of Wisconsin for future generations. If you believe in preserving the beauty of Wisconsin please join us and become a member today and help support scenic conservation , Citizens For A Scenic Wisconsin 7425 Oakhill Ave Wauwatosa WI 53213 (414- 258-8604 ) On the Web www.ScenicWisconsin.org, EMAIL citizens@scenicwisconsin.org
Cornel Hausler <citizens@scenicwisconsin.org>
Wauwatosa, WI USA - Tuesday, August 15, 2000 at 20:36:34 (CDT) 
DNR Stewardship Funds buys another privately owned Fish Farm: The deal is nearly finalized to purchace Valley Springs Trout Farm in Bay City,Wi. for about 2.5million. The owner, Larry Gerdes and family, will have lifetime use of the house, land & facilities.
Friend Wi USA - Saturday, August 12, 2000 at 10:56:45 (CDT) 
Danbery Aquaculture Facility,the long planned Native American hatchery, has broken ground .Construction is underway north of Danbury on the Loon Creek Flowage,within 3 miles of the St.Croix River.The facility will pump 500gpm.of groundwater but use up to 15,000gpm.total.Discharged into an exceptional resource waterway.The facility expects to raise 2 million pounds per year of Yellow Perch and Atlantic Salmon.
Friend Wi USA - Saturday, August 12, 2000 at 10:48:02 (CDT) 
If you're concerned about Perrier's high-capacity well drilling and water bottling factory plans for Adams County, you can voice them at a public information meeting on the DNR's Environmental Analysis of the Perrier proposal. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1 in the Wisconsin Dells High School gymnasium at 530 Race St. The DNR will also hold a one-hour open house before the meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. The Environmental Analysis can be viewed on the DNR's web site. Written comments from the public will be accepted through August 25 (send your remarks to Dave Weitz, Public Affairs Manager, DNR, West Central Region, P.O. Box 4001, Eau Claire, WI 54702-4001). Or you can email the DNR with your thoughts by clicking here.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Thursday, July 27, 2000 at 16:17:52 (CDT) 
The DNR and the EPA will host a public meeting on Thursday, Aug. 3 in Green Bay to discuss the failed demonstration clean-up of the PCB hotspot in the Fox River near Green Bay known as hotspot "56/57." The meeting will be start at 7:00 p.m. in the Brown County Library, Lower Level, 515 Pine Street, in downtown Green Bay. The disastrous dredging demonstration project undertaken last fall left 3 acres of PCB hazardous wastes exposed on the river bottom next to Fort James Corp. in Green Bay. The prime contractor for the project recently issued a news release saying the demo effort was designed to fail. Please attend this meeting if you can and voice your concerns. The Fox is the biggest source of toxic PCB's entering Lake Michigan.  For more information, click here.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Wednesday, July 26, 2000 at 16:36:26 (CDT) 
On June 19th the DNR released its draft master plan for the Willow Flowage. The draft plan consists of management guidelines and an environmental assessment for the 16,174-acre property and 6,400 acre flowage, located in Oneida County. The entire property is about 5 miles wide and 7 miles north to south. Most of the land area lies to the south of the flowage. From a conservation standpoint, the draft fails to follow through on the public’s demand for a large non-motorized area on the lands located on the south side of the flowage. Public hearings will be held on July 10 in Minocqua, July 11 in Wausau, and July 12 in Madison. Time is running out but your voice and public support for a non-motorized zone in the flowage can reverse the draft's position. For more details, click here.
Will Fantle <wfantle@execpc.com>
Eau Claire, WI USA - Friday, July 07, 2000 at 16:08:25 (CDT) 
On Thursday, July 20, 2000, at 6:00 p.m., the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin will host a special presentation on Rio Algom's proposed Crandon mine at the Racine Public Library. The event is free and open to the public. Guest speakers include; Ken Fish, Director, Menominee Nation Treaty Rights & Mining Impacts Office, and Herb Buettner, President, Wolf River Chapter - Trout Unlimited. Directions to the Racine Public library can be found at www.racinelib.lib.wi.us
Linda Sturnot <frankesturnot@email.msn.com>
Milwaukee, WI USA - Friday, July 07, 2000 at 13:37:40 (CDT)
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