Olivia Herken
La Crosse Tribune
A group of state and local lawmakers joined Gov. Tony Evers on French Island Wednesday to reintroduce a bill which addresses PFAS contaminations being increasingly found across the state, including most recently on the island.
The lawmakers met at the F.J. Robers Library to announce the CLEAR Act, which leaders hope can either supplement the funding for PFAS mitigation in Evers budget proposal, or act as its own first step solution.
On French Island, which shares a border and some of its landmass with the city of La Crosse, including to house its airport, nearly 200 private wells have been discovered to be contaminated with PFAS, a group of toxic forever chemicals believed to have derived from firefighting foam used at the airport.
Gov Evers, State Legislators Announce Legislation to Address Statewide PFAS Contamination
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Governor Evers and Wisconsin Democrats reintroduce CLEAR Act to address PFAS contamination in the Town of Campbell and state-wide
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Democrats reintroduce bill funding testing and remediation for harmful forever chemicals. //end headline wrapper ?>Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Gov. Tony Evers called on lawmakers to take action on a bill to provide funding and state support for communities dealing with PFAS contamination during a visit to the F.J. Robers Library in the Town of Campbell on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. Hope Kirwan/WPR
Gov.
Tony Evers and Democratic state legislators are reintroducing a bill to provide funding and state support for communities dealing with PFAS contamination.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, are chemicals that are found in products ranging from firefighting foam to nonstick cookware. The chemicals have raised concerns because they don’t break down easily in the environment, and research has linked the substances to thyroid disease, decreased fertility in women and cancer.
LA CROSSE – Democratic lawmakers are hoping to give communities across Wisconsin a way to fight back against the forever chemicals in the water through a new bill aimed at keeping the state s waters clean.
The new legislation, called the CLEAR Act, would include a municipal grant program to help hard-hit communities like French Island, as well as county well-testing programs, funds to collect and dispose of PFAS-containing firefighting foam, money for the testing of public water supplies, standards for the chemicals in the ground, surface and drinking water, and money for communities to conduct mitigation efforts.
Rep. Samba Baldeh, D-Madison; Sen. Brad Pfaff, D- La Crosse; Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Wisconsin; Rep. Jill Billings, D-La Crosse; and Rep. Steve Doyle, D-Onalaska; gathered alongside Gov. Tony Evers to announce the bill. The news conference was held at the F.J. Robers Library on French Island, which recently had a drinking water well test above the recommended sta