Legislative session disappoints conservation groups

By David Steinkraus

Wednesday, July 28, 2004 12:59 AM CDT

Three state conservation groups on Tuesday released reports rating the voting records of state legislators, and the groups said they were disappointed by the results.

The Clean Wisconsin Action Fund and the Sierra Club combined to do one report, and the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters did another. Both groups tracked votes on a variety of environmental issues.

From the last session, 2002-03, to this one, the average voting score for senators dropped from 71 percent pro-conservation to 45 percent, while in the Assembly the average score dropped from 66 percent pro-conservation to 39 percent, according to the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.

The legislative action does not reflect the views of voters, said Anne Sayers, program director for the league. "We continue to see polling data saying that they still value natural resources."

In this session, there seemed to be more bills on which environmental groups' preferred stance was a no vote, making the session one of defense against encroachments on existing environmental rules, she said. That's a result of the bills which the Assembly and Senate leadership allow through the process, and of the pressure applied to legislators, she said. "And I think that that boils down to campaign contributions."

"It was a very aggressive, anticonservation agenda that was being pushed by the majority leadership," said Caryl Terrell, director of the state Sierra Club chapter.

Both houses were headed by a single party with a single philosophy, in contrast to the give and take that has happened in the past when control of the Legislature was split, she said.

One bright spot was the bill that extended the state's authority to regulate high-capacity water wells, such as one proposed by the Perrier Group, Terrell said. The legislative leadership wanted the bill, asked for help, and the law was drafted, introduced, and passed with expediency, she said. "It wasn't everything that the environmental community wanted, but it's so important, and it sets a framework." That bill drew almost unanimous support in votes.

In contrast there was the Job Creation Act, which changed how quickly permits are issued by state agencies. It's a particular thorn in Terrell's view. "There hasn't been a job created by it."

State Sen. Cathy Stepp, R-Yorkville, received one positive mark for voting for the high-capacity well bill, but she was otherwise marked down for her record. Because of a committee hearing she was not available to comment, but aide Jay Risch had a few words about the groups' reports.

"It's all politics," he said, observing that Republicans generally rated poorly while most Democrats received good marks.

"Frankly, the league's methodology for determining this `grade' is ridiculous." Stepp was marked down, for example, for voting against using state money to pay a lawyer to sue the state, he said. That was funding for the public intervenor who could advise people about environmental issues or sue in the public interest.

As for the Job Creation Act, Risch said, "It was bipartisan piece of legislation that will make it easier for businesses to cut through the red tape. The red tape in Wisconsin is currently driving jobs away."

"But the economic engine of Wisconsin is clean air, clean water, which is the basis for our tourism industry," Terrell said. And a clean environment is one of the factors businesses look for when seeking to relocate, she said.

"I'm often disappointed by the agenda that we face in Madison," said Rep. John Lehman, D-Racine, who received a high rating in both reports. He would prefer to see more proactive legislation, but said that when the Democratic party doesn't control the leadership jobs and committee chairmanships, that doesn't happen.

He agreed with Sayers that money plays a role in what is considered by lawmakers.

"The environmental community is based on volunteerism, and opponents of the environmental community are very often corporations and very well-financed interests trying to deregulate or pave the way for their own business operations."

Issues studied by the report included the Jobs Creation Act, which changed how state agencies grant environmental permits; bills about the number of billboards allowed along highways, the baiting and feeding of deer, the drilling of high-capacity water wells, and licenses; and committee actions to limit mercury emissions from power plants, reduce the number of state workers who deal with air quality and increase hunting and fishing license fees.

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