WFU Testifies on Bill to Address PFAS Contamination
- WFU Blog
- 2d
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Updated: 1d
On Tuesday, October 7, Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU) Government Relations Director, Michelle Ramirez-White submitted testimony to the Wisconsin State Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran, and Military Affairs on Senate Bills 127 and 128 which seek to address the impact of PFAS contamination.
WFU provided feedback that the bill, as currently written, may allow companies that benefitted financially from the use of PFAS to qualify for limited PFAS remediation funding. Instead, this money must be responsibly distributed to innocent individuals and farms to better ensure farmers are able to receive financial support, not the companies who are perpetrating the PFAS contamination issue. WFU also requested that the bill authors consider an amendment to support a farmers loss of market access ability if PFAS is found on their land.
See WFU's full testimony below:
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Re: Senate Bill 128 & 127; Relating to: exempting certain persons from PFAS enforcement actions under the spills law, programs and requirements to address PFAS.Â
Registration position: Other
Chair Senator André Jacque and members of the committees, thank you for the opportunity to testify on Senate Bills 127 &128.
As we learn more about PFAs in relation to agriculture, the chemical has been placed in the category of “forever chemicals" because they bioaccumulate in animals and plants and do not break down naturally in the animals or plants or in the environment. These chemicals in agricultural landscapes can cause food producers numerous challenges(1). Although there is currently no way to remove PFAS from soil at scale, the experience of the state of Maine shows that with proper support, most contaminated farms can safely return to production and future contamination can be avoided(2). Farmers who discover these issues, through no fault of their own, need assistance in the form of state supported remediation.Â
Wisconsin Farmers Union (WFU) appreciates the bill authors of SB 127 & 128 for bringing forward legislation to address the impact PFAS contamination has had on communities across Wisconsin. We support creation of an ‘innocent landowner grant program’ under SB 128 being open to farmers who own land upon which biosolids contaminated by PFAS were spread, as well as the exemption under the Toxic Spills Law to remove the fear of undue liability being placed on a farmer who unintentionally spread biosolids containing PFAS.Â
WFU is concerned the ‘innocent landowner grant program’ as currently drafted would not utilize funding allocated from the State Budget effectively, by allowing companies that benefitted financially from the use of PFAS in their products to qualify for the limited funding under the program, meaning these companies would compete with farmers for a portion of the State’s PFAS Trust Fund. WFU believes this money must be responsibly distributed to innocent individuals and farms to better ensure farmers are able to receive financial support.
Furthermore, we request the bill authors consider an amendment to support a farmers loss of market access ability if PFAS is found on their land. Having a shield from liability under the Toxic Spills Law is a comfort for a farmer, but food processors may still reject farm commodities if they are found to contain PFAS, which results in loss of income to a farmer’s bottomline. WFU requests farmers receive access to resources, including direct income support and funding to transition to alternate forms of production if necessary.
Thank you for this opportunity to share Wisconsin Farmers Union’s thoughts on this issue.Â
Find more details on WFU’s PFAS policy on page 80 in the policy book.