Wisconsin watersand polluted runoff

Summer 2008 • Vol. 38, No. 3

INSIDECorrection; Taking charge & taking action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Saying no to dirty coal; Think systematically, act collaboratively . . . . . . . . 3

Wisconsin waters and polluted runoff; Global Warming Task Force . . . . . . 4

Biofuels: solution or problem?; Flooding highlights need for action. . . . . . 5

Mercury timeline; Murphy Oil expansion update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Member profi le: Margi Kindig; Mercury timeline continued . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Great Lakes continued from front page; New Great Lakes report . . . . . . . 8

Improving water quality; Welcome Ezra and Sam. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Local activist thanks; Members kayak around Lake Superior . . . . . . . . . 10

The Clean Water Act. Superfund. Endangered Species Act. And now, the Great Lakes Compact. This is a momentous occasion for the Great Lakes. We are proud to share with you that on May 27, 2008, Governor Doyle signed the Great Lakes Compact. Wisconsin is one major step closer to seeing this

permanent, legacy protection for the Great Lakes realized. “As I refl ect on this occasion, I am overwhelmed with the dedication it has taken to accomplish this vic-

tory,” says Mark Redsten, Clean Wisconsin Executive Director. “Clean Wisconsin is extremely grateful to our supporters for taking action to help pass the Compact. We know your phone calls, emails, letters to the editor, and meetings with your contacts helped make the Compact a reality.”

“Truly, the Great Lakes Compact is as signifi cant for the Great Lakes as any of our other federal laws because it ensures they will be protected from future drainage,” says Melissa Malott, Clean Wisconsin Water Program Director and attorney.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Clean Wisconsin122 State Street Suite 200Madison, WI 53703-2500

Nonprofi t Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 1291

Madison, WI

Wisconsin has beautiful and abundant waterways upon which fl oat our tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors, not to mention our quality of life. Visitors come to Wisconsin for our world class fi shing streams and lakes, our farmers rely on water to grow and export food and dairy prod-

ucts, and many of our businesses need water for manufacturing. Moreover, we all spend time on water, wheth-er it’s running along a lakeshore path, enjoying the peace at our local stream, or heading to the Great Lakes for a weekend. Truly, Wisconsin’s waterways are a key component to our quality of life and economic health.

Unfortunately, our waters are endangered with pollution and overuse, and we’re seeing – and smelling– the impacts. Family wells have been contaminated, streams have been suffocated with bacteria and algae, and fi sh

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Mercury regulation revisions nearing completion – victory in sightKeith Reopelle

More than ten years of work by Clean Wisconsin staff and members to clean up mercury emissions from coal-

burning power plants may soon come to fruition in the form of new regulations requiring a 90 percent reduction of emissions from the larg-est coal plants in Wisconsin. Clean Wisconsin members and staff working alongside a broad range of stakeholders - from Native American tribes in Wisconsin to public health organiza-tions, resort owners, minority groups, lake associations, legislators, and other environmental organizations - have repeatedly called for strong regulations to control toxic mercury emissions that harm the development of many children in the state every year.

This issue has come a long way and Clean Wisconsin will continue to work with you (our members), partner stakeholders, and the DNR to ensure that Wisconsin will regain its place as a national leader in the fi ght to protect our children from the toxic impacts of power plant mercury.

History blazes its trail through Wisconsin with passage of the Great Lakes Compact.

Join us as we take a look back at some of the highlights in the lengthy process of controlling mercury emissions. Turn to pages 6 and 7 to see a brief timeline of Clean Wisconsin’s work on this subject.

Great Lakes - great victory!

Clean Wisconsin

Copyright 2000 David-Lorne Photographic

The Defender, Summer 2008, Vol. 38, No. 32

122 State Street Suite 200 • Madison WI 53703-4333Phone: (608) 251-7020 • Fax: (608) 251-1655

www.CleanWisconsin.org

Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and polluters accountable.

Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses.

On behalf of its 10,000 members and its coalition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wiscon-sin such a wonderful place to live, work and play.

Executive Director Mark Redsten

Program and Communications

Senior Policy Director Keith Reopelle

Energy Program Director Katie Nekola

Water Program Director Melissa Malott

Communications Creative Director Shauna Cook

Staff Scientist Peter Taglia

Grassroots Organizer Ryan Schryver

Water Resources Specialist Ezra Meyer

Media Specialist Sam Weis

RE-AMP Coordinator Elizabeth Wheeler

RE-AMP Coordinator Assistant Elizabeth Edelstein

Program Intern Adam Conlin

Membership and Development

Development Director Brian Kelly

Membership & Development Manager Becky Weber

Development Assistant Allie Theuerkauf

Finance and Administration

Chief Financial Officer Roger Sneath

Accounting Manager Mary Coughlan

Office Administrator David Vitse

Gof Thomson – Chair (New Glarus)

Carl Sinderbrand – Vice Chair and Acting Treasurer (Madison)

Gary Goyke – Secretary (Madison)

Mark Gill (Milwaukee)

Kate Gordon (California)

Susan Greenfield (Racine)

Paul Linzmeyer (Green Bay)

Pam McGillivray (Madison)

David Wandel (Madison)

Guy Wolf (Stoddard)

STAFF

BOARD

The Defender is owned and published quarterly by Clean Wisconsin, 122 State Street Suite 200, Madison, Wisconsin 53703, (608) 251-7020. Founded in 1970, Clean Wisconsin is a statewide, non-profit environmental advocacy organization. A one-year subscription membership is $30. Please direct correspondence to the address above.Volume 38, No. 3 Issue date: July 2008©2008 Clean Wisconsin. All rights reservedPrinted with soy ink on unbleached, recycled paper.ISSN # 1549-8107

PETITION - Dirty Coal is a Bad Investment

Alliant Energy’s Proposed Coal Plant is a BAD INVESTMENT for Wisconsin’s Environment!Instead of taking advantage of Wisconsin’s abundance of natural resources to provide clean, safe and afford-able renewable energy for Wisconsin, Alliant Energy has proposed to build another outdated, coal plant in Cassville, Wisconsin that will be using the dirtiest technology available. To make matters worse, it is at the expense of Wisconsin ratepayers. Why should Wisconsin ratepayers foot the bill for Alliant’s bad business decisions? Please go to www.CleanWisconsin.org to complete the BAD INVESTMENT petition. For those of you without Internet access, you will find a petition inserted in this issue that can be signed and returned to Clean Wisconsin.

PETITION - Polluted Runoff RulesHelp protect and improve our waterways! Please go to our website to sign our petition to the DNR about polluted runoff. We need them to address two priorities, buffer strips and prioritizing vulnerable areas. Go to www.CleanWisconsin.org and click on “Take Action”.

Changing Perceptions of Global WarmingHost a presentation of Wisconsin’s Inconvenient Truth in your community. Clean Wisconsin’s Ryan Schryver has been trained by former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Al Gore to give global warming presentations. These presentations have helped thousands of Wisconsinites understand the local effects of climate change and identify ways we can work together to reduce our global warming pollution.

If you are interested in hosting a presentation in your community contact Ryan Schryver at rschryver@CleanWisconsin.org or (608) 251-7020 extension 25.

Below are some of the actions you can take to help protect Wisconsin’s clean water, clean air and clean energy.

CORRECTIONIn the previous issue of The Defender (Spring 2008, Vol. 38, No. 2) we ran a premature cover page headline. Our headline touted a “major victory” on banning the use of mercury in certain products, when in fact we experienced only a partial victory when SB 346 overwhelmingly passed in the Senate with a vote of 30 to 3. The bill subsequently died in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee and was not passed by Wisconsin’s Legislature. Hundreds of Clean Wisconsin members across the state played a major role in supporting this bill to protect public health by reducing toxic mercury pollution. Your support led to the near unanimous vote in the Senate and will help us gain support and final passage of the mercury products ban in 2009.

Although we were diligent in updating the text of the article to properly reflect the movement of the bill, we carelessly overlooked the headline. We apologize for the error and any confusion this may have caused.

The Editor

Please sign and return the enclosed petition in this issue

Clean Wisconsin 3

Katie Nekola

After months of delay, the Public Service Commission (PSC) formal review of Alliant’s application to expand their coal-fired power plant in Cassville is underway. Clean Wisconsin attorneys and experts are working hard to

gather all the information we will need to prove that this global warming machine should not be approved. But it will take more than experts to show the Public Service Commission that this coal plant is a mistake for Wisconsin. State decision makers need to know that Wisconsinites have had enough of dirty coal. They need to get a strong message from Clean Wisconsin members and their friends and neighbors: it’s time for Wisconsin to do its part to stop global warming by saying no to coal.

Governor Jim Doyle understands that the Midwest has a greater responsibility to pitch in and reduce its global warming pollution than other regions, because the Midwest currently contributes far more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than do other parts of the country. That’s because the Midwest burns more coal to produce electricity than anywhere else in the country. With this responsibility in mind, Governor Doyle has taken a leadership role among the Midwestern gover-nors, launching a process in which several Midwestern states have agreed to work together to take bold steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

At the same time, Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force has made recommendations for policies and actions to curb global warming pollution in Wisconsin. The Governor asked representatives of business, industry, unions, en-vironmental groups, utilities, and government to recommend policy changes that will help our state do its part to fight catastrophic climate change.

Unfortunately, however, most of the benefits of these policy changes would be erased by the operation of more coal fired power plants in Wisconsin. For example, if every single rental property in Wisconsin had energy efficient light-ing in common areas and exit signs we would save approximately 589,000 tons of global warming emissions per year, according to estimates from Wisconsin’s Task Force on Global Warming. These savings would be completely ERASED in just 2 months of operating the Cassville coal plant.

Global warming affects everyone in Wisconsin. That’s why the decision mak-ers need to hear from you. Visit our website at www.CleanWisconsin.org to find out how you can contact the PSC and DNR to tell them to support Governor Doyle’s plan to stop global warming by saying no to more coal in Wisconsin. Or call Ryan Schryver at (608) 251-7020 extension 25 for more information.

PETITION Dirty Coal is a Bad Investment

Please go to www.CleanWisconsin.org to complete the BAD INVESTMENT petition. For those of you without Internet access, please complete the petition enclosed in this issue and return it to:

Clean Wisconsin122 State Street, Suite 200

Madison, WI 53703

Saying no to dirty coal: How you can get involved

Think systemically, act collaboratively What is a RE-AMP Coordinator?

Elizabeth Wheeler, RE-AMP Coordinator

Over the past few years, Clean Wisconsin has been actively participating in a Midwest collaboration of nonprofits working on

energy issues (called RE-AMP). In June of last year, I was hired to help organize and coordinate this net-work. RE-AMP has 70 member organizations, and Clean Wisconsin has been very active in its develop-ment and growth. The network provides a structured way for energy and global warming advocates to work together to identify key strategies and policy priorities for fighting global warming. In addition to strategy, RE-AMP provides a way for member organizations to network with one another, keep tabs on what is

going on in surround-ing states, and get sup-port for the work they are doing in their own states.

The concept behind RE-AMP is to

“think systemically, act collaboratively.” We think of the entire energy system in the Midwest, identify how it needs to change as a whole, and then work together to make those changes a reality. In the past two years, RE-AMP member organizations have achieved great successes in passing climate and energy-related legis-lation in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Most recently, RE-AMP member organizations have

been engaged in the Midwestern Governors Associa-tion (MGA) Energy Security and Climate Steward-ship Platform and Greenhouse Gas Accord. These initiatives have been strengthened by advocates from all across the Midwest collaborating and coming to the table with a clear and unified set of policies to be included in the platform. Our methodology was ef-fective: We got a recommendation for 2% reduction in energy use per year by 2015 as an energy efficiency measure and a renewable electricity standard of 30% by 2030. We’ve still got a lot of work to do and hav-ing a network of colleagues from all over the Midwest will continue to be a valuable resource along the way!

Governor Jim Doyle understands that the Midwest has a greater responsibility to pitch in and reduce its global warming pollution than other regions, because the Midwest currently contributes far more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than do other parts of the country.

Clean Wisconsin

Clipart.com

May 15th Alliant Energy shareholder’s meeting in Madison, Wisconsin: Over 100 Clean Wisconsin members, staff and colleagues rallied against Alliant’s new coal plant proposal. Thank you to everyone who attended and showed their support for no more coal in Wisconsin.

Clean Wisconsin

The Defender, Summer 2008, Vol. 38, No. 34

populations have died-off. This summer, we’re expecting more green, slimy algae in the Wisconsin River, and Great Lakes beach users are worrying about dealing with Cladophora again. Additionally, groundwater drawdowns in central Wiscon-sin are sucking from local waterways and leading to rivers and lakes drying up.

A lot of the pollution in our waters was washed off farm fields, lawns, and streets. When water is contaminated and then washed off lawns, fields, or streets, it’s called polluted runoff. When this polluted runoff ends up in our rivers, lakes, or groundwater, it puts us at risk. Currently, the DNR is investigating at least two fish kills due to manure runoff in southern Wisconsin and multiple families in northeast Wisconsin are dealing with manure-contaminated wells.

There are many factors contributing to these problems, but we can’t deny that our personal and community actions, along with the practices of some farmers, have played a major role in creating these problems with our waters. We can, and must, work within our communities and with farmers to manage these water quality and supply problems. The wisdom of Ben Franklin’s saying, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,’ applies to us today: protecting our waters to-day will be better than addressing problems later. Preventing polluted runoff saves expensive clean up costs. Planning for water usage and conservation now will save us time and expenses on pipelines and treatment down the road. We must act now to protect and preserve our waterways, because the longer we wait, the more expensive these solutions will be.

Wisconsin needs a comprehensive polluted runoff program that is adequately funded, implemented and enforced. Many of the steps that can be taken, such as nutrient management planning, can ultimately save money in addition to saving soil and protecting water quality. Others, like installing riparian buffers along rivers and streams, not only protect water quality, they also provide important habitat and aesthetic values. Buffers also are relatively simple to install and, if installation is required, easy to enforce.

As we approach this next election and face another budget year, let’s ask our candidates about what funding and legislation they will work on to help protect our waters. Specifically, what will our legisla-tors do to put policies in place to help communities prevent polluted runoff? Will they give farmers the resources needed to be part of the solution? Protecting our waters preserves our way of life, economy, families, manufacturers, and farms.

Trout streams, which need high quality water to have trout, bring in a lot of money to the state. A recent study released by Trout Unlimited showed that in the four state “Driftless Area” (SW Wisconsin, SE Min-nesota, NE Iowa and NW Illinois) recreational angling, dominated by trout fishing, brings in $1.1 billion. It just so happens that the waters of this region are also the most threatened by polluted runoff.

Copyright 2000 David-Lorne Photographic

Wisconsin waters and polluted runoff Continued from front page

This spring, there were several opportunities for members to voice their concerns to the Global Warming Task Force. Thank you for taking the time to do so, we ap-preciate your time on these actions! This spring, the Global Warming Task Force hosted four hearings around the state to gather testimony on their recommendations to Governor Doyle on what Wisconsin should do to help curb our impact on global warming. These hearings were held in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Madison, and La Crosse.

For the hearings in La Crosse and Madison, many of those Clean Wisconsin members who testified attended a training session the week before to learn more about the policy recommendations being made by the Task Force, including technical information about how they would work and the impact they would have and to find out what would happen at the hearing. Thanks to you, the official testimony is robust, diverse, well-informed and reflects many of Clean Wisconsin’s priority policies. This makes our stance more credible with the Task Force as well as supports our direct lobbying efforts. Thank you!

Also this spring, Clean Wisconsin members emailed the Task Force in support of strong priority policies. We extend a big thank you to all of our members who took the time to share their concerns.

Without a doubt, your time and actions will help make the Global Warming Task Force recommendations strong. As the Task Force wraps up and officially passes their final report to Governor Doyle, please know that this is just the beginning. There will be a lot of work to do and we will be calling on you to make this happen!

Thank you for voicing your concerns to the Global Warming Task Force!

Flooding: We can all be part of the solutionUnbelievably, we have faced major flooding in parts of Wisconsin for a second year in a row. It is, sadly, unprecedented. People, their families, homes, and businesses are deeply affected; and our environment suffers. Our hearts go out to all of those who are suffering.

Much of our water-related work at Clean Wisconsin aims both at protecting the natural resources we all value and at helping to reduce the impacts of extreme events like these on our communities. Examples range from our efforts to reduce polluted runoff through buffers along rivers and lakes to our promotion of the protection and restoration of wetlands. The work we do to watchdog proper management of stormwater runoff from parking lots, construction sites, and other urban areas can also help lead to changes that may reduce the terrible aftermath of flooding along our rivers. As ongoing changes in our climate lead to more frequent ex-treme weather events, we all have to redouble our efforts to address the connected problems of environmental and human suffering. We can do this, in part, both by working to stop global climate change and by addressing our clean water needs. Thankfully, we can accomplish both goals using the same tools we advocate for as we implement our Clean Wisconsin mission.

Clean Wisconsin 5

Peter Taglia, Professional Geologist and Clean Wisconsin Staff Scientist

The subject of biofuels has been a prominent feature of numerous recent articles in scien-tific journals and the mainstream press. The

latest addition to the great biofuel debate has cen-tered on the effects biofuel production has on global food markets and agricultural production. The re-cent concern is that producing a substantial amount of biofuels will increase the global demand for crops and result in higher food prices and additional global demand for agricultural land.

This increase in demand has unintended conse-quences.

For instance when grasslands and forests are con-verted to farmland, the carbon stored in the grasses, trees and soil are released to the atmosphere which actually contributes to the global warming problem that biofuels were, in part, supposed to mitigate.

Another unintended consequence to biofuels is that rainforests are being slashed and burned over vast areas of Malaysia and Indonesia for palm oil plantations needed, in part, to produce biodiesel for the European market.

Another example closer to home, the U.S.D.A. has projected the loss of approximately 180,000 acres of conservation reserve program lands in Wisconsin over the next three years, much of which will be planted in corn due to the historically high current prices, due in part to ethanol production. These lands are typically planted in grass to provide ero-sion control and wildlife habitat but are converted to corn or soybeans. This has the potential to release large amounts of soil carbon and reverse many of the important progress that has been made to reduce fertilizer runoff and soil erosion.

Are all biofuels bad and should we just keep burning oil? Of course not. As with many issues, the solutions and strategies needed to move our state forward require a careful analysis of the costs and benefits of the alternatives. This is the first article in an ongoing series in The Defender exploring the policies Clean Wisconsin is working on to provide a roadmap to a more sustainable energy future for Wisconsin. We will give you an update on some of the strategies that we are using to help our state move away from petro-leum and encourage only the most beneficial types of biofuels.

What is our roadmap? One of the areas we are working on is the Governor’s Global Warming Task Force. Among other things, we have worked closely with coalition partners on a two part approach to transportation fuels.

The first approach is conservation. We endorse a two-pronged approach to conservation, focusing on alternatives to driving like mass transit, walking and biking; and when people do use automobiles, ensuring the cars driven in Wisconsin are as efficient as possible.

The second approach is a policy called a “Low Carbon Fuel Standard.” While this is a complicated policy full of nuance, in a nutshell, we have to make sure the fuels used in Wisconsin are produced in a manner that minimizes the carbon emissions of the fuel over the entire life-cycle, therefore looking at all of the emissions used to produce the fuel, growing crops, processing the crude oil or biofuel, and deliver-ing the fuel to filling station, etc.

Fuel providers can demonstrate the life-cycle reduction using many different resources, including biofuels, renewable electricity, and improved up-stream fossil fuel production efficiency. We expect that much of the carbon reductions will come from

biofuels. This is because of two issues: 1) the existing car fleet is liquid fuel dependent and electrification will take time and 2) increased fossil fuel production efficiency is likely to be offset by the continued shift to heavier and non-conventional sources of fossil petroleum, such as oil-shales and tar sands that inher-ently require more energy (and carbon emissions) to process.

Getting back to biofuels...simply put, the subject of biofuels is not simple. Clean Wisconsin is dedi-cated to exploring all possibilities relating to biofuels and we will be sharing our research and progress with you in the upcoming issues of The Defender.

Biofuels: A solution to our energy crisis or yet another problem? This is part 1 in an ongoing Clean Wisconsin series on bioenergy.

Low Carbon Fuel Standard:While this is a complicated policy full of nuance, in a nutshell, we have to make sure the fuels used in Wisconsin are produced in a manner that minimizes the carbon emissions of the fuel over the entire life-cycle, therefore looking at all of the emis-sions used to produce the fuel, growing crops, processing the crude oil or biofuel, and delivering the fuel to filling station, etc.

Disastrous flooding consistent with global warming predictions - Highlights need for expedient action

The recent disastrous floods that ravaged southern Wisconsin are consistent with global warming predictions according to a January

2007 Clean Wisconsin report. The report, “Global Warming Arrives in Wisconsin,” forecasts that global warming would lead to increased instances of severe droughts, more intense floods and increased snowfall.

“In the year and a half since the release of this re-port, we have seen a summer of extreme drought end with intense flooding, a winter of record snowfall and now a spring ending with some of the worst flooding in recent memory,” said Keith Reopelle, Senior Policy Director at Clean Wisconsin. “Many of the impacts of global warming are occurring much sooner than predicted.”

While no single weather event can be attributed to global warming, the increasing intensity of weather patterns suggests we may be witnessing the first major impacts in Wisconsin.

Scientists predict that increased temperatures will increase winter precipitation by 15 to 30 per-

cent while decreasing summer precipitation by up to 20 percent. Less frequent but more intense storms explain the increased likelihood of summer droughts and floods.

“We have witnessed the economic, environ-mental and emotional devastation intense weather events can bring,” Reopelle said. “The recent floods demonstrate the terrible risks associated with global warming.”

By leading to more intense weather events, global warming is predicted to disrupt Wisconsin’s tourism and agricultural industries. The loss of Lake Delton and massive crop damage associated with the recent flooding highlight these risks. Luckily, investment in global warming solutions like renewable energy production can create jobs in manufacturing, con-struction and research fields, helping to boost the state’s economy.

Beyond taking progressive steps to reduce global warming, smart policies can help mitigate dangerous effects of global warming such as flooding. By engag-

ing in wetlands restoration, we can help reduce the frequency and intensity of floods, as wetlands absorb large quantities of water during and after intense precipitation events.

“Our hearts go out to all of those affected by this terrible disaster,” Reopelle said. “We must do everything in our power to reduce the risk of future catastrophic events by implementing smart and expedient policies that reduce greenhouse gas emis-sions. The cost associated with the impacts of global warming will dwarf any costs of acting now to reduce global warming pollution.”

The “Global Warming Arrives in Wisconsin Report” can be accessed online at: www.Clean Wisconsin.org/publications/GlobalWarmingReport_0507.pdf. or if you prefer a copy to be mailed, please call Clean Wisconsin at (608) 251-7020, extension 15. State your request for the report, and leave your name, address and phone number.

The Defender, Summer 2008, Vol. 38, No. 36

Mercury Regulation Timeline

Mid-1970s Clean Wisconsin staff convinced the Wis-consin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to release the names of seven lakes in northern Wisconsin that were discovered to have high mercury levels in fish. Today the DNR and Health Department warn an-glers to limit consump-tion of fish from all Wisconsin waters.

IntroductionMercury has been recognized as a neurotoxin that affects the brain dating all the way back to the publishing of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865 (the “Mad Hatter” was afflicted with mercury poisoning). But it wasn’t until the devastating epidemic outbreak of mercury poisoning in Minimata Japan in 1956 that the extent of mercury’s toxic impact was observed. Researchers in Wisconsin played a role in identifying the contribution of mercury from power plants.

1997Clean Wisconsin brought together diverse stakehold-ers including the Chairman of the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commis-sion and several statewide sport fishing organizations to discuss strategies for pursuing reductions of mercury from the largest source category of mercury polluters, coal-burn-ing power plants. The group agreed to reach out to other stakeholders and petition the Department of Natural Resources to draft regulations specifically for coal plants.

Subsequently, Clean Wis-consin staff traveled across the state talking to our members, individual resort owners, fish-ing guides, Hmong commu-nity leaders, tribal members, legislators, lake associations, and local environmental groups about the impacts of mercury pollution and the options for controlling those emissions.

Spring 2000Clean Wisconsin drafted a petition requesting the DNR to regulate mercu-ry emissions from power plants (no other state had done so at that time) by 90 percent by 2010. Groups that joined Clean Wisconsin as co-peti-tioners included many statewide environmental and sporting groups.

Spring 2004The Natural Resources Board signed off on a rule package that required an 80 percent reduction of mer-cury emissions by 2015, and a 40 percent reduction in 2010 and sent that to the legislature for approval. The Chairs of the Senate and Assembly Natural Resources Committees, Senator Neal Kedzie and Representative DuWayne Johnsrud sent a letter to the DNR request-ing that they modify the rules to say that sources subject to a federal mercury control requirement (which was being developed at that time) would be exempt from this regulation and that the 80 percent reduction be removed. The DNR re-sponded with a revised rule that required a 75 percent reduction in 2015, a 40 per-cent reduction in 2010, and language that stated once a federal requirement was in place the state rules would be revised to be consistent with that federal standard.

Between 2000 and 2004Clean Wisconsin staff and members spoke at hearings, sent writ-ten comments, served on a citizen’s advi-sory committee to the DNR, and attended numerous other meet-ings on this topic.

Between 2004 and 2007The technology of con-trolling mercury emissions advanced quickly and it became apparent that not only was a 90 percent reduction possible but at a much lower cost than was originally estimated. During that time both Illinois and Minnesota ad-opted mercury regulations for power plants requiring a 90 percent reduction. In Illinois, 90 percent is required by 2009 on a statewide basis, and 90 percent at each plant by 2012. In Minnesota 90 percent is required by 2009 at some plants and 2014 at others depending on the existing pollution control technology.

Update on Murphy Oil’s proposed expansion

The controversy over the proposed Murphy Oil refinery expansion has been growing in recent months. Midwest news sources are reporting

on oil refinery expansions and increases in oil sands production because of the impacts these refineries will have on water and air pollution, global warming and economics. Murphy Oil’s proposal is garnering a sig-nificant portion of this attention, with reporters cover-ing their irresponsible track record, enormous wetland fill proposal and potential risk to Lake Superior.

The Zenith City Weekly did a comprehensive coverage of both sides of the Murphy Oil debate on April 22, 2008. Writer Carl Sack covered the debate between Clean Wisconsin’s Water Program Direc-tor Melissa Malott and Murphy Oil management. Murphy claimed the benefits would be more fuel and jobs in an economically depressed town. Clean Wisconsin’s Melissa Malott cited Murphy’s significant transgressions from environmental and workers safety laws, the global warming concerns, and air and water pollution increases. Mr. Sack gave Superior-area

resident Jan Conley the final say: “We’re right on the shores of Lake Superior. [It] seems like a horrible place to have a refinery in the first place, let alone a refinery expansion. If we invested [the same amount] in clean, renewable energy, Wisconsin could be a leader in pro-viding good-paying, non-polluting jobs.”

Other recent news includes: The Northland News Center, covering an

April 23rd Superior town meeting, reported on two citizens commenting on the Murphy pro-posal, with one of the citizens saying Murphy was “beating around the bush” when answering citizen questions.

�Finally, The Duluth News Tribune ran a three part story on the Murphy Oil refinery expansion on April 27th. They covered the known details of the refinery expansion, and environmentalists’ concerns over the wetlands fill, increases in greenhouse gases, and increases in air and water pollution.

Unfortunately, not all of the news sources in the Superior area are as dedicated to accurately report-ing the news. The editorial board of The Superior Daily Telegram responded to a student letter raising concerns about the refinery expansion by stating that citizens are not “empowered” to make decisions about the refinery. While decisions about permits are made by government, citizens have multiple areas of input, including in the scoping process of the environmental impacts analysis, and in the public comments on the proposed rule. The effect of making such a strong statement without necessary qualification is to mis-lead the public. We hope to see The Daily Telegram consider their impact on their constituents, and make more accurate statements in the future.

Clean Wisconsin 7

Spring 2005The EPA issued power plant mercury rules that required a 70 percent reduction by 2018 and allowed interstate trading to achieve those reductions. In other words, some plants and some states would reduce their emissions less than 70 percent and some more. Wisconsin was one of 13 states that filed a lawsuit against the EPA for this regula-tion, pointing to the Clean Air Act, under which the rules were written, that does not allow interstate trading for a toxic pollutant such as mercury which has local impacts.

August 2006Governor Doyle, to his credit, announced that he supported strengthening Wisconsin’s regu-lations to a 90 percent reduc-tion requirement. The DNR began drafting revisions to the regulations in 2006. In Janu-ary of 2007, Clean Wisconsin drafted a second petition calling for revised rules that would re-quire a 90 percent reduction by 2012. Several other environ-mental groups and sport fishing groups jointly submitted that petition with Clean Wisconsin to the DNR.

Citing their obligation to submit an implementation plan for the federal regulations to EPA, the DNR released a draft of new regulations last spring that mirrored the EPA requirements, calling for a 70 percent reduction by 2018, and committing the DNR to make additional changes to the regu-lations by 2010 that require a 90 percent reduction by 2020. This was an effort to both ad-dress the “true-up” language in the current law and respond to the Governor’s directive to get to 90 percent.

February 8, 2008The U.S. Court of appeals overturned EPA’s Clean Air Mercury Rule, siding with the states that it was developed illegally. This action threw the interstate trading idea out the window, which is a good thing, but also left most states without a mercury regulation. Thanks to many Clean Wisconsin members and partner organizations Wisconsin is not one of those states.

In response to the court action, and based on the feedback they had gotten last spring on their initial proposal to rewrite Wisconsin’s regulations, the DNR issued a new draft rule this March. The new proposal has no interstate trading and requires a 90 percent reduction of mercury emissions by 2015, or a “multi-pollut-ant” compliance path that would require major reductions of acid rain (SO2) and smog (NOx) emissions by 2015 and 90 percent reduction of mercury by 2021. These reductions are required for large power plants, defined as 150 megawatts or more. There are 19 smaller, coal-fired boiler units falling under that threshold which would be required to have the “best available control technology” which may, or may not, reach the 90 percent level of reductions.

Spring 2008Clean Wisconsin sub-mitted joint comments with Midwest Environ-mental Advocates, the Sierra Club and others asking the DNR to modify the proposal to require the 90 percent reductions by 2012 rather than 2015 and to require all plants to meet the 90 percent reduc-tion requirement. The Natural Resources Board will make a final deci-sion this summer.

May 2008The Wisconsin Manufactures and Commerce Business As-sociation and other business interests have filed a lawsuit against the DNR for the most recent proposal in hopes of tripping that proposal up on process technicality. The lawsuit claims that the DNR did not do the cost-benefit analysis required by state law, even though the proposal is accompanied by a robust analysis of the costs of the proposed regulations as well as the health benefits. We are confident this lawsuit will fail and the strengthening changes will be adopted by the Natural Resources Board.

Moving ForwardThis issue has come a long way and Clean Wisconsin will con-tinue to work with you (our members), partner stakeholders, and the DNR to ensure that Wisconsin will regain its place as a national leader in the fight to protect our children from the toxic impacts of power plant mercury.

Member Profile: Margi KindigKatie Nekola

As the only citizen member of the Governor’s Global Warming Task Force, longtime Clean Wisconsin member Margi Kindig says she’s

had a “steep learning curve.” That’s okay, she says, because it’s all worth the time.

“The environment has been the great love of my life,” she says. “I think it goes all the way back to growing up in Manitowoc, going to Girl Scout camp.” Margi has been involved with Clean Wisconsin (then Environmental Decade) since 1986. She lives with her husband, UW professor Dr. David Kindig, in Madison’s Crestwood neighborhood, where Margi has launched a project to test some of the ideas she’s developed while working on the Global Warming Task Force.

“I’m interested in how social marketing can influ-ence people to change their behavior about energy use,” she says. One of her recommendations as a Task Force member was a statewide program to motivate

individuals to change their behavior in ways that would help slow global warming. She cites a California program called “Flex Your Power” which, sup-ported by a well-funded market-ing campaign, helped reduce that state’s energy use dramati-cally. California residents cur-rently consume significantly less

electricity, per person, than do Wisconsinites, largely because of that state’s investment in energy efficiency measures.

“Conservation needs to become a social norm,” Margi says. She’s working with the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation (WECC), which adminis-ters the Focus on Energy program, to challenge Crest-wood neighborhood residents to reduce their electric-ity use. Margi sees this project as a model for the kind of collaboration between government and individuals that can make a big difference. “Government has a

responsibility to facilitate individual behavior change, and individuals have a responsibility to move govern-ment in the right direction, so there’s a synergy there,” she says. “Just as everything in nature is interconnect-ed, so are the solutions to environmental problems. We need to involve everybody if we hope to prevent the devastating impacts of global warming.”

A former criminal defense attorney, Margi isn’t afraid to argue for what she believes in. “Although individual behavior change is very important, we also need other things to change if we hope to address tough environmental problems: campaign finance reform, better education, an independent media,” she says. Margi intends to stay involved in environmental work; she says it’s been wonderful and she’s met some great people. Clean Wisconsin is proud to have Margi Kindig as a member!

Clean Wisconsin

The Defender, Summer 2008, Vol. 38, No. 38

NEW REPORT: Great Lakes Great Shores

On April 18th, 2008, elected state officials, local leaders and citizens voiced their concern regarding the health of the Great Lakes in a field hearing held by the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on

Water Resources and Environment.U.S. Representative Steve Kagen, representing the eighth district of Wisconsin, Sub-

committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, and other subcommittee members were in attendance to hear the testimony of Wisconsin residents and leaders.

Clean Wisconsin member Charlie Imig is passionate about the Great Lakes. He testi-fied at the hearing. “I’ve spent every summer on Washington Island since 1943. Over the last nine years, the Lake Michigan water levels have been receding at an alarming rate, threatening the livelihood of those who live and work on the island, and the lifestyle of those who enjoy Lake Michigan,” Imig said.

Immediately following the hearing, Clean Wisconsin released the report “Great Lakes, Great Shores: Taking Action to Restore the Great Lakes for Wisconsin Families.” The report identifies major threats plaguing the Great Lakes including aquatic invasive species, mercury, habitat destruction and raw sewage overflows. It further charts a path toward res-toration through the implementation of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, a collection of strategies designed to protect Great Lakes water and ensure its sustainable use.

If you are interested in receiving a copy of this report, please contact Melissa Malott at (608) 251-7020 extension 13. Also, you can view and download the report at: www.CleanWisconsin.org/publications/GLGSreport_0408.pdf.

Teal Reopelle

Enjoying the Great Lakes at Kites Over Lakes MichiganClean Wisconsin

At the announcement of a special legislative session to pass the Compact, Clean Wisconsin Executive Director Mark Redsten (second from left) discusses the upcoming signing with Governor Doyle (left) and Clean Wisconsin’s Senior Policy Director Keith Reopelle (right).

Wisconsin is setting a strong environmental standard among the Great Lakes states because we passed strong implementing language with the Compact. Wisconsin’s legislation contains:

o Water conservation requirements for in-basin communities;o Standards for water to be returned to the Great Lakes;o In-basin water usage monitoring and regulations;

o Requirements to comply with regional water plans;o Clarification on the bottled water loophole;o Many opportunities for public participation; and, o A reasonable effective date.

This legislation contains much of what we –along with our conservation part-ners– were pushing for in strong implementing language.

Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan are expected to pass the Compact this year; once that happens, it will move to the U.S. Congress for consent. At that point, it will be official, and stronger than federal law.

Great Lakes - great victory! Continued from front page

The Great Lakes Compact is among the strongest protections available for the Great Lakes. While the Great Lakes hold one fifth of the world’s (and 95% of the United States’) fresh surface water and provide drinking water to over 40 million people, there are no consistent rules across the region governing the use of water from the Great Lakes. This means that the Great Lakes water supply is vulnerable to tankers and pipelines that would pump water away from the region. The cur-rent “anything goes” status would leave our region open to water shortages and lowered lake levels. Fortunately, the Great Lakes Compact establishes fair and consistent rules for responsible Great Lakes water use. The Great Lakes Com-pact is an interstate agreement to guarantee the long-term protection and sound management of Great Lakes water, ensuring that they are not sold to the highest bidder and that they are protected for generations to come.

Clean Wisconsin began our work on the Great Lakes Compact in 2001 when we were one of a small group of environmental organizations in the Mid-west working on this issue. Early on, Clean Wisconsin understood the impor-tance of working with a diverse group of stakeholders to protect the Great Lakes

through an interstate compact. Clean Wisconsin’s vision, expertise and resources helped lead state conservation groups, agencies, and other organizations in mak-ing the Great Lakes Compact a reality. We were able to be a significant leader because of the support of our members.

Indeed, Clean Wisconsin members made a noticeable difference in the ad-vancement of the Compact through our legislature. Clean Wisconsin members met with legislators in their home districts and in Madison, and made thousands of contacts with their legislators through phone calls and letters in the last few months of this campaign. Dozens of communications with important legislators revealed that they responded to our members’ efforts with votes and pressure on their leadership to get the Compact passed. Truly, this is a victory for all of us!

While we have protected the Great Lakes through the Compact, we are not done. There are rules for water conservation and other provisions to be worked on. As the Compact moves towards state approval and congressional consent, we will work to implement and enforce the Compact in Wisconsin and the region.

Thank you, our members, for your comments to legislators regarding the passage of the Great Lakes Compact! Here are a few of the things you said:

The times our family has spent on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior have been some of the best. The lakes are one of our country’s and region’s great-est resources and must be protected and not diverted or polluted.

Ellen & Steve T.Eau Claire

Please work for a strong Great Lakes Compact. Thirty-five years ago, going to Lake Michigan was really special. Now, with the pollution it is not. Lake Superior is my great love. I would like to keep our water, hopefully clean, but at least there!

J. J-WValders

The Great Lakes are intimately bound to both our identity and well-be-ing as a state and a region. They are our heritage and our legacy. We must fiercely protect them – both now and into the future, and they will in turn preserve us!

Ms. Margaret C.Kenosha

Clean Wisconsin 9

Two major initiatives to improve local water quality in Wisconsin’s larg-est communities were unveiled this spring and your support is making it possible. Thousands of Clean Wisconsin members in the Madison and

Milwaukee areas will have the opportunity to get involved and build support for improving the Milwaukee River, Yahara lakes and their watersheds.

The Southeast Wisconsin Watershed Trust (SWWT) was launched in late April during a conference at Discovery World overlooking Lake Michigan. SWWT is a collaborative partnership of Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage Dis-trict, local governments, state agencies, universities, businesses, organizations and individuals working in the Milwaukee River watershed. Clean Wisconsin will be playing an active role working on the policy, legal and technical components of SWWT.

There are five major purposes of SWWT. They are:1) To achieve water quality goals and objectives;2) To improve water quality to support the regional economy and quality of

life;3) To test and implement innovative approaches to improving water quality

in cost-effective ways;4) To build partnerships among all stakeholders; and,5) To increase the region’s success in attracting new funding for water quality

improvements.

Much of the work necessary to improve the water quality in the Milwaukee region’s rivers will have to be done by people working at a very local level. Clean Wisconsin members in the region will have an opportunity to participate in many of these neighborhood restoration efforts.

The Yahara Lakes Legacy Partnership (YLLP) has been formed in Dane County and includes the Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, Dane County, City of Madison, Madison Dane County Public Health, Gathering Waters Conservancy and Clean Wisconsin.

The YLLP came together as the partners began to rally around the idea and call for a practical vision for the lakes by city historian, David Mollenhoff. The lakes are a huge part of what defines Madison and contribute greatly to the qual-ity of life. Unfortunately they are threatened by the same things that threaten

most of Wisconsin’s waters, polluted runoff from both urban and rural sources; which is also the case in the Milwaukee River watershed.

There are two major components of the YLLP – community visioning and technical analysis. We have been staffing the visioning committee to lay the groundwork for a serious push for building community support for improving the lakes and finding out what community stakeholders view as the most serious problems and their priority solutions. Through a variety of means we hope to be reaching out to as much of the community as possible – local watershed groups, boaters, fishers, businesses, property owners and everyone else we can reach.

The Yahara lakes have been called the most studied lakes in the world and there’s little reason to believe that’s not the case. There are many researchers from the UW-Madison and elsewhere that have devoted their life to studying the lakes. Many of these scientists are working together on the technical team to synthesize all the work, assess where the knowledge and modeling gaps still are and to frame the public discussion about community goals for water quality and the health of the lakes.

Ultimately the end goal for both these initiatives is to improve the water qual-ity and the way of life in both the Madison and Milwaukee regions. Your partici-pation will help both Madison and Milwaukee see better, higher quality water. Hopefully what we learn from the experiences can then be applied elsewhere in the state to regional water restoration efforts.

For more information, contact Ezra Meyer at emeyer@CleanWisconsin.org or (608) 251-7020 extension 20.

Getting involved at the local level: Improving water quality in Milwaukee and Madison

Corey Hengen and istok.com

Goodbye Will Hoyer - Welcome Ezra Meyer!

Ultimately, the end goal for both these initiatives is to improve the water quality and the way of life in both the Madison and Milwaukee regions where many Clean Wisconsin members live.

Clean Wisconsin bids adieu to long-time staffer Will Hoyer, who is moving to Dubuque, Iowa with his family. Thank you for a job well done!

In turn, we welcome Ezra Meyer to Clean Wisconsin as the Water Specialist. Ezra was born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin on a small lake, experiencing camping, sailing, canoeing, and other adventures start-ing early on, thanks to his outdoor-oriented parents, who also ran a successful small renewable energy business. He studied economics and environmental studies at UW-Madison, spent a year exploring the mountains out west (he was a ski bum!), and spent two

more years working for a natural landscaping business doing some environmen-tal education, volunteering with several conservation non-profits, and deciding to go back to UW for a double master’s in Urban and Regional Planning and Water Resources Management. For four years after graduate school, he worked statewide on lake conservation issues with the Wisconsin Association of Lakes. According to Ezra, “I’m excited to take on this new role with Clean Wisconsin for the healthy mix of statewide water policy advocacy and local, on-the-ground water resources conservation work we’ll be engaged in.”

Clean Wisconsin

Welcome Sam Weis!

Sam Weis joined Clean Wisconsin as part-time media intern in March, 2008 and on June 1, 2008 moved into a full-time position

as a Public Relations and Media Specialist. Sam is responsible for developing and implementing communications plans that promote Clean Wiscon-sin’s program work in the media. Sam received a Bachelor of Arts degree at the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication where he focused on strategic communication. As a Northern Wisconsin native, Sam is passionate about pro-tecting the pristine land, water and air he enjoyed

growing up in. Beyond working at Clean Wisconsin, Sam enjoys biking, backpacking, hiking, fly-fishing, backcountry skiing, and cooking.

Clean Wisconsin

The Defender, Summer 2008, Vol. 38, No. 310

Local activist cleans up the town and raises money for Clean Wisconsin

A special thanks goes out to Robin Lee and his company LeftOverBags.com. Robin created LeftOverBags.com to educate the public on the dangers of disposable plastic shopping bags and to promote the use of reusable canvass bags. Robin hates

the trash that fills up our landscape and organized a litter pick-up day in Madison, with a vic-tory party at the High-Noon Saloon complete with three bands and a raffle. Robin donated the proceeds from this event and raised over $200 for Clean Wisconsin. This was a great way to clean up Wisconsin and raise money to protect our environment. If you are interested in organizing similar events, please contact Becky Weber at (608) 251-7020 extension 17 or beweber@CleanWisconsin.org.

Robin Lee (left) donating funds to Clean Wisconsin Development Director Brian Kelly

Clean Wisconsin members embark on Lake Superior expeditionShauna Cook

A few years back I read a book about a woman who circumvented Lake Superior in a kayak. I was impressed by her tenacity and physical skill to make it around a lake with the reputation of being a wild beast. I

am about to be impressed once more, except this time by Clean Wisconsin members embarking on a journey they have dubbed “Session on Superior”.

On July 3, 2008, Alissa Weitz and Brian Castillo will commence a 1,300 mile kayaking expedition around the shores of Lake Superior. Expecting it to take eight weeks, the pair and their sea-worthy kayaks will carry camping gear, a week’s worth of food, and photography, rescue and repair equipment. Their mission aims to shed light on current threats to the lake and its watershed. They plan to travel with minimal impact while promoting a conservation ethic and educating people about the importance of this awe-inspiring lake.

This dynamic duo will document their journey through still photography, video and written accounts, and hope to keep the outside world informed through a blogpsot at http://sessiononsuperior.blogspot.com.

Brian Castillo and Alissa Weitz in front of a map of their route around Lake Superior.

If you would like to receive periodic updates on the travels of Alissa and Brian, you can join their email list by contacting session.on.superior@gmail.com.

We owe it to our children and grandchildren to pass on a world that has clean water, clean air and clean energy. You can give them a better world, and you can help them protect it.

Protecting our environment is a long-term battle, and we need to ensure that it is de-fended today and in the future. To accomplish this, we recently formed the Clean Wisconsin Environ-mental Legacy Fund, an endowment managed by the Madison Community Foundation.

We very much appreciate your annual support which is helping us take on today’s environmental challenges. We ask that you consider making a special contribution to the Clean Wisconsin Environ-mental Legacy Fund to help us protect our beautiful state for generations to come.

There are many ways to contribute to the Clean Wisconsin Environmental Legacy Fund. For example, you can send a donation directly to our fund, or you can create a bequest to Clean Wisconsin in your will.

Another way to support this fund is through a gift annuity. With a gift annuity, the donor regu-larly receives payments for the rest of his or her life and spouse’s life, based on a percentage of the gift. Additionally, the donor receives a charitable tax deduction and a partially tax-free return of principal from the annuity. Upon the death of the annuitant, the remainder of the annuity will be put into Clean

Wisconsin’s Environmental Legacy Fund to provide support for our future work protecting Wisconsin’s clean water and clean air. With a charitable gift annuity you can gain finan-cial security, and help protect Wisconsin for generations to come. Last year, Clean Wisconsin’s founder, Doug LaFollette set up a gift annuity to benefit this fund.

If you are interested in making a special contribution to the Clean Wisconsin Environmental Legacy Fund, please contact Paul Houseman of the Madison Community Founda-tion at (608) 232-1763 extension 226.

Leave a legacy for future generations

Leave a legacyWays to contribute to the Clean Wisconsin Environmental Legacy Fund

1. Send a donation directly to our fund.2. Create a bequest to Clean Wisconsin in your will. 3. Create a gift annuity.

For more information, contact Paul Houseman at the Madison Community Foundation at (608) 232-1763 extension 226.

Clean Wisconsin

Clean Wisconsin

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