50 years ago today, the Clean Water Act became law, protecting lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands across Wisconsin and the country. It is the foundation of some of Clean Wisconsin’s most important legal work, including our 2005 lawsuit against We Energies over a lakeside cooling system at its Elm Road coal plant. The settlement of
Even though wetlands cover more than five-million acres of our state, they don’t always top the list of Wisconsin’s most beloved outdoor spaces. But maybe they should, especially considering we’ve lost more than half of our wetlands in just the last century or so.
Climate change is making summers hotter, leaving people without air conditioning in Milwaukee and other cities vulnerable to its dangerous health impacts. Low-income communities and communities of color are often more likely to experience the harsh impacts of severe heat brought by climate change.
Our 50-year history gives us perspective and helps provide context as we prepare for the long road and hard work of addressing huge issues ahead.
At Clean Wisconsin, we believe we have a responsibility to address the ways in which environmental issues impact the most vulnerable communities.
On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we celebrate our history and forge ahead for our future.
Please know that despite this crisis, we’re still here, working to protect your environment.
The environmental impacts, from a warming climate to local water concerns, would be felt by all Wisconsin residents. That’s why we feel it is important to take this legal stand.
Each year the need for protecting Wisconsin’s environment comes into sharp focus on trips to summer cabins, while boating on Lake Superior, fishing on a northern Wisconsin lake, or running through woods or past fields of coneflowers on Picnic Point in Madison.
Earth Day started because people like Gaylord Nelson knew we needed to fix the environmental crises we faced in the 1970s. In the years that followed, our federal leaders enacted historic legislation like the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act.
