State Supreme Court Agrees to Take WMC Toxic Pollution Case
Decision Could Have Far-Reaching Implications for State’s Ability to Protect Wisconsinites from PFAS Contamination
Madison, WI— Today, the Wisconsin Supreme Court announced it will hear a case about the ability of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to address toxic PFAS contamination under Wisconsin’s Spills Law. The court’s decision could have far-reaching implications for the state’s ability to protect Wisconsinites from toxic environmental pollution.
WMC’s lawsuit threatens to fundamentally undermine the Spills Law, a bedrock environmental and public health protection that has protected the people of Wisconsin for more than 40 years.
Under the Spills Law, the DNR is currently providing critical assistance to people in Marinette, Peshtigo, the Town of Stella in Oneida County, the Town of Campbell in La Crosse County, and other communities impacted by PFAS contamination.
Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA) has been participating in the case since the beginning on behalf of Citizens for a Clean Wausau, Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin, River Alliance of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Environmental Health Network, and Doug Oitzinger, a former mayor of Marinette and a current alderperson.
In April 2024, MEA filed an amicus brief urging the State Supreme Court to take the case and describing the harm that would be inflicted on Wisconsin communities if WMC were to prevail.
“We are pleased that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this case, and we are confident the DNR’s efforts to keep Wisconsin families safe from PFAS contamination will ultimately be vindicated by the state’s highest court,” said MEA Staff Attorney Rob Lee.
Visit Midwest Environmental Advocates’ website for more information on this case.
Midwest Environmental Advocates is a nonprofit law center that combines the power of law with the resolve of communities facing environmental injustice to secure and protect the rights of all people to healthy water, land, and air. Learn more at midwestadvocates.org.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the PFAS Problem
- 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- 2017 Law Resulting in Long List of Outdated DNR Water Standards - Danielle Kaeding - Sep 5th, 2024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
- Wisconsin Seeks To Match PFAS Rules To Federal Regulations - Danielle Kaeding - Aug 27th, 2024
- PFAS in Foam Far Worse Than Water in Wisconsin’s Rivers, Lakes - Danielle Kaeding - Jul 10th, 2024
- Lawmakers At Odds Over Releasing Health, PFAS Funds - Erik Gunn - Jun 6th, 2024
- Wisconsin Senate Votes to Override Governor’s Vetoes - Baylor Spears - May 15th, 2024
- Gov. Evers Sues Republican Legislators for Continued Obstruction of Investments Intended to Address Pressing Challenges Facing Wisconsin - Gov. Tony Evers - May 13th, 2024
- Legislators Agree on Opioid Plan, Still Withhold PFAS, Hospital Funds - Erik Gunn - May 8th, 2024
- Gov. Evers Again Calls Republican Lawmakers into Special Meeting to Urge Immediate Release of $140 Million to Fight PFAS Statewide, Respond to Hospital Closures in Western Wisconsin - Gov. Tony Evers - May 6th, 2024
Read more about PFAS Problem here