Our Legacy of Victory
A Major Legislative Win
PFAS contamination has caused major harms to communities all over Wisconsin. Thanks to relentless work from Clean Wisconsin’s government relations and water policy teams, the Republican-led Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers were able to reach a compromise in the spring of 2026 that released over $130 million set aside to clean up contamination hot spots and to support to the Wisconsinites who had been waiting for help from the State for far too long.
During the 2023-24 legislative session, Sen. Eric Wimberger introduced a bill to release funds allocated in the budget for communities suffering from PFAS contamination. The bill contained some provisions that environmental advocates objected to, but seemed ripe for negotiation and compromise.
It didn’t happen. The Governor and bill authors didn’t talk to each other; it was as if the compromise muscles had atrophied during years of political polarization.
By the time the next legislative session began, Clean Wisconsin and the communities we worked with were determined to make sure the funds were released. But old habits die hard.
We went to work. Our painstaking line-by-line analysis of the two sides’ proposals pointed toward just five main sticking points and suggested we could find common ground. Clean Wisconsin’s team continued to work with affected communities to ensure their needs and concerns were addressed as we talked directly with Gov. Evers’s, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Sen. Wimberger’s, and Rep. Jeffrey Mursau’s offices to iron out changes. After too many back-and-forth meetings to count, both sides agreed to a set of amendments.
By March 2026, the Assembly and Senate had both passed the amended bills unanimously, and Gov. Evers signed the legislation into law in early April. After several hard-fought years, relief for Wisconsin’s affected communities was finally given the green light.
Why It Matters
Clean Wisconsin’s work to leadership on PFAS aid for affected communities was our most successful legislative campaign in over a decade. By centering the needs of communities — and with a hearty dose of hard work, collaboration, perseverance, and diplomatic skill — we achieved what many thought was impossible: a true and meaningful compromise in an era hostile to collaboration. The result was much-needed relief for Marinette, Peshtigo, the Town of Campbell, the Town of Stella, and communities throughout the state. There is still work to do to address PFAS contamination, but providing these communities with a path forward is an important step.
