You may have heard about some developments in our legal cases in the news last week. In case you haven’t, here’s what happened:
On Tuesday, April 30, the DNR Secretary decided he would not reinstate a permit to allow out-of-state frac sand company Meteor Timber to fill a rare wetland in Monroe County. The secretary declined to make a ruling; instead, the case will likely head to the Monroe County Circuit Court.
In the meantime, the permit remain invalid, and the wetlands we have spent the last two years defending in court remain protected.
On Thursday, May 2, Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a motion asking the State Supreme Court to agree with our positions in two cases with implications for DNR’s authority to responsibility manage our drinking water and surface waters.
In the first case, we argue that the permit DNR issued to Kewaunee County-based CAFO Kinnard Farms fails to include important conditions to limit farm size and require the farm to monitor groundwater quality near manure spreading sites
In the second case, we are challenging DNR’s decision to issue permits for proposed high-capacity wells despite knowing that those wells would harm surface waters.
While these developments are encouraging, these cases are still being litigated, and we still have work to do.
We are, however, more committed and resolved than ever to win these lawsuits to protect drinking water, public health, and wetlands, lakes, rivers and streams across Wisconsin.
We are honored to be defending your drinking water and natural resources in these legal cases. Thank you for your continued support and trust in us. Without you, our work would not be possible.
