State Files Suit Against PFAS Manufacturers
Evers, AG Kaul say suit seeks to force companies to pay for clean water, and environmental clean up.
Gov. Tony Evers’ administration is suing three Wisconsin manufacturers and 15 other chemical companies over their use of PFAS, which the state claims has led to contamination of water and natural resources across Wisconsin.
The lawsuit seeks to recover all costs associated with PFAS remediation, along with the cost of testing for the contaminant in communities that haven’t done so. It also seeks damages for loss of use and for damaging natural resources.
Evers and state Attorney General Josh Kaul announced the suit Wednesday morning at a press conference on French Island, where hundreds of residents have been relying on bottled water for over a year because their private wells are contaminated with PFAS.
“Wisconsinites should not have to foot the bill for polluters who should have known that what they were doing was wrong all along. That’s why we are demanding that the polluters who are responsible should have to pay for their reckless and reprehensible conduct,” Evers said during the event.
Evers said the lawsuit is about accountability for the chemical companies.
“Unless we turn off the flow, we are going to be caught in a never-ending cycle of trying to remediate what never should have leaked into our soil or groundwater to begin with,” Donahue said.
Kaul said during the press conference that the state hopes to use the lawsuit to force the chemical companies to help provide safe drinking water for the affected communities and ultimately pay for the efforts needed to fix the problem.
“In the meantime, though, it’s critical that our Legislature and that our federal government take action to immediately address this problem because the reality is that lawsuits take time and this will take a while to play out,” he said.
Listen to the WPR report here.
Gov. Evers administration files lawsuit against chemical companies over PFAS contamination was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
More about the PFAS Problem
- More than 30 groups call on State Legislature to take action on safe drinking water for Safe Drinking Water Act 50th anniversary - Wisconsin Conservation Voters - Dec 5th, 2024
- EPA Launches New Initiative to Tackle PFAS, Identify Emerging Contaminants in Water - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Nov 20th, 2024
- Environmental & Public Health Groups Urge Wisconsin Supreme Court to Reject Attempt by WMC to Undermine State’s Spills Law - Midwest Environmental Advocates - Nov 18th, 2024
- Baldwin Announces $86 Million for Clean and Safe Drinking Water in Wisconsin Through Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Oct 23rd, 2024
- EPA Issues Test Order for PFAS Used in Manufacturing Under National Testing Strategy - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Oct 9th, 2024
- DNR Asks Hunters Near Town Of Stella To Donate Deer Tissue Samples For PFAS Testing - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Oct 3rd, 2024
- Gov. Evers, DNR Announce Nearly $460,000 In Grants Awarded To Small Public Water Systems With PFAS And Manganese Contamination - Gov. Tony Evers - Sep 24th, 2024
- State Supreme Court Agrees to Take WMC Toxic Pollution Case - Midwest Environmental Advocates - Sep 11th, 2024
- 2017 Law Resulting in Long List of Outdated DNR Water Standards - Danielle Kaeding - Sep 5th, 2024
- Murphy’s Law: Is Milorganite Making People Sick? - Bruce Murphy - Sep 4th, 2024
Read more about PFAS Problem here