PESHTIGO — The Town of Peshtigo Board of Supervisors wants Gov. Tony Evers to sign a bill concerning PFAS.
They don’t want to be blamed if he doesn’t, an official said.
“Don’t hold the Town of Peshtigo accountable for not signing it,” said Chairperson Jennifer Friday.
Ping.
Gov. Evers said he would not support the bill, responding to a letter she sent to him.
“My proposed compromise also achieves our shared goal of immediately releasing funding from the PFAS Trust Fund to impacted communities,” Evers said, concerning his next steps.
Pong.
Residents may feel like they’re watching a ping pong match, with the most recent statements on Senate Bill 312 regarding PFAS. The bill was passed in the Senate and, last week, in the Assembly and is currently waiting for Gov. Evers’ stamp of approval or his veto power.
The bill would create grant programs for a $125 million PFAS Trust Fund in the state budget and prevent private landowners from being held accountable for PFAS pollution on their property.
The Peshtigo Town Board held a special meeting on Wednesday morning to pass a resolution on behalf of the board, asking Evers to sign the bill. The vote was 3-0, with Friday, Jimmer Wortner and Daryl Joy voting in favor and Kayla Furton and Clarence Coble absent.
This came after Evers replied to a letter to Senators Eric Wimberger and Rob Cowles and mentioned “community leaders across Wisconsin” and the Town of Peshtigo fighting for PFAS as reasons for not agreeing with their bill.
“That was what really fired me up,” Friday said. “He cited communities taking a stand.”
Friday said she wrote a letter last week to Gov. Evers, clearing up that the Town of Peshtigo board had “not taken any action to oppose said bill.”
He had referenced articles at the end of his letter, which included interviews with Jeff Lamont, whom she said held no official title in Peshtigo and no voting rights, as his primary residence is in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Lamont is a retired hydrogeologist with a home in the area affected by Johnson Controls Inc./Tyco’s PFAS plume.
She also mentioned former Town of Peshtigo Chairperson Cindy Boyle in the letter and said she is no longer a town official, having lost the election for chairperson against Friday last April.
“I would encourage you to listen to all constituents in PFAS-impacted communities rather than merely those with the loudest voices and media outlets on speed dial,” Friday said to Evers in her letter.
Wimberger’s office said that the compromise that Evers’ office has suggested wouldn’t be effective in establishing programs and laws that local governments need to get help.
“The governor’s request covers just 2 of 19 provisions in the bill and would effectively turn the $125 million PFAS Trust Fund into a slush fund that won’t solve the problem on the ground,” Wimberger’s office said.
Ping.
Evers said that SB 312 wouldn’t help either.
“SB 312 does not actually allocate any of the $125 million, so passing SB 312 will still not actually get readily available resources out statewide to the communities that need them to fight PFAS,” Evers said.
Evers said he cannot support Senate Bill 312, passed in the Assembly and Senate, as it limits the Department of Natural Resources from taking action on PFAS contamination and ties their hands in holding polluters accountable.
Pong.
The decision is up to the Joint Finance Committee on whether they will approve Gov. Evers’ solution, which will come in the form of a revised funding request by the Department of Natural Resources to the Joint Finance Committee, which Wimberger sits on. The request asks to release the $125 million in the state budget set aside for PFAS.
Back at the meeting, Friday shared correspondence sent by Marinette County Supervisor Trygve Rhude ahead of the meeting on Wednesday.
“SB 312 as written is a free ride for those who cause contamination across the state. SB 312 specifically prohibits the Wisconsin DNR from taking enforcement action against polluters and contaminators so long as the polluter allows the DNR to remediate the site at the DNR’s own expense,” Rhude said.
She said his statements were an oversimplification and categorically false.
After the meeting, Rhude said he was concerned that a polluting company could receive some of this funding.
“To call folks out, including me, and criticize is just wrong,” Rhude said. “The Town of Peshtigo is extremely fortunate to have Jeff Lamont, Cindy, Doug Oitzinger, and Kayla — they’ve dug into this stuff, and they know what’s going on.”
Rhude said he wasn’t trying to accuse the town of doing nothing. Still, he said it’d be better for the town to do nothing “rather than asking for a bill to be passed that will only hurt the residents in the Town of Peshtigo.”
He also mentioned that the resolution was a moot point, as the governor had already made a press release stating he’d veto the bill.
Friday said this may be a waiting game until legislators find another solution.
“If the governor vetoes it, this will be on a standstill until next year,” Friday said. “That’s where we’re at.”
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