Cleanup PFAS Without Penalizing Innocent Landowners

MADISON – Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) – the combined state chamber and manufacturers’ association – released a new video highlighting a proposal from the Wisconsin Legislature to protect innocent landowners from being unfairly penalized as polluters while enabling targeted PFAS cleanup.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has proposed new groundwater standards for several PFAS compounds, with some standards so low that even trace detections could trigger regulatory action. These regulations are worrisome for innocent landowners across Wisconsin, including homeowners, farmers, and manufacturers.

“We have serious concerns that DNR’s aggressive standards will be used to treat innocent landowners as polluters,” said WMC Director of Environmental & Energy Policy Adam Jordahl. “Without legislative action to protect innocent parties, DNR’s proposed regulations would impose serious costs and freeze land use.”

Wisconsin legislators introduced Senate Bill 128 and Assembly Bill 131 with the goal of addressing PFAS contamination and cleaning up affected sites without punishing people who did not knowingly cause the contamination.

“WMC urges the Wisconsin Legislature to pass Assembly Bill 131 and Senate Bill 128, comprehensive PFAS legislation developed with input from a broad range of stakeholders,” said Jordahl. “This bill does not create a ‘polluter loophole’; it protects innocent landowners from having their properties turned into brownfields overnight without protections or a statewide cleanup plan.”

PFAS are a family of thousands of chemistries that have been used for decades in coatings, electronics, refrigerants, medical devices, and many other applications. PFAS have been scrutinized due to environmental contamination from a handful of legacy compounds, most of which were unknowingly spread under federal mandates or DNR-issued permits.

Click here to watch the full Two-Minute Drill video.

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.