A bill introduced Monday to end political control of the Department of Natural Resources has gained support from a majority of state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, to the dismay of the governor.
The bill — authored by Reps. Spencer Black, D-Madison; Dean Kaufer, R-Neenah; Mary Hubler, D-Rice Lake, and Senators Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, and Robert Cowles, R-Green Bay — would restore the authority to appoint the secretary of the DNR to the Natural Resources Board.
The board is made up of seven citizens appointed by the governor for staggered six-year terms, according to Black.
The board named the secretary for almost 70 years, until 1995, when former Gov. Tommy Thompson reversed the policy, giving the power to appoint the secretary to the governor. The DNR was started and first given its independence in 1928 by former University of Wisconsin professor Aldo Leopold.
According to Black, Leopold’s daughter, Nina Leopold Bradley, has offered her support on the legislation.
The bill was co-sponsored by 17 members of the Senate and 51 members of the Assembly from both political parties.
“I can’t recall a time when a controversial bill had this many co-sponsors. This
unprecedented strong and bipartisan support shows how important restoring the independence of the DNR is to the citizens of the state,” Black said in a statement.
By giving control back to the board, environmental decisions will be based on what is good for the environment instead of politics, Black added.
Conservation groups, largely in support of the bill, have been working on similar measures for years.
“People really see this as a political position now instead of a merit-based position,” said Shala Werner, spokesperson for the Wisconsin branch of the Sierra Club. “We want to restore integrity to the DNR. We think it worked well when it used to be the other way.”
Although Werner was unsure about the group’s future plans to lobby legislators regarding the proposal, the group worked with the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters on the issue as part of the group’s legislative lobby day in late February.
Despite majority support from state legislators, not everyone is in favor of the proposal.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, is against the proposal and supports the current system of appointment, according to spokesperson Kimberly Liedl.
“The governor is much more accountable to the public than the Natural Resources Board,” Liedl said. “It’s much more difficult for the public to have any impact.”
Gov. Jim Doyle is also against the plan, spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner said.
According to Sensenbrenner, Doyle believes if the secretary position is filled by the governor, the agency is able to accomplish more. Doyle originally supported making the agency less political but changed his mind in recent weeks.
“There are real merits to having a DNR secretary with the weight of the governor behind him,” Sensenbrenner said. “You also have a system that’s more accountable.”
