Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Celebrates Release of Over $125 Million to Fight Pfas Statewide

Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address celebrating the release of over $125 million to fight PFAS contamination statewide. Earlier this week, Gov. Evers signed two bipartisan bills, Assembly Bill 130, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 200, and Assembly Bill 131, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 201, which, together, facilitate the release of the $125 million in stalled PFAS investments that have languished unspent in Madison for years despite the governor’s persistent demands for the funds to be released. The bills signed were the result of years of advocacy by the governor, as well as months of negotiations between the Evers Administration and Republican lawmakers. In his 2026 legislative agenda, Gov. Evers cited PFAS legislation as a top priority for this year, urging lawmakers to make releasing $125 million to fight PFAS statewide “another bipartisan win for the people of Wisconsin” after 2025 yielded historic bipartisan accomplishments despite divided government.

Together, these bills deliver on Gov. Evers’ promise to continue addressing PFAS contamination and ensure safe, clean water for all by securing protections for innocent landowners, investing $80 million of the $125 million in the PFAS Trust Fund to support local communities, investing $35 million of the $125 million in the PFAS Trust Fund for an expanded Well Compensation Grant Program, providing funding for emergency bottled water for private well owners in situations in which PFAS contamination in drinking water is discovered, and creating new opportunities for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to support communities in PFAS mitigation, among other important provisions.

This also comes as Gov. Evers approved new changes to bring the state’s current drinking water standards in line with federal limits for PFAS, reducing the state’s threshold for PFAS contamination from 70 parts per trillion (ppt) to a new enforceable standard of 4.0 part per trillion (ppt) for certain contaminants—an effort that will significantly improve drinking water standards and quality for Wisconsinites.

A transcript of the governor’s radio address is below.

Hey there, folks! Governor Tony Evers here.

Whether it’s kids in the classroom, families at home, or our farmers and agricultural industries, Wisconsinites’ health and well-being depend on access to clean, safe water.

Folks should be able to trust that the water coming out of their tap is safe, but we know that’s not the case in far too many communities.

Over two years ago now, I was proud to sign a budget that provided the first real, meaningful bipartisan investment to fight PFAS with a $125 million commitment.

Unfortunately, that $125 million sat in Madison unspent for over 1,000 days while families and communities suffered because Republican lawmakers refused to release them.

But I promised the people of Wisconsin I’d never stop fighting to ensure Wisconsinites have clean water, free of PFAS, lead, and other harmful contaminants.

This week, after seven years of working to get to this moment, I was happy to finally deliver on that promise.

This week, I signed two bills to finally release that $125 million to fight PFAS statewide.

Together, these bills deliver on our promise to continue addressing PFAS contamination and ensure safe, clean water by investing nearly $80 million to support local communities fighting PFAS.

We’re also helping private well owners clean up contaminated wells with a $35 million investment.

These bills also provide emergency bottled water for folks whose water is contaminated, protects innocent landowners, and creates new opportunities for the DNR to support PFAS mitigation.

This is a big deal, folks. This will provide real relief to help families and communities tackle the pressing threat of PFAS in local wells, municipal water systems, and more.

These bills are the result of years of advocacy by my administration, as well as months of negotiations between my office and Republican lawmakers.

While it should have happened a whole heckuva lot sooner, I’m proud that we were able to work together with Republican lawmakers to finally get this done.

Thank you.

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.

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