OPINION: Protect Wisconsin’s health from deadly environmental rollbacks

Dear Editor: I recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislative staff working with Sens. Johnson and Baldwin and discuss the health implications of multiple environmental rollbacks being proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Over the decades, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Water Rule, Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, and other life-saving environmental laws have made our country’s air and water much cleaner and safer. We need to strengthen these policies, not weaken them...

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Ken Notes: I agree but a part of that strengthening should be to work with business to reduce unnecessary cost, mandates and project delays. I am aware of environmentally motivated businesses, developers and builders who can`t get great projects in the dirt because of poor regulations that exist. For example much of Milwaukee sits in a non-attainment area. (An area considered to have air quality worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards as defined in the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970).

These developers want to bring renewable energy, efficient buildings, and quality jobs to an area that needs all of the above but they can`t build in Milwaukee. They can build on a farm field outside the city though. The employees would need to commute by car to work, solar becomes less efficient because their is know one to share it with during the day, and the company would need to transport product to rail lines in the city.

We can and must do better!