Environmental
Regulation
Like transportation, the legislature enacted a number of
legislative initiatives, this session, relating to environmental
regulation. Protecting Wisconsin's pristine natural resources is of
paramount importance to every legislator. I was proud to have supported
legislation that increased funding for our natural resources, protected
our drinking water, and kept harmful pollutants out of our air and
water. The following represents a smattering of the environmental
regulation initiatives enacted by the legislature during the current
session:
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Passed bipartisan legislation restoring the
Conservation Corps
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Enacted legislation providing homeowners with the
ability to apply for grants and low-interest loans to replace
portions of lead-containing water service lines
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Approved legislation designed to increase funding
for contaminated well owners to remediate wells and allow local
governments to remediate contaminated wells with the property
owners' permission
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Increased funding for the county conservation
program by $900,000
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Maintained current funding and program structure of
the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program
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Audited the forestry account to ensure that funds
were being spent responsibly (this included a $5 million investment
in natural disaster relief)
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Provided additional funding for soil and water
resource management grants
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Allocated an additional $500,000 in aquatic invasive
species education and control grants
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Established two new positions designed to oversee
CAFO permitting
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Provided flexibility to increase state park fees by
an additional $5
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Restored funding for ATV safety enhancement grants
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Maintained the Farm-to-School program which provided
school districts with locally sourced foods
Industrial hemp license applications are
now open
Industrial hemp licensing applications are now
available for Wisconsin's research pilot program, and the
Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection, will
begin accepting applications immediately. The deadline to apply
for the 2018 growing season is May 1.
Individuals who want to grow or process industrial hemp
in Wisconsin will need to apply for a license, and at the same time,
register their intent to grow or process hemp in the state this year.
Both can be done online, or via a printable form on DATCP's
website.
Congress included a provision in the 2014 farm bill
allowing states to conduct research pilot programs into industrial hemp
production, if authorized by their legislatures. The Wisconsin
legislature passed a law in November that directed DATCP to write an
emergency administrative rule within ninety-days of the bill's passage.
The rule establishes the regulatory framework for the pilot program. The
rule, known as DATCP 22, is now finished and is effective March 2nd. The
industrial hemp program it established is based largely on those in the
thirty-one other states with programs.
The law requires growers and processors to pass a background
check to show that the licensee has no state or federal drug
convictions. Growers will pay a one-time licensing fee of $150 to
$1,000, depending on how many acres they intend to plant. Processors
will also need a one-time license, at no cost. Both will have to
register with DATCP this year, and annually to remain the program, with
growers paying a $350 annual fee and processors, a $100 annual fee.
DATCP inspectors will sample plants from each field and
variety grown, and take them to the department's laboratory for
analysis. The plants can contain no more than 0.3 percent THC. Growers
will have reporting and recordkeeping requirements, and will be required
to enter into a research agreement with DATCP.
Industrial hemp was a major crop in Wisconsin during the
first half of the twentieth century, mainly harvested for its fiber to
make rope. Hemp products today are very diverse, and are available in
the United States, but have been largely made from hemp produced in
other nations.
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