Summer Interns
Profile of
A r r i v e Legislative Leadership
After two years of dedicated service, membership assistant Allie Theuerkauf and REAMP assistant Lizzy Edelstein have left Clean Wisconsin to pursue new opportunities working for nonprofit organizations. Allie has joined the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund in Appleton, and Lizzy has joined Goodwill Industries in Milwaukee. Allie and Lizzy’s quality work and dedication to protecting Wisconsin’s environment will be sorely missed in the Clean Wisconsin office, and we wish them success at their new positions. Replacing Allie is Jenny Lynes, who previously worked for Clean Wisconsin as a communications intern; replacing Lizzy is Katie Den Boer, also a previous communications intern. We would also like to thank the devoted interns who have left our staff. Organizing intern Megan Phillips will now serve as the executive director of the Upper Sugar River Watershed Association, and energy law intern Rich Hankison will be working for the Law and Entrepreneurship Clinic this summer. Their hard work at Clean Wisconsin leaves a lasting impression that will help protect Wisconsin’s wonderful environment. Lastly, we would like to welcome our new summer interns and law clerks:
Water
Felice Borisy-Rudin Jamie Konopacky Allie Doneneberg
Energy
Hailey Witt
Communications Ella Schwierske
Midwest Energy News
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Sen. JOHN LEHMAN
Representing Racine County with nearly 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and three watersheds draining into the Great Lakes, it was no that surprise Senator John Lehman was among the state legislators most closely involved in adopting the Great Lakes Compact. More By Amber Meyer Smith, unexpected, perhaps, is the consistently strong, proProgram Director environment record of Senator Lehman who represents an area better known as a factory town. But according to Lehman, that perception is misleading. “While it is true eastern Racine County has a strong manufacturing tradition, as our communities lost factories and jobs in the ‘70s, the community awareness of the potential benefits of a clean Lake Michigan and development of our harbor, the protection of North Beach, and the revitalization of urban rivers like the Root River grew. We also have a strong core of progressive environmental activists along with some forward-looking employers who appreciate the value of protecting our clean air and water.” A member of the Assembly from 1997-2006 and the Senate since 2007, Lehman has received a number of environmental advocacy awards, including being awarded the Clean Wisconsin Action Fund’s Clean 16 award twice. He has been a strong pro-environment voice on the Natural Resources and Environment committees in the Assembly; in the Senate, he serves as a member of the powerful budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance. Among the notable pro-environment measures Lehman has helped pass are increases in the state stewardship fund; saved the Clean Sweep program from elimination; increased landfill tipping fees; restricted the use of phosphorus in cleaning agents like dishwashing liquid and fertilizer; implemented recycling requirements for home electronics; adopted a new state wind siting law; and restricted the disposal of items containing mercury. In the recently concluded 2010 legislative session, Lehman was also the lead author of Senate Bill 624 (PACE or Property Assessed Clean Energy legislation), which was signed into law as Wisconsin Act 272. The new law will help a partnership formed by the cities of Milwaukee, Racine and Madison use a $20 million federal grant to assist businesses making energy and efficiency improvements. The law also expands the ability of communities across the state to offer PACE financing to businesses, directly addressing the greatest impediments to investment in efficiency upgrades — access to capital and repayment schedules — by offering low-interest, low-risk loans secured by a lien on the property. “This PACE legislation is a textbook example of creating harmony among economic development, job creation and environmental protection,” commented Lehman. “Reducing energy and water consumption provides direct environmental benefits. And on the economic side of the equation, we create jobs by increasing demand for energy-efficient products and services and retain jobs by facilitating businesses reducing their energy costs to boost their bottom line.”
midwestenergynews.com
Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen addressed Clean Wisconsin members at the Milwaukee Yacht Club in early June. The Attorney General discussed Wisconsin’s involvement in litigation to prevent Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Thank you to our sponsors for making this event possible.
The RE-AMP Network has developed a great new online guide to energy news called Midwest Energy News. The site tracks energy stories in an eight-state region — from Ohio to the Dakotas — and puts them all in one place. Each day, you'll find up-to-date news that runs the gamut on energy issues, ranging from offshore wind and coal to electric cars and bike sharing. And it's all aggregated for easy reading. It's a one-stop energy news shop for Midwesterners — an important new idea in what's becoming an increasingly fragmented media environment. Visit www.midwestenergynews. com, follow Midwest Energy News on Twitter at @mwenergynews, or find it on Facebook at www. facebook.com/MidwestEnergyNews.
FAREWELL TO THese LEgislative Environmental Champs A record number of legislators (23 as of this printing!) have decided not to seek re-election this fall, including some strong environmental allies. We want to thank three in particular for being leaders and strong champions for clean energy, clean air and clean water. Rep. Spencer Black (D-Madison): Since his first election in 1984, Rep. Black has served as a tireless advocate for the environment in the Wisconsin State Assembly. His leadership on environmental issues has made Wisconsin a cleaner, healthier place to live, and we thank him for his long-standing commitment to protecting our state’s air and water. During his tenure, Black helped pass many policies that create a strong legacy of environmental protection including the
mining moratorium law, which protects the beautiful Wolf River; a law that establishes protections for the Lower Wisconsin River; statewide recycling legislation; and the establishment of an environmental stewardship fund. He also authored the Clean Energy Jobs Act during the last legislative session. Black’s sustained environmental leadership earned him multiple Clean 16 awards, and his strong leadership on environmental issues in the Wisconsin State Legislature will be sorely missed. Sen. Judy Robson (D-Beloit): Sen. Robson was first elected to the Assembly in 1987 and the Senate in 1998, and has been an advocate for many issues involving environmental health. As a former nurse,
Robson understands the strong link between a clean environment and public health. She has been an especially strong proponent of getting mercury out of our environment.
Rep. Steve Hilgenberg (D-Dodgeville): Rep. Hilgenberg was first elected in 2006. He has particularly been a champion on clean energy issues. Hilgenberg sees both the economic and environmental benefits that clean energy policies can bring to our rural communities, and he was a strong voice during the debate on the Clean Energy Jobs Act in promoting the policies that promote rural development. We will miss these three great legislative allies, and would like to thank them for their service to the state.
6 The Defender, Summer 2010, Vol. 40, No. 3