Wisconsin Conservation Voters will host press conference on PFAS legislation SB 312 in Wausau
Aug 11, 2023
WAUSAU – Wisconsin Conservation Voters is hosting a media event at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 14 at Wausau’s Drinking Water Treatment Plant highlighting the need for robust PFAS legislation that distributes funding to impacted communities without undermining long-term remediation efforts.
Guests will include Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg; City of Wausau Alder Tom Killian; Joel Lewis, organizer for Citizen Action of Wisconsin; and Maxwell Johnson, central organizer for Wisconsin Conservation Voters.
As it is currently written, pending PFAS legislation called SB 312 would create critically important PFAS grant programs for communities dealing with this health threat. However, that bill contains a poison pill. 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.
That authority, called the Spills Law, has been the most important tool available to the DNR to deal with PFAS contamination. If this tool is removed or degraded, Wisconsin will lose the ability to respond to emerging health contaminants and quickly protect communities.
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.
WHAT: PFAS media event on PFAS legislation and how it affects Wausau and the state.
WHO: Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg; City Of Wausau Alder Tom Killian; Joel Lewis, organizer for Citizen Action of Wisconsin; and Maxwell Johnson, central organizer for Wisconsin Conservation Voters.
WHEN: 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Wausau’s Drinking Water Treatment Plant, 1801 Burek Ave, Wausau, WI 54401
For more information
Contact Ryan Billingham, Communications Director, Wisconsin Conservation Voters, 608-208-1129 (office), 608-213-6972 (mobile/text), or ryan@conservationvoters.org