Governor Evers Won't Rule Out Legal Action Regarding PFAS Funds

Thursday, April 18th, 2024 -- 10:01 AM

(Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday he’s not ruling out a legal challenge against the Legislature’s GOP-controlled budget committee after Republican lawmakers rejected his call to meet and approve spending $125 million to address PFAS contamination.

According to Danielle Kaeding with Wisconsin Public Radio, the Democratic governor and Republican lawmakers agreed to provide funding under the current two-year budget to address pollution from the harmful forever chemicals, but they’ve been at odds over how to spend the money.

Last week, Evers vetoed a GOP bill that would have used the funds to provide grants to communities, landowners and others to address PFAS, citing concerns over the bill’s limits on regulators’ authority.

In a press conference with Democratic lawmakers, Evers said the committee’s failure to release those funds means people across Wisconsin are going to suffer, saying “Republicans are missing in action.”

Some business owners and communities are facing anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in costs tied to treating or cleaning up the chemicals as the money remains unspent.

When asked by reporters, Evers said he wasn’t ruling out any options to get money out the door to address PFAS, including a potential legal challenge before the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

“It seems ridiculous that we need to go to the Supreme Court to release the money that should have been released, and they have an obligation to release it,” Evers said. “That seems to be a waste of time and energy.”

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