MEDIA ADVISORY: Green Bay residents sound alarm for key legislators to remove the poison pill from the PFAS bill

GREEN BAY, WI – Wisconsin Conservation Voters and local residents are hosting a press conference on Wednesday, July 19 at 1 p.m. at The CityDeck, 301 N. Washington Street, in Green Bay to urge lawmakers to pass PFAS legislation properly and hold polluters accountable.

Wisconsin Conservation Voters is calling on Sens. Eric Wimberger, Robert Cowles, and Mary Felzkowski to remove the polluter loophole from SB 312, the legislation that could determine how $125 million in state budget PFAS funding is distributed. These senators play a key role in addressing this issue, because they represent communities with severe PFAS contamination.

Guest speakers include Cindy Boyle, Peshtigo resident and S.O.H2O member; Doug Oitzinger, Marinette City Council member and S.O.H2O member; Kayla Furton, Town of Peshtigo Board of Supervisors; and Jessica Nemchek, Northeast Organizer for Wisconsin Conservation Voters and Appleton resident.

It is vital legislators prioritize the more than 120 Wisconsin communities whose health is at risk due to PFAS as soon as possible. This class of highly-toxic, human-made chemicals is tied to cancer, liver damage, decreased fertility, increased risk of thyroid disease, and growth, learning, and behavior impairment.

As it is currently written, SB 312 would create critically important PFAS grant programs for communities dealing with this health threat. At the same time, SB 312’s current draft would undermine the Department of Natural Resource’s (DNR’s) authority to test for PFAS, begin remediation, and hold polluters accountable for the mess they create.

“Any time ambiguity is created in the law around the DNR’s authority to respond to contamination spills, you invite polluters to ignore their responsibilities and threaten the DNR with litigation. The last thing we need is more corporate lawsuits trying to prevent PFAS cleanup,” said Doug Oitzinger, Marinette City Council member and S.O.H2O member.

This authority, called the Spills Law, has been the most important tool available to the DNR to deal with PFAS contamination thus far. If we lose this tool, Wisconsin will lose the ability to respond to emerging health contaminants and quickly protect communities.

WHAT: Press conference on the risks of PFAS exposure and the loop hole in Senate Bill 312
WHEN: Wed. July. 19 at 1 p.m.
WHERE: The CityDeck at 301 N Washington St, Green Bay, WI 54301

SPEAKERS:

• Cindy Boyle, Peshtigo resident and S.O.H2O member
• Doug Oitzinger, Marinette City Council member and S.O.H2O member
• Kayla Furton, Town of Peshtigo Board of Supervisors
• Jessica Nemchek, Northeast Organizer for Wisconsin Conservation Voters and Appleton resident

Contact Ryan Billingham, Communications Director, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, 608-208-1129 (office), 608-213-6972 (mobile/text), or ryan@conservationvoters.org