Sen. Tom Tiffany on Climate Change research while farmers are 2 weeks behind planting, "Trying to re-establish the science bureau is certainly a red flag for me, too.”

Is climate change the biggest global hoax ever? Yes, or so says my Trumpian friend in Milwaukee. Despite what he's sees around him and in the news...

...it's already a well known fact that many farmers are taking steps to adapt their crop planning to climate change. And now, even their best laid plans won't help much:

Only 46 percent of the state's corn acres have been planted ... That's two weeks behind the five-year average of 82 percent of corn planted at this point in the season.

Doug Rebout is president of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association and owns a farm near Janesville. He said, "I have never seen anything like this that I can remember in my years of farming"I have never seen anything like this that I can remember in my years of farming."

Hey, it's just a hoax, don't believe what your lying eyes...

It's best to believe Sen. Tom Tiffany, who found a magical way to "balance" business interests with the environment. (Hint, it can't be done.)  Yet Gov. Tony Evers' attempt resume climate research didn't sit well with Tiffany, who said this amazing thing:

Tiffany says, "That was certainly one of the red flags for me. Trying to re-establish the science bureau is certainly a red flag for me, too.” 

Republicans...friends of the farmers, sportsmen, and tourism? If you like wading in contaminated water and mud, maybe. Let's just look at the water problem...

WSJ: Staff losses have meant the DNR no longer has staff with expertise in research subjects including pathogens that force beach closings, restoration of lakes with eroded shorelines or sections that turn into swamps or dry land, and toxic contaminants in fish and wildlife, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported. The other three researchers (rejected) would have had as a priority finding ways to adapt DNR water protection programs to changing climatic conditions such as increased rain and extreme weather events.

“That was certainly one of the red flags for me,” Tiffany said of the proposed resumption of climate-change research. “Trying to re-establish the science bureau is certainly a red flag for me, too.” Tiffany was a driving force behind the 2015 cuts and the subsequent elimination of the science bureau. He opposes environmental regulation he sees as needlessly hindering businesses.

Adverse Affects to Environment "Necessary" says Tiffany: In October of 2013, Tiffany did this...and I'm not kidding:

Sen. Tom Tiffany acknowledged that changes were made to the (mining) legislation to put the state on stronger legal ground to withstand such a challenge ... changes the wording of existing state permitting law from “significant adverse affects (to wetlands) are presumed to be unnecessary” to “significant adverse affects are presumed to be necessary.”

“The bill reflects the reality of mining. There are going to be some impacts to the environment above the iron ore body. If the law is challenged and ends up in court, the judge needs to know it was the Legislature’s intent to allow adverse (environmental) impacts. That way, a judge can’t find fault if the environment is impacted.”

Just to be very clear...if a "adverse affects" did end up hurting a fellow Republicans district, then that's different:

No Republicans have signed on to a bill Democrats have offered to launch a broad effort aimed at protecting Wisconsin from PFAS contamination in ways other states have employed for years.

Tiffany said he voted to add the two PFAS researchers as a compromise with Evers, and because the budget committee co-chairman, Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, has in his district the state’s worst known case of PFAS in drinking water.

Walker's "Unelected Bureaucrats" to Trash Northern Wisconsin's Scenic Water Areas!!!

How many times have you heard Republicans whine about "unelected bureaucrats" making policy? Too many times, I know. So guess what...? 

Ah, the sound and smell
of nature...

WSJ: The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is trying to open up another quiet northern woodland to motorized off-road vehicles. But this time the DNR plans to use a less-formal approach that allows an agency administrator to make the decision rather than running it through the department’s policy board ... (telling) an association of area property owners that an agency administrator would decide whether to approve a trail in the Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area. That’s a switch from a previously announced plan...

Poof! Can't use "Unelected Bureaucrat" anymore? The party claiming to have a higher calling isn't messing around, and won't be stopped:

Department spokesman Jim Dick (said) “The department is still talking through the master planning process...” Dick didn’t respond when asked specifically ...

A public meeting on the proposed amendment was scheduled, but in a March 15 email the DNR ... canceled and said another would be scheduled ... When members of a lakefront association asked why the change was made, the DNR said in a March 23 email obtained by Bewley’s office that the proposed trail “meets the definition for a variance but not an amendment” based on the state administrative rule that governs park planning.

In other words, "unelected bureaucrats" will decide anyway, for ATV special interests of course, despite public opposition:

The Turtle Flambeau Flowage and Trude Lake Property Owners Association opposed the trail, saying it would run counter to the recreation area’s objective of preserving a natural and scenic landscape.

“We believe that an amendment to this plan to allow for additional motorized trail development would radically alter the entire scope of the management plan and go contrary to the #1 objective,” association president Jeffrey Malison told the DNR in a Jan. 25 letter.

Hear those ATV's Engines Roar: Wouldn't it be great to drive through scenic areas once intended to preserve the states natural habitat and showcase Wisconsin's great outdoors?

The Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area covers more than 8,000 acres of submerged land and about 200 islands in Iron County near the border with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The state purchased the land in 1990. It is popular for hiking, primitive camping and fishing for walleye, muskies, bass and perch. The area is home to the state’s largest populations of bald eagle and osprey, the DNR says.

Wisconsin Republicans want to eliminate all of Wisconsin’s state air pollution regulations! They really do!!!

Seriously, I nearly spit out my coffee this morning when I heard the WPR headline below...

Under the proposal, the state Department of Natural Resources would have the option to reintroduce those regulations.

Optional? What's the big deal? One of the Senates most backward and clueless Republican legislators ever, Sen. Duey Stroebel, said this in the most nonchalant way...

"All we're asking is that our scientists at the DNR just take a look at all the things that they regulate above and beyond the EPA, and make sure that it still makes sense," said Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, one of the bill’s sponsors. "If it does, we'll regulate it. If it doesn't, based upon what the scientists say, we won't." Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the American Petroleum Institute support the bill.

So what's not to like? Yup, it'll be just that easy to reinstate a regulation if our anti-science Republican legislature and depleted DNR staff think we've made a balanced decision weighing the unfair cost to business against the remotely possible environmental benefits. What's the beef?

At least we'll always have the EPA standards as a backup...?

Republicans Roll Back Environmental Protections in Wisconsin at the same time EPA Rolling Back Everything Else: Just by coincidence, this coal industry story hit the fan:

EPA's Rick Perry and Murray Hug!

The Trump administration is rolling back regulations on coal-fired power plants.

A memo written by Robert E. Murray, a longtime Trump supporter who donated $300,000 to the president’s inauguration (and) the head of Murray Energy, presented Mr. Trump with a wish list of environmental rollbacks just weeks after the inauguration ... the White House has completed or are on track to fulfill most of the 14 detailed requests:

1. Ending regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and ozone and mine safety

2. Cutting the staff of the Environmental Protection Agency “at least in half.” 

3. Overhauling the Labor Department’s office of mine safety.

Here's a look at Murray's list to Trump:

Republicans are in Charge, but not Control (of themselves): None of this is new, as you can see at this link where Paul Ryan has been passing this kind of environmental trash out of the House for years. 

Rotting Road Kill litter highways, Dept. of Transportation claims program to remove Deer carcasses is "working?"

Despite longtime rotting deer carcasses littering out state roads, the program to pick them up is "working," according to the Transportation Department.

Some vehicle-struck deer aren't getting removed from Wisconsin highways as quickly as they're being run down, as officials adjust to a new carcass pickup system. Transportation spokeswoman Becky Kikkert says contracted vendors are supposed to remove deer carcasses within two business days of a report. She says the system is working.

No Funding?: The WISC story claims there was a little confusion about what department, DNR or DOT, was responsible for removing dead deer within two days.  

A provision in the state budget transferred responsibility for picking up dead deer from the Department of Natural Resources to the Department of Transportation. The change took effect in September. Some officials said they weren't informed of the switch of responsibility for carcass removal from the DNR to the DOT.

And yet, in my recent post, "Walker now leaving rotting Car-Killed Deer on road sides, and it may get worse," Scott Walker vetoed the actual funding of road kill removal because as he put it, it would take funding away from "other priorities," It's also because he was pissed the legislature for not putting in additional dollars...from god knows where, to do the job...so believe it or not, that's where Walker and the Republican legislature have left it....

This has been Walker's dream for years, a haphazard irresponsible nothing burger, as I reported back in April 2015:

Governor Scott Walker doesn't want the state to pay to remove deer carcasses along state highways, which means counties could have to foot the bill. Last year the DNR removed nearly 24,000 deer carcasses from state highways across Wisconsin.

The Governor's proposed budget eliminates$700,000 a year for the DNR to remove the carcasses statewide. Under the proposal, responsibility for clearing the deer would fall to whatever government agency is in charge of the roadway. Or they may be left uncollected. The nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau cautions, "dead and decaying deer on the roadside are unsightly and can dampen Wisconsin's reputation as a tourist destination."

Here's the WISC report. I loved how "driver" Kimberly Engel couldn't care less about how it looks or what it'll do to Wisconsin's reputation as a tourist destination, not to mention the spread of disease:

Engel: "We live in Wisconsin, there's always road kill somewhere."

Walker declares war on Drinking Water Supply, Lakes to Swim in, and DNR Scientists.

I think it’s time to write following story the way the news media should have from the beginning, so here goes (quote is my emphasis)…

“Schimel ignored past court cases, other state laws and the Public Trust Doctrine of the Wisconsin Constitution, which all give the DNR authority to protect water resources...”

After being ordered to by…

“...Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), chairman of the Assembly Committee on Organization, to ‘clarify’ the authority of the DNR over high-capacity wells.”

Clarity was a wink and nudge to pass and completely destroy the DNR, defying common sense and public responsibility. Leaving no one in charge...

"...Schimel concluded the DNR lacked explicit authority to place conditions on farms and or other entities that wanted to construct large wells — even if the wells harmed state waters."

Odd that after all this time, the state never found a way to protect the state drinking water supply.

Now there’s a 2016 lawsuit against that decision that hopes to reverse Rep. Vos' politically driven AG's right to plunder:

Employees of the DNR expressed concerns in emails in 2015 and 2016 about potential harm to lakes and streams from the construction of new wells in areas where irrigation was already widespread, court records filed on Friday show. The emails were included in the latest documents of a 2016 lawsuit by an environmental group and lake association that challenged a major shift in state policy that weakened the regulation of high-capacity wells. The October 2016 suit contends the DNR violated the Wisconsin Constitution and ignored other state laws and court cases after the agency announced it would no longer examine applications of large-scale wells by taking into account the impact of other nearby wells.

Destroying the Watchdogs; Scientists: Republican disdain for science is at a whole new level in Wisconsin, making it an environmental hell hole: 

Two years ago, Walker and lawmakers enacted a budget that cut 18 DNR science service bureau researchers amid complaints that their research related to climate change, pollution and wildlife habitat were controversial and unneeded.

Now the science services bureau is being dissolved and its remaining scientists moved to program offices that use their research.

A frequent critic of the DNR said the move will give more control to DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp. Sen. Tom Tiffany, a Republican and part of the GOP majority on the Legislature’s budget committee, said Stepp should be able to ensure that research benefits sportsmen and the DNR should be better able to prevent further research that takes climate change into account.

Walker Bags Smokey the Bear: Walker put the Kibosh on the State Fair's DNR exhibit. Seriously, who needs big government preaching to kids about taking care of the environment anyway: 

Effective this year, the DNR will no longer offer fisheries, wildlife or environmental management booths, casting clinics, archery, a children's nature play area, Smokey's Schoolhouse and a number of other attractions.

What Me Worry...about Blue-Green Algae? On the subject of water, Scott Walker is making Wisconsin "green" by designating it the official color of our lakes...with blue-green algae. Walker and his band of plundering legislative Republican pirates, don't seem alarmed that we can no longer go swimming in our lakes...even in June. WISC:

Our Little Friend, Cyanobacteria? Good for you Heart: Science might be coming to Walker's rescue though, even if he doesn't believe in that either. I don't know if we're talking about the same species of blue-green algae, but you never know....The Smithsonian:

In a study published this week in Science Advances, Dr. Woo and his team show how they successfully replaced blood with microscopic cyanobacteria, plant-like organisms that also use photosynthesis. By co-opting the process to help heal damaged heart tissue, the team was able to protect rats from deadly heart failure. Fixing an ailing heart, it seems, may be as simple as shining a light on the situation.

For cardiologists, the challenge for preventing subsequent heart failure is to rapidly supply damaged heart tissues with oxygen and nutrients. But “if you look at nature, photosynthesis answers that question,” 

Dr. Woo and his team grew a strain of Synechococcus in their lab and injected to the impaired heart tissue of a living rat. Then, they turned up the lights. After 20 minutes, they saw increased metabolism in damaged areas. Overall cardiac performance improved after about 45 minutes. The evidence suggested that the oxygen and sugar Synechococcus created through photosynthesis was enhancing tissue repair.

After injecting living bacteria into a body organ, you might expect an infection. But interestingly, the researchers didn’t find any immune response after TK HOURS “The bugs are just not there anymore, it disappears,” says Dr. Woo. “And maybe that’s the best kind of bacteria”—a friendly helper that sticks around to do damage control, then disappears without a trace. The recent study is merely proof-of-concept, but scientists are now on the path to trying the technique in human subjects. Next they’ll try it in larger animal models that are closer to humans, and they’re working on ways to deliver and shine light on cyanobacteria without an open heart surgery. They’re even considering genetically editing Synechococcus to make the critters release more sugar.

Walker Republicans: “We do not seek to withdraw from the Clean Water Act," but want allow Phosphorus Discharge into Lakes and Streams to save money.

How can we "balance" the cost of clean water the cost on business? You either have clean water or you don't, right?

The cost to business is another thing entirely. Republicans seem to have things upside down. If we don't start with reasonable regulation over farm runoff and manufacturing discharge, then the costs skyrocket for local municipalities to keep it clean.

But Republicans are now complaining about the cost of a problem they created:

A group of 31 Republican state lawmakers are calling for the federal government to help ease regulations of phosphorus discharge into lakes and streams, saying complying with the standards is too expensive for small municipalities.

I know, it's impossible to imagine allowing such a thing to continue, and yet it's right there in black and white. 

Phosphorus discharge can cause unnatural weed and algae growth in public waterways ... (laws) were adopted in 2010 by the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board after eight years of scientific review and input from environmental, agricultural and municipal groups.

But scientific "facts" must be balanced with business, say Republicans. The EPA did just that, but with limits:

The EPA granted the state a waiver in response to requests from Republican lawmakers that will allow manufacturers and sewage treatment plants to be exempt from the standards for 10 years if they pay fees to help cut pollution that rain carries off farm fields, which is one of the main sources of phosphorus pollution.

But that just gave state Republicans a little more time to wordsmith another excuse. Shockingly, making the standards sound "pragmatic" with whiny "arbitrary numeric limitations" was all they could come up with:

In their letter to the state’s congressional delegation, the 31 Republicans state that while the creation of a phosphorus pollution standard was “pragmatic, the real-world application of arbitrary numeric limitations has placed significant strain on communities throughout the state of Wisconsin.”

Paying for Clean Water...Nope: The obsession to cut taxes and freeload off the land continues. Just maybe the cost of keeping our water clean will cost everyone a little more money, at least hypothetically:

The letter cites examples of communities where water utility rates would substantially increase if they have to upgrade their wastewater treatment systems. The 973 residents of Benton in Lafayette County could see average residential rates increase from $40 to $75 a month if the village pursues a chemical treatment to reduce phosphorus discharge, they wrote.

With a dash of Humpty Dumptyism (the practice of insisting that a word or phrase means whatever one wishes it to), Republicans settled for this down the rabbit hole contradictory statement:

The letter asks for permission to revise the standards ... “We do not seek to withdraw from the Clean Water Act or ignore our stewardship of the waters in Wisconsin,” the letter states. “We simply seek a way to balance our responsibility with reasonable expectations that we can realistically reach.”

Love that alliteration..."balance our RESPONSIBILITY with REASONABLE expectations we can REALISTICALLY REACH." Anyone see "balance?" The question is; just when is the time to spend that kind of money? 

Sadly, environmental groups struck back with the force, stating forcefully that it was..."unfortunate?" 

More than 20 environmental groups sent their own letter to the congressional delegation in response to the request, calling it a “new attack on the sensible, science-based rules put forward in 2010” and “unfortunate.”

Republicans Cost Taxpayer Millions...again: 

The letter states the DNR conducted a cost-benefit analysis in 2012 that found the rules created a more than $18 million net economic benefit, including $1 billion in increased property values, $596.7 million in additional recreational economic activity and between $4.8 million and $11.4 million in reduced lake cleanup costs per year.

Our anti-science DNR imagined a world where businesses and communities would unfortunately try to keep our water clean: 

The DNR also estimated in 2015 that compliance with the regulations could cost businesses and municipalities $7 billion over 20 years.

Fringe "Reporter" pushed DNR to magically eliminate looming Climate Change!

My head is hurting after reading what appeared to be a fairly boring story about the DNR scrubbing their website of climate change information. It was crazy enough to disappear climate change, but even crazier to pretend climate change doesn't exist. Now we're finding out the DNR made the change at the request of a reporter at the Lakeland Times. That's all it took. You won't believe this...

It turned out the relevant and outrageous details of this national news story were oddly buried at the end of a JS story reported yesterday. So let’s start there:

Richard Moore: Climate Denier

In an interview on Dec. 19, Richard Moore, investigative reporter for the Lakeland Times, asked Stepp and Deputy Secretary Kurt Thiede that since “DNR officials have been publicly stating for at least three years that the causes of climate change are debatable … why the climate page was never changed,” the newspaper reported.

"Stepp said she did not know what we were referring to but said what we were telling her was concerning and she would check out the climate-change page to make sure she was getting the right information," the Minocqua-based newspaper reported.

"If there is something on our website that I'm not familiar was on our website, I thank you for bringing that to my attention," Stepp said.

Oh, and by the way, the “investigative reporter” is a right wing paranoid denier, a fact that again, was buried at the end of the JS story:

Moore is the author of "The New Bossism of the American Left," and "How the DNR Stole Wisconsin."

I want to make this perfectly clear, fake news instigators, authors and now right wing propagandist “reporters” are giving policy guidance our state government. And the Walker administration took the bait.

Cleverly Duping the DNR Again?: Hand it to the JS for craftily setting up what might be the next major deletion on the DNR’s website:

The Journal Sentinel asked the DNR whether the agency planned to scrub other language related to human factors in climate change on the website, such as a web page devoted waste management. The page says, "We now have a clearer understanding of the role waste and materials management plays in global climate change and, most importantly, the opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the waste and materials management sphere."

Dick, the DNR spokesman, responded in an email: "Thank you for bringing that landfill page to our attention. Now that you have, we’ll take a look at it and see if it needs updating."

If you take a quick look at Richard Moore's "How the DNR stole Wisconsin, Part 2," you'll see why Cathy Stepp made those DNR changes so quickly:

How the DNR Stole Wisconsin: These bureaucracies are filled with partisan, protected activists who care not about the will of the people. They peddle leftist and globalist agendas, and they have the authority through administrative rules to enact them. They lust after power and absolute power, and no lawmaker has the guts to take them on. in 2008. Here’s what I said about the agency then (2008): “The DNR runs roughshod over anyone who dares to question it. It uses intimidation, often hangs its hat on questionable science, makes up its own laws on the spot, enforces arbitrary, one-size-fits-all rules with often-absurd consequences, and lies and covers up when it has to.” 

The Times asked the DNR specific questions about its climate-change activities because we wondered whether the agency might rethink its policy assumptions given new information. We wondered why the agency presented only one point of view on its web pages, and why it distributed one-sided propaganda to school teachers. DNR spokesperson Mr. Cosh’s assurance in 2011 that a climate-change handbook for teachers had been discontinued, when in fact it is still distributed. The agency needs to perform a mea culpa and apologize for its dishonesty. 

The goal of those the DNR partners with is to work globally and locally to destroy the American economy and to shift power and wealth to nondemocratic Third World countries.

I checked out Richard Moore's other book, to get his perspective on the "American Left." I especially liked the bizarre assumption that anyone on the left "seeks to control every aspect of our lives." Not one progressive, liberal or Democrat I've ever met has made that claim, but it beautifully stokes and manipulates the paranoid rights fears perfectly:

The New Bossism of the American Left … Richard Moore exposes the inner workings of this increasingly all-powerful political machine: a collectivist bureaucracy … and a liberal state-run media. Together, they seek to control every aspect of our lives: what we eat, where we live, what we read, how long we will be in the shower. They want to control all the waters of the United States, and the dust on the nation’s farms … and continue to talk as if we are a free people. To restore the constitutional integrity that allows a free people to freely decide their fate demands that the true inner workings of the New Bosses be revealed, so its machinery can be dismantled.

"Liberal state run media?" It should be noted Moore is the former editor of the Lakeland Times...part of the liberal state-run media? I'd be curious to see how many other newspaper editors have similar books that are so politically radical on their resumes.

A one star reviewer pretty much summed up my feelings...

Propaganda – by MilwaukeeMax, January 9, 2017: This guy calls himself a journalist but is a disgrace to the profession and a complete hack. He ignores facts and spins his agenda into all his "investigative" writing, which only spews out his vitriolic rhetoric that is intended to confuse and create fear.

Walker Guts the DNR like a deer.

Trump promises to do on a national level what Scott Walker is doing in Wisconsin. With little fanfare and no debate over the corporate plundering of OUR natural resources, anyone who believes in small government has given in to the inevitable. Rural Republican voters seem to think contaminated wells, crumbling roads and vanishing schools must be the normal, part of the changing landscape they can't control.

After 6 years of total Republican dominance in the state, no one seems to seems to think the anger, frustration, and resentment they feel toward government might be coming from their own party.

But don't worry, Scott Walker is just restoring the "balance" between jobs and the environment. Welcome the new DNR:

WSJ: On Wednesday, the department will announce a reorganization that was demanded by conservatives who control state government. Republican elected officials have already buffeted the department with loosened environmental regulations and budget cuts targeting scientists because they researched climate change, mine pollution and deer herd management measures that were sometimes unpopular.
 DNR shortcomings in hiring and training new workers came to light in June when a state audit linked them to flaws in DNR enforcement of laws aimed at preventing pollution of lakes, streams and drinking water.

Respected top manager, chief state forester Paul DeLong, announced in September that he was leaving. At least eight other DNR bureau- and division-level managers retired or took other jobs over the last two year ... They include fisheries bureau chief Ron Bruch, facilities and land bureau director Steven Miller, chief legal counsel Tim Andryk, state parks and recreation director Dan Schuller, drinking water and ground water chief Jill Jonas, and deputy administrator for environmental management Eric Ebersberger. None of them commented publicly.
 Retired longtime wildlife management bureau chief Tom Hauge, 63, said he had seen enough of the proposals for his bureau to believe there would be major changes in managing deer and other wildlife.

Anyone looking for reasons DNR employees are retiring could also view a videotaped talk Stepp gave at a 2015 management seminar in Florida, Hauge said. Stepp told the group she had wanted to crawl in a hole after Walker appointed her in 2011 and she realized DNR employees were burned out, steeped in Earth Day values “and frankly weren’t real politically aligned with our new administration, most of them.”

Walker lapdog AG Brad Schimel's all out attack on Wisconsin's Environment.

When Brad Schimel ran for the AG spot, he came across as an ass kissing flunky just dying to serve his party. He promised to uphold Republican passed laws because they represented the will of the people. The idea anyone would challenge their legality in court was not even in the cards. To Schimel, the judicial branch had no business telling legislators how to govern. From Upfront with Mike Gousha:

He made it clear over and over. His challenger Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ, a Democrat, brought it up so much that Schimel's campaign bashed her for her "wacky" left wing agenda; protecting the environment:

Without one legal reason why Wisconsin should sue the EPA, Schimel went on this partisan special interest rant about the wonders of coal:

Today, we’re on the verge of plundering Wisconsin’s grand environmental resources again, thanks to Scott Walker's lapdog. In another breathtaking Schimel move. SJ:

Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel announced Monday that he has demoted the

longtime head of the Department of Justice environmental protection unit, Thomas Dawson. Dawson announced he will retire in January.

Get a load of the guy Schimel put in charge:

Schimel named Assistant Attorney General David P. Ross as director of the environmental unit. Keith Reopelle, a senior policy director at Clean Wisconsin. “It’s pretty difficult to view this as anything but a continuing softening of that office of environmental protection.”

In announcing Dawson’s replacement, Schimel said DOJ cares about environmental protection. “As I’ve said before, we are ‘stocking the pond’ at DOJ with some of the very best legal minds in the country, and Dave Ross is certainly no exception.”

Wow, that’s an understatement:

1. Working for a series of law firms, mostly in Washington, D.C., Ross helped developers, businesses and trade associations determine how to comply with environmental regulations.

2. Ross defended major homebuilders accused of violating storm water regulations, and represented clients involved in litigation over the Clean Air Act and over water quality standards for Florida, the Chesapeake Bay and the Mississippi River Basin, according to his profile.

3. Schimel’s announcement noted that Ross had represented green energy developers and investors. Ross’ LinkedIn profile indicated he defended a permit allowing a wind-energy facility to impact endangered species habitat...

Schimel is shameless:

This year, he issued a formal opinion that had the effect of rolling back state powers to protect water from high-capacity wells.
At Schimel’s urging, the Republican-controlled Legislature last year created a new five-lawyer office at DOJ to defend state laws from court challenges and to fight the federal government on issues such as climate change and water pollution.

Meanwhile, the environmental protection unit’s staff this year shrunk to its smallest size in 25 years, continuing a long-term trend as state regulators sought fewer fines from polluters.

DNR Sec. Stepp says, "Hey, Wisconsin knows how to do it right," as she backs off protecting our drinking water.

Republican governors should be scary the daylights out of Americans everywhere. They don't care at all about our drinking water, rivers and lakes.

Gov. Rick Snyder didn't care about lead in an entire cities drinking water. Yesterday I reported how Gov. Rick Scott allowed his environmental board to approve dumping more toxic chemicals into Florida's waterways, doing nothing about the huge growing algae bloom problem statewide.

Florida made national news for being coated in thick, green, toxic algae. It looked like a river of snot. It smelled worse. And it mangled the economy along the St. Lucie River and Treasure Coast. Florida officials responded ... by voting to allow more cancer-causing agents into the Sunshine State's drinking water supplies and recreational waters. No, I'm not kidding.

They allow companies, developers and homeowners to pave and foul the land — and then charge taxpayers billions to clean it up. Fiscal conservatism, my asphalt. People worried about clean air or water were labeled as "job killers." Now we're spending $8 billion repairing the Everglades. we keep electing politicians who foul the land and then stick us with the bill.

Scott Walker Attacks Clean Water: Not to be outdone, Gov. Scott Walker's DNR has decided the state can't legally regulate high capacity wells, cut to the bone DNR staffing, and incredibly...has now backed off protecting drinking water so businesses like concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO’s) can flourish in Wisconsin. WSJ:

Just a sample of media coverage!

1. After Walker’s office notified farm industry lobbyists, the state Dairy Business Association met with DNR officials and complained about the potential cost of new rules, prompting the agency to narrow their scope.

2. Limited plans for reducing manure contamination of public waters despite complaints about excessive dairy industry influence.

3. Instead of stronger regulation of manure at CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) statewide, any new rules will apply only in yet-to-be-defined sensitive areas where groundwater is especially vulnerable.

4. The plans were changed without notification of people affected by polluted lakes, streams and wells.

5. Kewaunee County has been hard hit for many years, and residents expressed impatience, but Stepp said the DNR couldn’t begin to act until scientific evidence was in place.

 6. Natural Resource Board members said the plan they approved balanced everyone’s interests. “It’s almost like they are almost anti-business and anti-growth,” Member Gregory Kazmierski said.

Really, balancing “everyone’s” interests, even Wisconsinites who have had their drinking water contaminated or will have it contaminated when even more CAFO’s are approved?

Thankfully one "adult" was in the room to reassure everyone, with this amazingly juvenile statement:

“I know we are going to stand up at the end of the process and say, ‘Hey, Wisconsin knows how to do it right’,” DNR secretary Cathy Stepp said.

That's right up there with Tony the Tigers "They're great."

As Charlie Pierce put it:

This week's special: water quality!

WSJ: "But conservationists said the narrowed rule-making plan delayed indefinitely the consideration of public health and water resources protections that were identified through lengthy scientific study and extensive public discussion." 

But, seriously. "Lengthy scientific study"? "Extensive public discussion"? We'll have none of that, people. Not here in Wisconsin, where neither the government nor the rivers and streams are transparent any more.

Walker Mind-blower: Low unemployment, high participation rate now hurting businesses - not enough workers!!!

Wisconsin is a wonderful four season recreational wonderland for tourists. 

But tourism is now on the back-bench, playing third string to factory farms and mining. More on that below, but first…

...Walker's efforts to get government out of the way of business has made Wisconsin too successful!!!

That’s right, despite being in the middle of the pack on job creation, to being last when it comes to business startups, Walker is faced with a unique problem. This will blow your mind…:

Figures, a guy from Minn.

Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said … other factors contribute to (job) vacancies (at the DNR).

“State agencies actively seek to fill needed positions. Wisconsin’s low unemployment rate and high labor force participation are not only making it difficult to hire for the state, but many employers as well.”

No wonder Walker still hasn’t fulfilled his failed campaign promise of creating 250,000 jobs…a low ball number he said was just a starting point.

So the message to business: Stay away from Wisconsin, we don’t have the labor force? Big and bold admission.

Back to the original story, where Walker is dismantling another of Wisconsin’s biggest money makers (besides the UW); tourism. Eliminating taxpayer support of our state parks was outrageous enough, but..:

From 2005 to 2011, the water program dedicated most of its staff time inspections and enforcement, auditors said. After Walker took office, more time was spent on writing permits that spell out legal limits on discharges.

State job vacancies (at the DNR) have been linked to weak regulation of pollution … began climbing again last year … after Gov. Scott Walker took office … the DNR had held off on filling enough positions for the rate to rise to 14.2 percent, surpassing the average for the 14-year period.

It started with a huge wave of retirements that swept through state government after the 2010 election and into 2011 as elected officials eliminated most public sector union rights. The 246 retirements at the DNR in 2011 left the department a vacancy rate exceeding 20 percent.

Walker had proposed reducing the DNR’s authorized workforce of 2,647 full-time equivalent positions by 67. The Legislature increased the cut to 92 positions. The agency wrote notices of violation to municipal and industrial polluters in only 33 of the 558 cases. 

DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp wants department to be more like managing a McDonald's.

The big story to come out of the meeting between the DNR board and Walker's embarrassingly incompetent Sec. Cathy Stepp, is her oddly bizarre comparison to her oversight of Wisconsin's natural resources to her former job as a McDonald's manager.

Apparently, the state needs to pare down regulation to the level of a McDonald's responding to a sudden busload of dollar menu orders. WSJ:

Board member William Bruins said the department has known for five years that the cost in staff time of regulating concentrated animal feeding operations far exceeded the revenue the state budget allows it to keep from fees CAFO's pay. “So in the five years has there been any effort by the department to correct that?” 

Stepp recalled her days as McDonald's restaurant manager as she talked about how state employment rules have hobbled the DNR. Stepp said she could quickly mobilize her fast-food employees when a busload of customers arrived unexpectedly, but the DNR can't react that nimbly to retirements. 

Yea, why can't running the DNR be like McDonald's? My god I wish I were kidding. All of this is happening because Walker and Stepp decided they were no longer going to spend valuable taxpayer dollars on trying to stop the pollution of our lakes, streams and drinking water.

Hat tip to Paulsnewsline

A Legislative Audit Bureau report released this month showing that over the last 10 years the DNR failed 94 percent of the time to take enforcement action against private industries and municipal sewage plants that exceeded water pollution limits, violating its own internal policies. DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp said money and state work rules complicate things.

But funding cuts were intentional. But it's more shocking to hear the DNR is to "complicated" for Stepp. Only now, under fire for violating her own departments rules...

Stepp said she has discussed those challenges with her boss, Gov. Scott Walker, and it's possible she could request an increase in revenue this year. But Stepp said she is mindful that other state agencies ... are also need money. And the Legislature wants requests for more tax dollars only as a last resort, she said.

Letting polluting go unchecked isn't enough to be considered a last resort.

Some of the problems in regulating water quality stem from employee turnover and job vacancies at DNR, she said. It can take up to two years to train a new employee to work proficiently with complicated laws and rules governing pollution permits, said Patrick Stevens, the DNR's top administrator for regulation of industrial and municipal pollutants. 

Another intended consequence of Act 10:

The department fell far behind in permitting when a huge wave of retirements swept through state government, including the DNR, around the time Republicans took over state government and eliminated most public sector union rights in 2011.

Walker's DNR not enforcing Water Pollution Laws. Republican Constituents wonder, "What the heck is going on?" Doh!

Here we go again? As if we didn't already have a long list of state problems to solve, leave it to the Walker administration to create new and more serious emergencies, like the DNR's complete breakdown protecting our drinking water.

Members of the Wisconsin DNR's’ policy-making board were surprised and disappointed by an audit that cited serious shortcomings in state enforcement of water pollution laws.

Thanks to Gov. Scott Walker's mind numbing refusal to fix Wisconsin's roads, voters are waking up to the hard reality that many other things are getting a lot worse. You might recall this recent blog post:

Walker's AG Brad Schimel removed DNR oversight, giving away Wisconsin's Drinking Water to Big Business.

"Following guidance provided by state Attorney General Brad Schimel in an opinion issued May 10, the agency will no longer consider the cumulative impact of nearby wells on the aquifer or surface water when deciding whether to permit a well, and it will no longer impose monitoring requirements on well operators."

Republican State Sen. Rob "Part-of-the-Problem" Cowles from Green Bay doesn't like it when he actually has to listen to constituent concerns about something as basic as drinking water:

Sen. Cowles, co-chairman of the Legislature’s audit committee, said that the Legislature should act as soon as possible to allow the DNR to ... hire enough employees to enforce the law.

“I can tell you the DNR board is steaming mad. This was a surprise to them. Three of them called me, and a lot of my constituents did, too. My constituents who saw the story wondered ‘What the heck is going on?’ The people of this state believe in water quality. We brag about our lakes and rivers and having great places to fish in and swim in.”

Welcome to the Republican run government. The key here is "enough employees:"

Leaders of the Legislature, which cut more than 90 positions from the DNR’s budget last year, haven’t publicly commented on the audit.

Gee, GOP "leaders" who made things worse, didn't have a well rehearsed prepared answer?

Incidental Gov. Scott Walker hasn't had much time for things like drinking water and transportation, which still isn't that urgent:

A spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker said any changes in DNR funding will wait until a new budget is enacted next summer.

Government hating Republicans mismanaging government, who could have seen all this coming? 

And really, why would the DNR keep their own board members up to date on how bad they were doing their job?

Board Chairman Terry Hilgenberg said members were told several months ago that the audit was being performed, but Stepp and her staff didn’t update them about the seriousness of the findings before the report was released to the public June 3.

“Board members were being contacted by the media and by other individuals. They’re at Rotary and they’re getting asked ‘What the hell is all that about with that audit?’ and they hadn’t been apprised about all of it. That could create a little angst,” Hilgenberg said.

Welcome to Republican rule. Any surprise they hate government? Oh, and guess when the wheels started coming off?

The DNR has been under fire for the way it protects the state’s waters at least since 2011 when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed 75 deficiencies in laws, rules and policies. Four of the problems have been cleared up. The state audit provided new details about the shortcomings.

Boy, it would so much easier if Republicans could just get rid of the EPA.

Balance between Environment and Business interests? This is Walker's idea of balance: 
WSJ:

1. Over the last 10 years the DNR failed 94 percent of the time to take enforcement action against sewage plants and industries that exceeded water pollution limits, 

2. Violating its own internal policies, the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau said in its report.

3. DNR employees didn’t have time to adequately review annual reports submitted by concentrated animal feeding operations

4. Didn't review plans describing how millions of gallons of manure they generate annually would be kept out of lakes, streams and groundwater.

5. The DNR didn’t meet its goals for inspections and failed to document that it took any action for months or even years in five incidents where monitoring wells showed feedlots were contaminating groundwater with substances harmful to human health, auditors said.

 As serious as these violations were, along with the loss of 90 employees and funding cuts...

It’s wasn’t clear Tuesday if Stepp would appear at the meeting. The agency is still trying to hire and train new employees after losing large numbers of experienced people to retirement, he said.

I  thought this was also interesting to note. Walker will probably blame Gov. Doyle for the cuts he had to make because of the collapse of the world economy during the Great Recession. A bit unfair I would say, and nothing like the ax Walker voluntarily used to cut spending on the DNR and state parks:

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle oversaw reductions in full-time staff in water pollution regulation programs after the 2008 recession hit.Staffing levels increased in 2011 when Walker and his fellow Republicans took control of state government, but two years later cuts resumed.

And unlike the protected transportation fund, stealing from the DNR's revenue stream might have to stop as well:

The DNR collects $5 million to $7 million annually in fees from concentrated animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs, municipal sewer plants and private industry, but it typically keeps less than $90,000, with the rest going to the state’s general fund.

Walker's new DNR closes Mazomanie Nude Beach!!!

We're a good Christian state now, thanks to Scott Walker. His appointed bigot Justice Rebecca Bradley, who thinks gays are degenerates and perverts, fits right in with this in kind attack on a popular summer hangout on the Wisconsin River. WISC:

DNR closes Mazomanie's nude beach, cites illicit activity as reason: The DNR said it will close approximately 140 acres of the 46,000-acre property, but not because of nudity.

Even though they've tried to close it before for that specific reason. The beach is also a popular nudist destination:

“What we're talking about is illegal drug use as well as public sexual activity going on at the beach," said Brian Hefty, with the DNR.

Which of course must be the DNR's mission now. Gone are the concerns over clean water and the protection of wild life, it's all about drug use and sexual activity now:

Hefty said the department's repeated efforts to assuage problems in the area for more than a decade have made little impact. Further, the illegal activity has kept prospective users from visiting the beach.

Hmm, those who don't want to go to a nude beach...can't go to a beach with nudists!!! Think about that. It's like closing down dog parks because people without dogs or have dog allergies can't go. Again, there just aren't enough parks?

There are so few beautiful public areas and access points along the Wisconsin River? Guess so:

“This is one of Wisconsin’s most beautiful spots, and the citizens of Wisconsin ought to be able to visit the sight and be comfortable doing so," Hefty said.

The thing is, the beach is popular because...ready for this, it's a nude beach:

Longtime users of the beach called the closure a "misdirection" by the DNR, noting it impacts most those frequent visitors who have cared for the beach longer than anyone else.

WKOW's coverage:



With state parks now funded by entrance fees, I'm wondering where the money is coming from to redevelop an already popular beach. And they're in a real big hurry:

The beach may not be closed forever. Redevelopment efforts hope to re-brand the space as family-friendly by adding more picnic and parking space, new trails and a canoe drop-off location.