Wetland Development Bill Goes to Gov. for Signature

The Wisconsin Wetlands Association says in the past 150 years, Wisconsin has lost almost half, or five million acres, of its wetlands, and a ?EUR??,,????'??large portion of the wetlands that remain (especially in the populated southern half of the state) are considerably degraded.?EUR??,,????'??

The Wisconsin legislature has approved a bill to ease building restrictions on wetlands that provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

The Senate passed the bill 17-15, strictly along party lines, with all the no votes coming from Democrats. The Democrats tried to stall the vote, but Rep. Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald reportedly kept the lawmakers at work late on Valentine?EUR??,,????'???s until a little after midnight, at which time the debate could legally resume. A final vote came in the early hours of Feb. 15. A few dozen citizens were reported in the chambers to protest the vote.

The Assembly, with a Republican majority (Rep.?EUR??,,????'???59, Dem.-39, Ind.-1), passed the bill Feb. 22 on a 60-35 vote. The bill now goes to Rep. Gov. Scott Walker for his signature.

?EUR??,,????'??I look forward to signing this bill into law and working with the Department of Natural Resources to implement this pro-growth, pro-environment piece of legislation,?EUR??,,????'?? Walker said.

The wetlands bill stipulates developers can apply for general state permits or individual ones for more specialized projects. The specialized permits would require mitigation plans to either replace wetlands lost in construction, buy credits from groups that have restored wetlands, or pay the DNR to help its wetland protection efforts. Environmentalists say ?EUR??,,????'??buy-outs?EUR??,,????'?? will become the rule and result in the loss of thousands of acres of wetlands.

Sen. Bob Wirch (D-Pleasant Prairie) said business concerns had trumped wildlife and environmental concerns.

Republicans said the measure was needed to boost the state?EUR??,,????'???s economy and add jobs.

Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) believes the bill will destroy wetland habitats and lead to more flood damage, as it would allow more structures on lowlands.

One thing is clear: The legislation will weaken restrictions on wetlands regulated by the state.