Monday, November 24, 2014

WI DNR could block judge's water conservation ruling

Don't rule it out, as the environmental record of the current administration is abysmal:

Cathy Stepp is the pro-business Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and she could 'review,' and perhaps negate the impact of a recent independent judicial ruling that aimed to correct "massive regulatory failures" by placing some moderate controls on pollutants released at one of the state's large dairies:
After the DNR Secretary characterized the judge's decision as "editorializing" about whether the DNR is using its authority under the law to protect water, and with the attorney for the dairy both claiming victory and asking for a review by the DNR to override the court's decision, the two-year fight for clean water near the Kewaunee County CAFO may not be over yet. 
More here; also discussion of the judge's ruling and findings of :massive regulatory failure" by the DNR, here:
An administrative law judge says “massive regulatory failure” led to groundwater contamination in a dairy farming region and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources must use its powers to prevent further pollution.
In a ruling issued Wednesday, Judge Jeffrey Boldt ordered the DNR to modify a discharge permit for Kinnard Farms, an industrial-sized dairy farm in Kewaunee County, by requiring the operation to install at least six monitoring wells. Two of the wells should be on fields where manure is being spread, Boldt said. He also ordered the agency to cap the number of cows allowed on the big dairy, though he did not specify a maximum.

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