LA CROSSE, Wis. — Gov. Tony Evers and two Madison lawmakers reintroduced legislation to address statewide PFAS contamination on Wednesday.
The CLEAR Act put forth by Evers, State Sen. Melissa Agard (D-Madison) and State Rep. Samba Baldeh (D-Madison) would have the state get to work to address statewide PFAS contamination and includes several provisions that are in Evers’ Badger Bounceback agenda, such as funding new positions at the DNR specific to the implementation of a PFAS action plan; creating the PFAS municipal grant program for testing and remediation efforts; and funding statewide monitoring and testing initiatives.
The bill was introduced in the 2019-21 biennium, but it was never given a public hearing.
Evers’ 2021-23 biennial budget proposes resources for the monitoring and testing of PFAS, including $20 million over the next two years for assistance and resources to local communities that are impacted by contamination, like Madison.
PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of human-made chemicals used for decades in produces like non-stick cookware, fast food wrappers and certain types of firefighting foam. They have made their way into the environment, but do not break down there. Instead, they have been discovered at concentrations of concern in groundwater, surface water and drinking water. They also can pose several risks to human health.
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
