Walker, Et. Al. Pushing For Rapid Elimination Of Environmental, Energy Programs

Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican Legislature have moved quickly to weaken a string of environmental and energy programs as they contend with a budget deficit and make economic development their top priority. The governor and GOP lawmakers have pushed more than a dozen initiatives that would reverse the course set by Democrats when they held power.

Among the changes:

• Trying to eliminate mandatory requirements for recycling and the subsidies to local government that went with it.

• Weakening the state's commitment to wind power by making it more difficult for developers to meet siting requirements.

• Canceling a major state contract to burn homegrown biomass at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

• Delaying costly water pollution rules to control weed-producing phosphorus in waterways.

The actions have delighted many business interests who say state government has been quick to regulate, but slow to appreciate the needs of business.

Meanwhile, the changes have angered Democrats, environmentalists and those interested in developing an industry built on clean technology.

It's all underscored the growing divide over environment issues.

"I knew it was going to be bad," said freshman Rep. Brett Hulsey (D-Madison), a former Sierra Club employee who has emerged as the sharpest Walker critic on environmental issues in the Legislature. "But I didn't think it was going to be this bad. "With (former Gov.) Tommy Thompson, you could deal with him, but Scott Walker makes Tommy Thompson look like John Muir."

EDIT

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/121449869.html