Wisconsin AG Issues Legal Opinion Limiting DNR's Power to Regulate High-Capacity Wells

摘要

Wisconsin's attorney general rolled back the Department of Natural Resources's authorities to regulate high-capacity groundwater wells, issuing a legal opinion that a 2011 law pushed by Republican lawmakers significantly curtailed the agency's powers beyond those enumerated in state statute. While the legal opinion, released May 10 by Attorney General Brad Schimel (R), focuses on the DNR's authorities over powerful wells typically used by large-scale farms and food processors, it could have far-reaching effects on other environmental fronts and the authorities of all state agencies in Wisconsin.