Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker wants those estimated 13,000 new jobs for his state and apparently will do just about anything to get them. He wants lawmakers to approve $3.0 billion in tax breaks, unveiling a “special” bill last Friday that would roll-back environmental protections and allow Foxconn to borrow $252 million to expand I-94 south of Milwaukee, an interstate that would take on added significance with the Foxconn plant nearby.
According to Wisconsin Public Radio, borrowing for roads has become an especially hot and thorny issue in the state. The Transportation Department’s budget has nearly doubled since Walker and the GOP took control of the state six years ago. The
I-94 expansion is Assembly Speaker Robin Vos of Rochester’s pet projects.
Vos said last week the Walker and the GOP-led legislature were prepared to approve a budget with no new borrowing, but the Foxconn deal will more than likely run up the state’s credit card. However, besides putting the state in an uncomfortable financial position, the deal has raised the ire of environmentalists and many other groups.
Environmental roll-backs and exclusions — All for Foxconn
The bill, which this writer read with great interest, excludes the need for permitting, environmental impact statements and a number of other incentives in the area where the Foxconn plant would be built. They include:
1.Letting Foxconn discharge dredged materials or fill wetlands without a permit. The provision would apply not only to wetlands Foxconn fills when it’s constructing its 1.6 square mile complex but also to wetlands it fills once its new facility is fully operational.
2. Exempting the company from another state law that requires businesses to create new wetlands when they get permits to fill existing ones.
3. Allow Foxconn to change the course of a stream or straighten a stream without a permit.
4. Let Foxconn build on a lake or stream bed without a permit.
5. Sidestep a state law that requires environmental impact statements before businesses can begin construction.
6. Let public utility projects begin for the Foxconn complex without approval by the Public Service Commission.
Referring to the bill, Sarah Geers, an attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates (MEA), told 27 News, “Instead of being all there — laid out in a single document for the public to see and comment on — it’s gonna be broken up into very technical and divided permitting programs.”
The Walker administration contends there are still enough regulations in place to protect the environment, and making exceptions to environmental rules is nothing new, reports the Associated Press.
“The bottom line is state and federal air, water quality, solid and hazardous waste standards are required to be met under this bill, and the exemptions are similar to other projects, like Lambeau Field, that provide a significant economic impact,” wrote Tom Evenson, a spokesperson for Gov. Walker.
Evenson is referring to a Cabala’s store that was built in the Titletown District near the stadium in 2012 without a permit to fill in wetlands.
Governor Walker and his administration, by allowing the exemptions to environmental rules and foregoing of permits to other state agencies is setting a dangerous precedent that could easily lead to unforeseen consequences in future construction deals. A public hearing on the legislation is expected to be held at the State Capitol later this week.
