Natural Resources


In this photo posted to Sen. Tammy Baldwin's social media accounts, the Wisconsin Democrat (right) is joined on the White House grounds on Sept. 13, 2022, by (left to right) state Rep. Lisa Subeck, Sheboygan Mayor Ryan Sorenson, Jeff Cramer of Community Access Solar, and Kerry Schumann, executive director of Wisconsin Conservation Voters. They were invited guests to a celebration hosted by President Joe Biden to mark the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Wisconsin Conservation Leader: Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act Will Help Bypass Republican Barriers to Climate Action

Thousands gathered on the White House lawn to celebrate the new law that also addresses healthcare costs and tax fairness.

President Joe Biden signs the Democrats' landmark climate change and health care bill in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022, as from left, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., watch. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Poll: Nearly 2 Out of 3 Wisconsin Voters Support Climate Action in Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act

Closing tax loopholes to produce more renewable energy and put fewer pollutants in the atmosphere enjoys support from 68% of independents and 41% of Republicans.

Topminnow Pond
DNR Retirees and ‘Citizen Scientists’ Help Wisconsin Species to Survive and Thrive

Opportunities abound for help monitoring everything from birds and bees to turtles and toads. There’s also a new lake that someone will get to name.

Fred Prehn
Conservative State Justices Side with GOP Legislators on Blocking a Governor from Making Appointments

Former Gov. Scott Walker’s appointees still have a majority on the state Natural Resources Board after the state Supreme Court said a board member can refuse to step down—more than a year after his term expired.

Bird banding
Field Trips From the Natural Resources Foundation Show Off Wisconsin From All Angles

Group started as a defense against state budget cuts and now regularly fills up more than 200 opportunities to see fields, forests, creeks, and critters.

Culligan Delivery
‘Back to the Dark Ages’ for Water Protection as a Judge Kills DNR Enforcement of PFAS

State’s big business lobby, WMC, successfully argues the Legislature has to list the chemicals and write the rules—even though it might never do that.

Communities across Wisconsin have discovered high levels of PFAS contamination in their water supplies. (Photo by Julian Emerson)
Starting All Over: Conservatives Close the Spigot on Groundwater Standards for ‘Forever Chemicals’

A Natural Resources Board hostile to addressing PFAS contamination forces the rules process to start all over again, wasting three years of work.