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March 2008
Join Midwest Environmental Advocates for a conference on the Environmental Impacts of Large Livestock Factories in Wisconsin!
Come to Madison on April 5th for the first public conference addressing the threats posed to the environment and rural communities by large livestock operations. Hosted by FightingBob.com, Garvey McNeil & McGillivray and Midwest Environmental Advocates, the conference will bring together farmers, concerned citizens and property owners to discuss the risks posed by mega-farms to safe drinking water and public health. Join the growing network of people from around the state striving to move livestock agriculture towards sustainability and vitality. The keynote address will be given by progressive author and commentator Jim Hightower.
The conference is FREE and open to the public; advanced registration is requested. Learn more about this historic event here.
Case Update!
On January 30, 2008, Midwest Environmental Advocates reached a settlement agreement with Grande Cheese Company, on behalf of Wisconsin Environmental Law Advocates ("WELA"). The settlement resolves WELA's challenges to Grande's 2006 Wisconsin Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit, for its failure to prevent excessive pollutant discharges to the North Fork Juda Branch Creek. Pursuant to the settlement, Grande agreed to pay $20,000 to the Green County Land Conservation Department to fund nonpoint source pollution abatement efforts along the Lower Sugar River Watershed. Read more about the case here.
Still Working Tirelessly to Pass the Great Lakes Compact!
The historic Great Lakes Compact took one step toward providing long-needed protections for the Great Lakes when a bipartisan supermajority of Wisconsin's Senate voted 26-6 to pass the legisation. Unfortunatly, this was followed by a straight party line vote in the Assembly with 50 GOP members voting against even allowing a vote on the substance of the Compact. Even as the legislative session ends, Midwest Environmental Advocates will continue to work to protect the public interest in passing this law. Learn more here.
Advocating for Clean Air
Midwest Environmental Advocates recently submitted comments to the Natural Resources Board to express its concerns with a proposal by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources ("DNR") to repeal air quality standards for Total Suspended Particulates. Standards for suspended particulates, such as dust from quarries, grain operations, unpaved roads and landfills, are necessary to protect the public health and welfare. Repeal of the standards will likely disproportionally affect low-income communities that live in close proximity to emission sites. Read Midwest Environmental Advocates's letter to the Natural Resources Board.
If You Can't Take the Heat, Stay Out of the Water!
On behalf of the River Alliance of Wisconsin, Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers, Sierra Club, Trout Unlimited, Clean Water Action Council and Wisconsin Environment, Midwest Environmental Advocates recently submitted comments to the Wisconsin DNR on the proposed changes to state rules and regulations that establish water quality based effluent limits for heated effluent discharges. Midwest Environmental Advocates is pleased that the DNR is addressing this issue, but would like to see the proposed rules further strengthened to protect human health and fish and aquatic life. Read the comments here.
Midwest Environmental Advocates Welcomes Our Spring 2008 Law Clerks
Midwest Environmental Advocates is pleased to be working with four fantastic students from the University of Wisconsin Law School, Johanna Lillithrop, Brad Kopetsky, Rassa Ahmadi and Damian Stutz. MEA Law Clerks earn credit while working on a wide variety of projects at MEA's offices in Madison and participating in our seminar program on topics in environmental law. Learn more about Midwest Environmental Advocates's programs for law students.
Join our advocacy community by donating today. Your donation will be a powerful statement of your commitment to public interest environmental law. Your act of giving will help make environmental justice a reality. You can donate by mail here or you can donate online with Community Shares.
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