Improved Environmental Regulation

Protecting our environment is important for the health of our population and economy. Environmental laws and regulations must be based on peer-reviewed science, must be prioritized so that the most significant environmental problems and threats receive the most attention, and must be balanced with implementation costs and economic impacts. In general, state regulations should align with and should not exceed federal environmental regulations. Companies should be encouraged to do voluntary compliance audits by limiting penalties for those who find and correct deficiencies on their own initiative.

Local

• Continue to promote voluntary emission reductions by business and the public to reduce ozone and particulates
• Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District (GBMSD) should adopt updated and achievable pre-treatment requirements for heavy metals that do not negatively impact local industry or the community
• Oppose county-level variances on WDNR environmental rules
• Municipalities should undertake ownership of and liability for storm water retention ponds

State

• Improve equity in water quality standards and pollution control enforcement between point dischargers and others, such as agricultural lands and municipal facilities
• Delay implementation of new phosphorus and nitrogen regulations until other states in our region have enacted similar limits on point source dischargers

Federal

• Prevent degradation of the Great Lakes ecosystem by invasive species
• Oppose regulatory efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions without legislative authority