Overview
- One bill directs $132.2 million from the PFAS trust fund and $1.3 million from the general fund to add 10 DNR positions to run new programs.
- Roughly $80 million will flow to local grants, about $35 million will fund private well replacement or reconstruction, and $5.25 million will assist public airports.
- The liability measure shields farmers, residents, fire departments, municipal landfills and waste haulers from cleanup costs for PFAS they did not cause or that occurred under permits.
- Industrial, commercial and manufacturing facilities are not treated as innocent owners, and airports are excluded from that status despite the separate airport grant program.
- The DNR must issue semiannual progress reports for three years and work with the Universities of Wisconsin on studies of PFAS treatment and disposal, with communities such as Campbell expecting help connecting to new water supplies.