Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is proposing a compromise to GOP lawmakers that would provide $125 million to help local governments and landowners address PFAS pollution.
The request comes as Evers has all but promised to veto a Republican bill that passed the Legislature to address contamination from so-called forever chemicals known as PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Last week, the Republican-controlled Assembly voted 62-35 to pass the bill along party lines. The Senate passed the legislation in November.
Evers has signaled concerns with provisions in the GOP plan that would limit the authority of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to test for and clean up the chemicals. The governor called those a “poison pill” that gives polluters a free pass.
“In Wisconsin, if someone pollutes our water, property, and natural resources, Wisconsinites expect them to pay to clean it up. That’s just common sense,” Evers said in a statement. “I’m not signing a bill that lets polluters off the hook for cleaning up their contamination and asks Wisconsin taxpayers to foot the bill. No way.”