Governor Evers Announces Budget Proposals to Combat PFAS

Wednesday, February 5th, 2025 -- 12:00 PM

(Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) In a sweeping proposal, Gov. Tony Evers announced Tuesday that his budget will include more than $145 million to address PFAS contamination and exempt innocent landowners from paying to clean up pollution from the harmful chemicals.

According to Danielle Kaeding with the Wisconsin Public Radio, the Democratic governor said his proposal would fund new grant programs, staff, testing and research to understand the scope of the problem and eliminate PFAS.

Evers also unveiled a new effort to craft groundwater standards for six PFAS chemicals, and he proposed adoption of a Democratic-led bill that would change state laws to improve water quality.

“We have a responsibility to ensure Wisconsinites have access to safe, clean drinking water no matter where they live in our state. This is an urgent issue, and we cannot afford more years of inaction and obstruction,” Evers said in a statement.

“I urge Republicans and Democrats to work together to do what’s best for our kids and Wisconsin’s families by investing in critical efforts to improve water quality and get contaminants out of our water in our next state budget.”

Evers is set to unveil his plan for the next two-year state budget on Feb. 18, and Republican lawmakers have already vowed to strip many of his proposals.

The Democratic governor said his plan to combat PFAS contamination would be largely funded through $125 million he and the GOP-controlled Legislature set aside under the current budget.

Nearly 600 days since the budget passed, the money has yet to be released as the governor and lawmakers have sparred over how to spend the funds. Evers’ plan would devote more than $100 million to new grant programs.

The bulk of the money would fund PFAS testing for municipal drinking water systems, but it would also help private well owners test for the chemicals. About $26.5 million would go toward researching ways to destroy and dispose of PFAS, as well as sampling and testing to gauge the scope of the problem.

About $6.4 million would go toward grants for local businesses and communities to eliminate the use of PFAS. The governor’s proposal would also provide nearly $2 million for emergency response, including the provision of bottled water to households facing PFAS contamination.

The plan would also create 10 full-time positions at the state Department of Natural Resources and one position at the Department of Health Services through nearly $1.8 million over the biennium.

State health officials would also receive nearly $1.3 million for studies to monitor PFAS exposure among residents.

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