Scott Walker’s supporters and critics agree on this much: The governor has delivered on his campaign promise to speed up and simplify permits for environmentally sensitive activities like mining and digging high-capacity wells.
“I will make sure the DNR treats Wisconsinites as customers, not criminals,” then-candidate Walker said in 2010, saying the state Department of Natural Resources was “out of control.”
But critics, including Democratic challenger Mary Burke, say the price of all that rapid-fire permitting has been too high, resulting in public health hazards and threats to the state’s air, water and other natural resources. Moreover, Burke insists, the state can have both strong job growth and strong environmental protections.
“You certainly have to make sure you have this balance between timeliness and thoroughness,” Burke said.
10 thoughts on “Mary Burke rejects Scott Walker’s efforts to ease environmental oversight”
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Zach, thanks.
This is a nice pivot, hope to see a lot more.
This could be THE issue that may swing gun owners, hunters, nature lovers, fishermen and women, environmentalists, outdoor enthusiasts, property owners and farms adjoining frac operations, and other concerned citizens.
Hopefully, their outrage will take precedence over their politics at Walker’s emasculation of the WDNR and the subsequent rape of the land, water, and air by the mining owners and other polluters and destroyers of Wisconsin’s environment and natural resources.
Agree Duane, I think this is a place where Burke has a solid advantage and a great chance to get the votes from blue-leaning rural areas that Barrett couldn’t. She’s got an outstanding agenda to improve things in rural Wisconsin, and supporting the DNR and the maintenance of our outstanding scenic areas is something that separates the real outdoors lovers (many) from the hunters and fishers who only care about guns (not as many).
Western Wisconsin especially (with all the frac sand issues) seems like a place that could come back to the Dems in a big way for Burke.
Is Burke interested in returning the DNR Secretary appointment to WI Natural Resources Board vs. the Governor?
This was a pledge Governor Doyle made during campaigns. Doyle reneged, multiple times.
Good question.
Not so, John; it is off-topic, not relevant and a distraction.
The question may be asked why Walker is giving commercial interests priority over the people’s interests, current and future generations, of our natural resources and environment?
If/when the WNRB DNR Secretarial appointment is restored it will be a decisive step in returning the WDNR to the citizens of WI and taking away from government.
ig, while I’m inclined to agree with you, oligarchs have made Public Service Commission http://psc.wi.gov/ a wholly owned subsidiary of the PetroState/ Koch brothers/big coal. I have no doubt they can do the same with the WI NRB and probably to a large extent, already have.
Perhaps what’s happened in Detroit will wake more Republicans up to the reality of climate change: “Heavy rain wreaks havoc on Detroit freeways”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/11/detroit-five-inches-rain/13933203/
These are what used to be once-in-a-lifetime storms that now hit about every ten or 20 years. Pretty soon, it will be every five or ten years,….
Let’s get the “fox out of the hen house” first by electing Mary Burke first so she can send Cathy Stepp (Walker’s “Chamber of Commerce” DNR secretary) packing. Stepp has demoralized this once proud agency with the blatantly politization of DNR.
Randy, exactly!
As the topic headline says, “Mary Burke rejects Walker’s efforts to ease environmental oversight.”
Ergo, voters reject Walker = reject Stepp = reject easing environmental oversight.
In case you’ve forgotten, Stepp was, is a WDNR “polluter” suppoter: http://host.madison.com/news/local/environment/cathy-stepp-outspoken-critic-of-dnr-picked-to-head-agency/article_59520726-1440-11e0-b7f3-001cc4c03286.html