Legislators reject proposal to move oversight of polluting factory farms from the DNR to the unprepared and unqualified Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

MADISON – Just a week after hundreds of conservationists descended on the Capitol to urge legislators to reject a move to shift oversight of polluting factory farms from the Department of Natural Resources to the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the state’s Joint Finance Committee did just that.

Today, the JFC pulled from the Governor’s budget proposal a study that would have kick-started an effort to move oversight of concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, from the DNR to DATCP.

That terrible idea would have made enforcing clean water rules even more difficult by passing them off to an agency unprepared and unqualified to function in that capacity, resulting in even more families unable to drink the water from their taps.

Last Thursday, March 29th, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters hosted its Conservation Lobby Day. More than 300 citizens came to the Capitol and urged their legislators to reject this piece of the budget.

Executive Director Kerry Schumann issued this statement:

“The committee’s decision to remove this ill-advised item from the budget just a week after Conservation Lobby Day demonstrates the power of Wisconsin’s conservation voters and the urgency of this issue. This is one necessary step of many to ensure clean, safe drinking water for all Wisconsin families.”

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Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to electing conservation leaders, holding decision makers accountable, and encouraging lawmakers to champion conservation policies that effectively protect Wisconsin's public health and natural resources.