May 6, 2017Wisconsin well bill moves to governor, potato bills clear Senate
On Tuesday, May 2, with a vote of 62-35, the Wisconsin State Assembly passed Senate Bill 76, the legislation allowing high capacity well owners to repair, replace, reconstruct and transfer ownership of their wells without additional Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) approval and directing the DNR to study specific areas in the Central Sands. SB 76 now moves to the governor for his review and signature.
Earlier this year, when SB 76 was passed by the Wisconsin Senate, Tamas Houlihan, executive director of the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA), said this legislation is critical for Wisconsin farmers who rely on high capacity wells to irrigate farmland.
According to the WPVGA, this legislation maintains Wisconsin’s environmental requirements and well construction standards for repaired, replaced and reconstructed wells. The bill importantly requires the Wisconsin DNR to conduct a critical study of high capacity wells and their potential impacts on surface waters in areas in the Central Sands.
Earlier in the day, the State Senate approved both the potato late blight (SB 20) and the certified seed potato legislation (SB 23) on a voice vote. SB 20 is legislation that will shorten the amount of time allowed for late blight abatement orders from 10 to only three days. This will give the Wisconsin industry a better opportunity to intervene on behalf of producers if uncontrolled, untreated outbreaks of late blight occur, that might endanger neighboring fields in production areas. The WPVGA is still working to get the Wisconsin State Assembly Ag Committee to hold a hearing on these two bills this spring, so they can be taken to the Assembly floor for final passage during the fall session.
