Wisconsin lawmakers sent a $133 million package aimed at cleaning up PFAS contamination, commonly known as “forever chemicals,” to Gov. Tony Evers for approval Tuesday after the Wisconsin Senate passed the bills. Evers said right after the vote that he would sign the legislation into law, ending a long dispute between Democratic governors and Republican lawmakers over how to use state money set aside for PFAS work.
The package is the rare bipartisan compromise after years of disagreement tied to Wisconsin’s PFAS trust fund. The state budget for 2023-25 created a $125 million trust fund to combat PFAS contamination, but Republicans and Evers’s administration had not agreed on how to spend the money. The governor vetoed a GOP bill two years earlier that would have directed the fund toward grants for municipalities, landowners and waste-disposal facilities to test for PFAS in water treatment plants and wells; Evers said that bill limited regulators’ authority to hold polluters liable, while environmental groups urged him to kill the proposal.
PFAS are manmade chemicals that do not break down easily in nature. They appear in products ranging from cookware to stain-resistant clothing and were previously used in aviation fire-suppression foam. Health research has linked PFAS exposure to problems including low birth weight, cancer and liver disease, and studies have found the chemicals can make vaccines less effective.
The Senate’s approval Tuesday followed the Assembly’s decision in February to pass both pieces of legislation unanimously on the last day of the regular two-year session. The Senate approved the first bill by a 33-0 vote and approved the other on a voice vote with almost no discussion, according to the report.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau said the PFAS trust fund grew to $133.4 million during the stalemate. Under the proposals released by the bill’s chief sponsors, Republican Sen. Eric Wimberger and Rep. Jeff Mursau, one bill would spend $132.2 million from the PFAS trust fund for community grants, well replacements, airports and industrial properties, and would use $1.3 million from the state’s general fund to pay for 10 new Department of Natural Resources positions needed to administer the spending.
The second proposal would establish a liability-exemption list intended to limit who could be held responsible for contamination. It includes people who spread PFAS while complying with permits that did not address PFAS, landowners whose property became contaminated under a permit, owners of contaminated industrial property who did not cause the pollution, and fire departments that used PFAS in their foam. The proposal would still allow businesses that own or operate facilities that currently, have used, or have spread industrial waste in the past to be held liable, the report said.
Support for the plan came from local leaders who said residents need quicker access to testing and systems that can reduce PFAS exposure. Campbell Town Supervisor Lee Donahue, describing her town of about 4,300, said residents have been drinking bottled water since state health officials warned them in 2021 that more than 500 wells were contaminated. Donahue said state dollars would help the town transition from private wells to a municipal water system treated for PFAS, adding, “This is definitely a day for celebration.”
In the town of Stella, a resident, Tom LaDue, said the Senate’s approval gave his small community of 670 people “some forward movement.” He said testing has shown very little PFAS in his private well, but he added that he has seen many people rely on bottled water and he hopes the legislation provides enough money to at least test private wells for pollution. LaDue said, “We’ve been waiting for it for a long time,” adding that the town would let residents know the plan had passed.
The AP report said municipalities across Wisconsin are grappling with PFAS contamination in groundwater, including Marinette, Madison, Peshtigo, Wausau, the town of Stella and Campbell, and that waters of Green Bay are also contaminated. It cited Stella’s experience, where private wells were “badly contaminated” by PFAS-laden fertilizer spread on farm fields, and said the state has had limited resources to provide widespread free testing while offering only a limited grant program for well replacements.
After the Wisconsin Senate approved the bills Tuesday, Evers said in a statement that he was “incredibly proud” the Legislature worked across party lines to get the package done and “get it done right.” The bills were sent to his office for his final approval.