Dear Friends,
In a day and age when Americans are increasingly disconnected from where our food comes from, Wisconsin still cherishes close ties to the land. Whether urban or rural, a deep and abiding respect for agriculture is part of our collective consciousness. Sadly, that respect has been abused and played upon by interests intent upon maximizing profits by industrializing agriculture as never before. More and more ‘factory farms’ are being constructed across the state. There thousands of animals are crowded into hanger-like barns in inhumane, unsanitary conditions. Let’s face it, ‘factory farms’ threaten environmental and public health. We must do something about them!
At Midwest Environmental Advocates -- Wisconsin’s only non-profit environmental law center -- we are at the forefront of efforts to protect communities across the state from the disastrous impacts of ‘factory farms’.
Right now Midwest Environmental Advocates is representing a community fighting back against what may become Wisconsin’s biggest factory farm ever (you can read more about that fight below). Planned for 8300 cows, this dairy will produce and store over 90 million gallons of manure and wastewater each year; only the cities of Milwaukee and Madison produce more biological waste.
We are working hard to:
- Educate the public about the environmental and public health risks of ‘factory farms;’
- Advocate for stricter laws to regulate pollution from ‘factory farms’ and for changes to misguided public policies that have allowed for the predominance of ‘factory farms’ through subsidies at the public’s expense; and
- Litigate to enforce the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act against those ‘factory farms’ that are significant violators of our environmental laws.
Could you make a gift today in support of Midwest Environmental Advocates’s Factory Farm Campaign?
With appreciation,
Karen Schapiro
Executive Director
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Cancer Causing Particles Have No Place in the Air of Chippewa Falls
Midwest Environmental Advocates submitted comments on a draft air pollution permit for a proposed sand mining and processing operation in Chippewa County, Wisconsin on behalf of Chippewa Concerned Citizens and Loyalty to our Land, on May 27, 2009. The operations would alter the beautiful landscape of the area. Additionally, they could cause a potentially significant health risk for area residents, as a result of emissions of fine particulate matter, including crystalline silica, a known human carcinogen. MEA’s comments call for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to refrain from issuing the permit unless and until it completes a study and determination of whether crystalline silica should be listed and regulate as a hazardous air pollutant. In 2004, DNR committed to undertake a study of the sources and amounts of crystalline silica emissions and develop a strategy for minimizing public health risks from the emissions. Five years later, the study has not been completed. Read MEA's comments here.
Citizens Challenge DNR Permit for Rosendale Dairy
On behalf of People Engaged Protect the Land (PEPL) of Rosendale and a group of concerned local citizens, Midwest Environmental Advocates filed a Petition for Review of the wastewater permit issued by the DNR to Rosendale Dairy. The Petition alleges that DNR violated state law by issuing the permit despite several legal deficiencies that put the area's groundwater and surface waters at risk for increased nutrient and bacteria pollution. Learn more about Rosendale Dairy.
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Keeping Milwaukee’s Water Public
In April of 2009, Milwaukee received bids from 17 private companies to assess the value of and grease the skids for privatizing Milwaukee’s Water Works. If Milwaukee privatized its Water Works using a 99 year lease, as has been suggested, it would be the largest drinking water system in the U.S. under private corporate control. This could lead to higher rates for water and decreased service and maintenance. Midwest Environmental Advocates has been speaking out against this proposal, and working with a growing coalition called KPOW! that is focused on protecting Milwaukee’s waters and keeping them in public control. In response to our coalition efforts, on May 29, 2009, the City announced that it is shelving plans to privatize Milwaukee’s water!
Restoring Milwaukee’s Watersheds
Midwest Environmental Advocates, along with six other state and Milwaukee-based environmental groups, received a shared 3-year grant worth $1.9 million from the Joyce Foundation to work with the Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust to restore the waters in the Greater Milwaukee River Basin. Midwest Environmental Advocates will be providing its legal and policy expertise to the Trust in an effort to promote cost-effective, innovative solutions to the significant water quality problems in the Basin. The Trust is an umbrella organization that was formed to improve the region’s water resources through collaborative efforts.. It is a non-governmental, non-taxing, voluntary organization. Members include representatives of local governments, non-governmental organizations and business leaders. The Joyce Foundation grant will help build the collaborative effort to improve water quality and the health of communities in the region.
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Update: 30 Years Later - One Step Closer to Protecting Wisconsin Water Quality
On May 27, 2009, Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA) and River Alliance of Wisconsin (RAW) presented testimony urging the Natural Resources Board (NRB) to adopt rules that will limit harmful discharges of heated effluent to our waterways. In 1979 several steam-electric power companies succeeded in a legal challenge that nullified criteria necessary to protect Wisconsin water from thermal pollution. Thermal pollution can accelerate biological and chemical processes, reducing the ability of a waterbody to retain oxygen, which can then lead to fish kills and the growth of algal blooms.
In early 2008, on behalf of several other environmental organizations, MEA submitted comments to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on proposed thermal rules. The comments urged DNR to adopt thermal criteria, but also called for revisions to remove from the proposal an exemption for compliance for municipalities, and other revisions necessary to protect water quality. DNR recently retooled the rule language, removing the municipal exemption, but barring DNR from limiting municipal discharges that will negatively impact water quality without first performing an extremely resource intensive analysis.
At the hearing on May 27, the NRB approved the rule for adoption, contingent upon discussions with EPA and stakeholders regarding the sufficiency of the municipal specific regulations. IN addition, after hearing the testimony of MEA and RAW, the NRB amended the rule on the spot to include further protections for water quality and public participation. Learn more about MEA's Water campaign.
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 Introducing Midwest Environmental Advocates's 2009 Summer Advocates
Midwest Environmental Advocates is pleased to welcome three new Summer Advocates to MEA's office in Madison: Joseph Barnett (Vermont Law School),Tressie Kamp (Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law) and Alli Welch (New York University School of Law). Summer Advocates are current law school students who work full time for MEA during the summer, gaining valuable skills and provide critical support for all aspects of MEA's work. Learn more about MEA's Summer Advocate program.
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