Environmentalists Wary Of High-Capacity Well Budget Language

Environmental groups hope state lawmakers will drop budget language that helps industries that use high-capacity wells.

Without much warning, Republicans on the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee recently passed a state budget amendment regarding high capacity wells. The language would make it tougher for citizens to challenge permits for those wells on the grounds that the big wells can harm local ground and surface waters and create other environmental damage. Amber Meyer Smith of Clean Wisconsin says the high-capacity wells near frac sand mines are particularly worrisome.

“Those use a lot of water to water down sand impact other wells, like farmers’ wells and other people’s well. This takes away the ability to challenge.”

Smith also says the budget change appears to help a huge dairy farm expansion proposed for Adams County. Groups like the Friends of the Central Sands are trying to block the high-capacity well permit. Governor Scott Walker says he’ll review the finance committee’s action on the wells, but is not promising a veto.

“Certainly I think it’s an issue – not just in that budget provision but overall – a way we need to work with our ag partners.”

Meanwhile, environmental groups say they’re trying to get a bipartisan group of lawmakers to kill the wells language when the budget bill goes through the Assembly and Senate.