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On Tuesday, September 23, 2003 the Wisconsin State Senate passed AB
228, the Environmental Audit/Green Tier bill and sent the bill to the Governor
for signature.
AB 228 encourages businesses to conduct their own environmental audits by providing limited liability protection in cases where they agree to address problems discovered in their self-evaluations. This bill also rewards companies that move beyond environmental compliance if they include most of the DNR's "Green Tier" initiative measures. Unfortunately, the Governor has expressed a reluctance to sign this bill. |
His reluctance is based on fears expressed by environmental activists regarding the immunity provisions created by AB 228 . To obtain immunity from prosecution, a company must discover the existence of a problem through a voluntary environmental evaluation, they must report it to the DNR, and they must correct the problem within a reasonable amount of time. Intentional or criminal violations are not protected by this bill. Incentives for businesses to review their environmental processes internally are sorely needed. Companies who fear retribution might not conduct their |
own reviews, and problems could go unnoticed. This fear is particularly
strong for small businesses, as the complexity of Wisconsin's environmental
regulations can be overwhelming and unintentional mistakes might turn out
to be administrative violations.
If you think this bill would help both the environment and business contact Governor Doyle and ask him to sign AB 228. In the long run, this bill will provide greater environmental protection by encouraging all businesses to do a self-evaluation of their operations and make the necessary corrections without fear of heavy-handed reprisals. [WMC 10.01.03] |