Western Wisconsinites hold virtual press call to address the PFAS crisis and health care solutions – WisPolitics

MADISON, Wis. — Today, Representatives Jill Billings and Jodi Emerson, State Senate Candidate Paul Hambleton, and Assembly Candidate Tara Johnson gathered to address the health care and clean water crises impacting western Wisconsin. Right now, Republican politicians in Madison are refusing to release already-approved crisis funding for our communities—standing in between people and solutions for political gain. 

In western Wisconsin, hospitals were left to scramble their resources after the closures of HSHS and Prevea Health, and many communities are still suffering from toxic chemicals in the water while waiting on funding that’s been obstructed by the Joint Finance Committee for over 450 days.

Watch the press call here and see what speakers had to say, in part, below:

Representative Jill Billings: “Many Wisconsin communities are still suffering from toxic chemicals in the water. In my own district, the town of Campbell suffers from some of the worst PFAS in the state, and many have been living with drinking bottled water for three years now. They’ve been waiting—waiting for $125 million in PFAS clean-up funding that’s been approved over 450 days ago, but the Joint Finance Committee refuses to release it. Western Wisconsin deserves leaders who will put rural folks ahead of partisan games. We have the power to help people with the issues that really matter to everyday folks, not just play partisan power games in Madison.”

Representative Jodi Emerson: “When the hospitals and clinics announced the closures earlier this year, it really did send shockwaves through our community. Not only were two hospitals closing, but 19 clinics shuttered their doors. […] There were as many as 900 pregnant women who didn’t know where they were gonna give birth later that year. There were people who needed regular clinic appointments who now needed to drive about 45 minutes a couple of times a week to get their medical needs taken care of, and we worked really hard to get a program together and get a bill passed that would have addressed this. […] After we passed this $15 million emergency care bill, once again, the Joint Finance Committee refused to release it. Governor Evers approved $15 million in supportive funding with the condition that it be used to support all medical services, not just emergency services. The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee is still refusing to release this funding. Months later, hospitals are still fending for themselves as they continue to serve our communities. […] Rural Wisconsinites deserve better representation that puts them first, not politics.”

State Senate Candidate Paul Hambleton: “Western Wisconsin is a home to some of the best trout streams, rivers, and clean water, really in the whole country, a wilderness area that’s really incredible. And we have a huge responsibility to fight for this area and keep it clean with good environmental policy that protects these natural resources for everybody on into the future. And a big part of that is advocating for those natural resources so that we can all keep enjoying them here in Wisconsin, for our kids and our grandkids. […] It’s not just enough to […] look at PFAS, but it’s really important to look at what’s happening with groundwater in areas, particularly where we have karst formations where surface water can trickle down and actually bring nitrates to the groundwater, which pollutes the wells. […] So we have to really look at the difficult job of regulating things that are going to impact our environment in very significant ways, and that’s the kind of thing we need to bring to the legislature, and it’s time for us to do that. The days of Republicans hiding from their failures behind gerrymandered district lines are over.”

Assembly Candidate Tara Johnson: “For too long, many communities across Wisconsin have really been left to fend for themselves against invisible forever chemicals in water supplies. We all agree on this call that Wisconsinites deserve access to clean drinking water, but the GOP-controlled legislature seems to think otherwise. That GOP-controlled legislature has consistently been a barrier to Wisconsinites getting the help that they need. […] They’re refusing to use the funds to make sure that Wisconsinites have access to clean water in their homes, schools, businesses, communities across the state. Instead, they are making sure that it’s easier for corporate polluters to escape accountability. We all believe again that we should be able to drink the water from our tap and know that it’s clean and safe. […] It has been over 450 days since Governor Evers approved funding to address PFAS contamination in our water. It is very evident […] that Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee are far more interested in playing partisan games than in doing what is right by Wisconsinites.”