Press Release: Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address on Historic Budget Investment to Address PFAS Statewide

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 07/20/2023 10:00 AM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 20, 2023
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address on Historic Budget Investment to Address PFAS Statewide
 
Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered the Democratic Radio Address on his historic budget investment to address PFAS contamination statewide. The 2023-25 biennial budget builds upon the governor’s work over the past four years to ensure Wisconsinites have access to clean water and includes one of the first meaningful investments by Republican legislators to address PFAS contamination statewide. More information can be found here.

Hey there. Governor Tony Evers here.

Every Wisconsinite deserves access to clean, safe water—free of lead, PFAS, and other contaminants that have long been known to harm our kids, families, farmers, communities, and industries across our state.

From declaring 2019 the Year of Clean Drinking Water and creating the state’s PFAS Action Council to filing a lawsuit against more than a dozen companies who contributed to PFAS contamination, my administration has been working to address water quality issues since Day One, and I’m proud of the progress we’ve made.

I’ve also spent four years trying to get most of the Republican Legislature to believe PFAS are a pressing threat to our state’s economy, our health and well-being, and our way of life.

And unfortunately, the work we must do to address PFAS and other contaminants grows harder and more expensive with each day of delay.

So, earlier this month, I was proud to sign a budget that included the first real and substantive Republican effort to address PFAS after years of inaction with a $125 million investment to address and prevent PFAS contamination statewide.

This budget also builds on our work to ensure Wisconsinites have access to clean water by providing $1 million to help private well owners clean up or replace contaminated wells, $4 million for the Urban Nonpoint and Municipal Flood Control Program, and $6.5 million for grants under the Targeted Runoff Management Program.

At the end of the day, we have to make sure that every Wisconsinite has access to clean, safe water—no matter whether it’s for drinking in our homes and schools, for our crops or livestock, or our natural waters for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation.

And I know that together we will. Thank you.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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