Environmental & Public Health Groups Urge Wisconsin Supreme Court to Reject Attempt by WMC to Undermine State’s Spills Law
Madison, WI— On Friday, November 15, Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA) filed an amicus, or ‘friend of the court’ brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court in a case that could have far-reaching implications for the ability of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to address toxic PFAS contamination and other hazardous substances under Wisconsin’s Spills Law.
The case began in 2021 when Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) sued the DNR to limit the agency’s ability to hold polluters accountable if they fail to clean up contamination they cause. After the lawsuit worked its way up through Waukesha County Circuit Court and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, the State Supreme Court agreed to hear the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for January 14 at 9:45 a.m.
“WMC’s lawsuit is a direct attack on Wisconsin’s Spills Law—a bedrock environmental and public health protection that has protected the people of Wisconsin for close to half a century,” said MEA Staff Attorney Rob Lee. “We are hopeful the Wisconsin Supreme Court will reject this reckless legal challenge and vindicate DNR’s decades-long implementation of the Spills Law.”
“The Spills Law is an essential tool for holding polluters accountable and providing assistance to communities grappling with contaminated soil and water,” said Tom Kilian of Citizens for a Clean Wausau. “My community is directly impacted by the DNR’s ability to regulate hazardous contamination under the Spills Law. Wausau’s diverse, working-class neighborhoods have been disproportionately impacted by industrial contamination and are particularly reliant on the DNR’s ability to require investigation and cleanup from responsible parties.”
Under the Spills Law, the DNR is currently providing critical assistance to communities around the state impacted by PFAS contamination, including Marinette, Peshtigo, the Town of Stella in Oneida County, and the Town of Campbell in La Crosse County.
PFAS are a class of synthetic compounds found in a wide variety of manufacturing processes and consumer products such as firefighting foam, nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant carpets and cleaning products. PFAS are linked to serious health problems including cancer, reproductive issues, thyroid disease and immune system issues.
“The impact of WMC’s attack on the Spills Law would be much broader than helping Tyco and other PFAS polluters avoid responsibility,” said MEA Executive Director Tony Wilkin Gibart. “The legal theory WMC is advancing would upend the longstanding implementation of the law by forcing the state to go through a complicated and lengthy administrative rulemaking process before it could take action to address a toxic spill.”
“We cannot afford to let corporate interests dismantle the protections that keep Wisconsinites safe, especially those who are most vulnerable—pregnant women, infants and young children,” said Beth Neary, M.D., Co-President of Wisconsin Environmental Health Network. “It’s deeply troubling to see this level of disregard for the health and wellbeing of the people of Wisconsin.”
“If we don’t stand up for our environmental laws, we risk losing everything that makes Wisconsin special, from our lakes and rivers to the future health and prosperity of our communities,” said Dean Hoegger, President and Executive Director of Clean Water Action Council of Northeast Wisconsin.
of Wisconsin.
Visit Midwest Environmental Advocates’ website for more information on this case.
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
- Wisconsin Lawmakers, DNR Clash Over PFAS Protections in GOP Bills - Danielle Kaeding - Oct 8th, 2025
- Wisconsin Moves to Bring PFAS Limits In Line with Contested Federal Standards - Danielle Kaeding - Oct 3rd, 2025
- DNR Names Companies Responsible for PFAS Contamination In Northern Wisconsin Community - Danielle Kaeding - Sep 30th, 2025
- Green Bay Area Ducks Contaminated with ‘Forever Chemicals’ - Isiah Holmes - Sep 8th, 2025
- DNR and DHS Issue New PFAS-based Consumption Advisory for Ducks Harvested on Green Bay - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Sep 4th, 2025
- DNR and DHS Issue New PFAS-based Consumption Advisories for Fish and Deer Near town of Stella and Surrounding Waterbodies in Oneida County - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Sep 4th, 2025
- Groundwater Coordinating Council Releases 2025 Report to the Legislature - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Sep 2nd, 2025
- Environmental Groups, Community Advocates Push for PFAS Deal - Henry Redman - Jul 14th, 2025
- Environmental Advocates Hail Wisconsin Supreme Court Decision in Evers v Marklein - Midwest Environmental Advocates - Jul 8th, 2025
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Backs State Regulators of PFAS Pollution - Danielle Kaeding and Rich Kremer - Jun 24th, 2025
Read more about PFAS Problem here